[karen z]

I have gained too much weight since my diagnosis and "instant" menopause at 53 (wasn't menopausal going in). But this could be do to Femara, anti-depressants, stress/anxiety, and a relatively sedentary life (compared to some) as a professor- and with increased joint pain. My weight has gone up each year and it has been extremely difficult for me to manage. I think the key for me is more exercise- not easy to do when one feels achy but probably the best thing to do to relieve symptoms. I wish there was more research teasing out the unique contributors of weight gain (I have seen some fascinating studies on the effects of chemo on body composition) because many of us are walking around as examples of "bad studies" (i.e., with too many confounding variables going on to make sense of our own "data").