Estrogen, Lipid Oxidation, and Body Fat

Abstract

To the Editor: Oral estrogen treatment is associated with weight gain and often with the perception on the patient's part of increased adiposity.1 Evidence of increased body fat is lacking, and the possible mechanism involved is not known. We report the results of a study in a tall young woman, which suggest that estrogen decreases lipid oxidation and increases body fat. The patient was a 19-year-old woman with ovarian agenesis treated with 60, then 100, and then 200 μg of ethinyl estradiol per day, with each dose given for one month, which resulted in epiphyseal closure. Treatment with an oral. © 1995, Massachusetts Medical Society. All rights reserved.