Intense food cravings, are they related to hormones???

[Elsa.G]

I've been taking hormones for the past 2 years, ive taken Estradiol the whole time- for the past year or so i haven't always been able to afford them so there has been times where i stop taking them. Anyway i recently got some hormones- about a month ago and i noticed this past weekend i have had intense food cravings, i have no idea why its never happened this badly, but it's been so bad this weekend that i binged horribly i know im not depressed right now, ive actually been okay except for the cravings. This weekend alone ive had burgers, pizza, chocolate, pasta, cookies and cake. I feel horrible now, but has anyone else experienced this?

[Padma]

Yes, though with me it was more craving for very specific foods, greasy and/or fish. It's pretty common for pregnant women, who have hormone frenzy going on (and who, like us, are growing new stuff...)

[MadelineB]

Yes, and its usually not related to the absolute level of hormones in your system, but rather the change in levels. Get on a steady dose and stay there and you'll see most cravings disappear especially the need to eat the entire refrigerator, though you may want to work on good nutrition since you are a "growing girl" now, and your body will crave things it isn't getting enough of, like pickles and ice cream.

[MaidofOrleans]

This would explain my fast food binge over the past couple weeks after starting hormones. I almost never eat fast food but for some reason I craved it almost every day.

[Joelene9]

  Yes and the cravings are still there nearly 2 years now.

  Joelene

[Elsa]

Pickle!!!   yup food cravings are a daily part of every woman across the world.

And they don't stop or slow down till menopause and increases during pregnancy, and changes depending on hormones and for us the dosages and timings and method used for taking HRT, as well as the meds themselves i.e what type of medicine you are prescribed or what suits you also to some extent influence what you crave and when you crave for it.

[AbraCadabra]

Plus 13 pounds later (since starting HRT) and still having a hard time walking past the fridge, I'd say YES!

A lot of my thinking is still revolving around food...

Will it ever stop? I still have some hope

Axélle

[jainie marlena]

yes and as long as it keeps going where I want it a diet is out of the question for me. lol.

[PHXGiRL]

omg yes! i eat sweets like all the time!!! ice cream! chocolate! yum! lol I NEVER liked sweets like i do now.

[ZoeNicole]

My current vice is peanuts. They are so hard to resist. Other than that everything else is fine

[Rita]

Puberty... sucks for diets. But the twins under my neck* are happy so I am happy 





*Yes I mean my tatas

[Robert Scott]

I was reading an article on food cravings and the differences between men and women...it said women tend to crave salty and sweet foods and that men tend to crave red meat and greasy food.  So, there are studies and research about food cravings between the genders.

[Rita]

I was reading an article on food cravings and the differences between men and women...it said women tend to crave salty and sweet foods and that men tend to crave red meat and greasy food.  So, there are studies and research about food cravings between the genders.

I guess I must be 75% androgyn according to that    I crave it all except for red meat which my desire has dropped significantly.

I am slowly moving towards a more vegitarian diet.

[Brooke777]

I was reading an article on food cravings and the differences between men and women...it said women tend to crave salty and sweet foods and that men tend to crave red meat and greasy food.  So, there are studies and research about food cravings between the genders.

For me at least, this has proved to be true. My desire for salty foods has gone up tremendously. I used to dislike salty foods, now I want them a lot.  I also crave sweets more often which I don't mind because chocolate is great!  I told my endo this and he said that is a good sign that my body is accepting the hormones without any trouble.

[DanicaCarin]

OMG, I just started this phase 15 months into HRT. Mostly salty or carbs. But I went from losing weight to gaining and feeling like a bloated bag of water!   I've been drinking dill pickle juice and "loving it"! I thought it was from the Spiro, but maybe not?

[Natkat]

I've been taking hormones for the past 2 years, ive taken Estradiol the whole time- for the past year or so i haven't always been able to afford them so there has been times where i stop taking them. Anyway i recently got some hormones- about a month ago and i noticed this past weekend i have had intense food cravings, i have no idea why its never happened this badly, but it's been so bad this weekend that i binged horribly i know im not depressed right now, ive actually been okay except for the cravings. This weekend alone ive had burgers, pizza, chocolate, pasta, cookies and cake. I feel horrible now, but has anyone else experienced this?

I had this for a time on T actually where I had the biggest desire for pizza.
now I dont eat much, thought but right in the beginning I started to eat more.

[Rita]

My appetite is starting to normalize again as well, instead I am slowly being a bit pickier and more disgusted by certain foods. 

Not so much a direct result of estrogen as it is my body changing.

But when I get urges they must be satiated 

[Carolina1983]

I hope that htey are hormone related because I am going bananas when it comes to candy and certain types of food.. It seems like my body craves fat over everything else :S.

[JoanneB]

I haven't craved chocolate like I do now since I was like 12 y/o. But not quite what your question was about.

My craving for food is driven primarily by emotional factors. Sure hormones do play a part, but very minor in my case. It's been a life long battle of the fork for me and I've been forked over a few times 

If you got a new batch of meds it just may be that particular formulation. All pills are not created equal, plus plain ole Quality Control issues.

[generous4]

chocolate! yum!

All of you have it wrong.

Chocolate is so full of antioxidants, you must consider it a form of medicine.

That is how my partner and I handle it: "It's not a craving; it is a therapeutic need."  No guilt, plenty of destroyed free radicals.