For many women, menopause is a time of dramatic change—not only emotionally but physically. Weight gain during and after menopause is common, driven by hormonal shifts that increase abdominal fat, slow metabolism, and decrease muscle mass. But an exciting new study has uncovered a powerful approach to help postmenopausal women lose weight more effectively: combining menopause hormone therapy with the diabetes medication tirzepatide.
A team of researchers from the Mayo Clinic presented this groundbreaking research at ENDO 2025, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting. The study revealed that women using both treatments together lost significantly more weight than those using tirzepatide alone.
According to the findings, postmenopausal women who combined tirzepatide with menopause ho
rmone therapy experienced an average total body weight loss of 17%—compared to 14% in women who used tirzepatide without hormone therapy. Even more striking, nearly half (45%) of the combination treatment group achieved 20% or greater total weight loss, compared to only 18% of the tirzepatide-only group.
“These data are the first to show the combined use of tirzepatide and menopause hormone therapy significantly increases treatment effectiveness in postmenopausal women,” said Dr. Regina Castaneda, a research fellow in Endocrinology at Mayo Clinic.
The research analyzed the medical records of 120 postmenopausal women over a median of 18 months, including 40 women who received hormone therapy alongside tirzepatide and 80 who used tirzepatide alone.
This combined approach addresses the unique challenges menopause poses. When estrogen declines, many women gain visceral fat, lose lean muscle, and experience shifts in how their bodies burn energy—factors that make weight loss especially difficult. Tirzepatide, which mimics the hormones GLP-1 and GIP to regulate appetite and improve blood sugar, has already been shown to help people lose substantial weight. Pairing it with hormone therapy seems to further counteract menopause-related metabolic changes.
Dr. Maria Daniela Hurtado Andrade, assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic, emphasized the study’s potential impact:
“The information garnered through this new study provides important insights to develop more effective and personalized weight management interventions to reduce a postmenopausal woman’s risk of overweight and obesity-related health complications.”
She also noted the urgent need for more research to better understand how these therapies work together—and how to make them more accessible to women who need them.
Looking Ahead
This discovery could represent a major leap forward in personalized medicine for postmenopausal women struggling with weight gain. While tirzepatide has already transformed weight loss care for people with obesity and type 2 diabetes, combining it with menopause hormone therapy could unlock even greater benefits.
If you’re curious whether this combination might be right for you, speak with your healthcare provider. They can assess your medical history, discuss the benefits and risks of hormone therapy, and help you design a treatment plan that fits your unique needs.
To learn more, you can read the full story on Science Daily here.
Sources:
The Endocrine Society. “Hormone therapy supercharges tirzepatide, unleashing major weight loss after menopause.” ScienceDaily, 13 July 2025. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/07/250713031441.htm.
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