Living with the effects of hormone therapy for prostate cancer
Yes, hormone therapy can cause you to put on weight.
Having a balanced healthy diet and being more physically active may help you to maintain your normal weight.
Yes, over time it can cause loss of muscle mass and strength.
is a common treatment for prostate cancer. It can cause different side effects including weight and muscle changes.
Yes, hormone therapy can cause you to put on weight.
Having a balanced healthy diet and being more physically active may help you to maintain your normal weight.
Yes, over time it can cause loss of muscle mass and strength.
Some cancer treatments can lower the levels of sex hormones in the body. The sex hormones are oestrogen and progesterone in women, and testosterone in men. The cancer treatments include hormone therapy for prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer needs testosterone to grow. Hormonal therapy aims to stop:
the testicles from making testosterone
testosterone from reaching cancer cells
Find out more about hormone therapy for prostate cancer
As we get older we lose muscle strength. Hormone therapy which lowers testosterone levels can also cause loss of muscle bulk in men. It can lead to:
loss of muscle mass
loss of muscle strength
Hormone treatment can also cause you to put on weight. This is usually around your waist. It can also make you feel tired and less active. This can then make the weight gain worse.
Changing your diet and being more physically active may help you
Exercise can help to maintain muscle strength, but it needs to be a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise.
Aerobic exercise is any exercise that makes your heart and lungs work faster to provide more oxygen to the muscles. An example is walking, gardening or golf.
Resistance exercises include weight training and swimming. You have to use your muscles to push against the weights or water, which helps to strengthen them.
Physical activity also helps to control your weight. You don’t have to go to the gym, you can build it into your life. For example, you could:
get off the bus at the stop before you need to
do some gardening
join a walking group
Some hospitals organise exercise sections for cancer patients. Ask your specialist nurse if this is available. They can also tell you about other activities availably in your community.
You should aim to be physically active for 30 minutes 5 days a week. Your GP may check your cholesterol and heart health before you start an exercise plan. This is important if you have conditions such as diabetes or you are overweight.
Exercise guidelines for cancer patients
Eating a balanced healthy diet can help you to maintain a healthy weight. It can also help you lose or put it on if you need to.
Find out more about diet and prostate cancer
Hormone therapy can lower your bone density. This increases the risk of fractures. Talk to your doctor if this could be a problem for you.
Last reviewed: 10 Sept 2025
Next review due: 10 Sept 2028
Prostate cancer usually depends on testosterone to grow. Hormone therapy blocks or lowers the amount of testosterone in the body.
Hormone therapy for prostate cancer can affect the levels of your hormones. This can cause different side effects including hot flushes, swollen breasts, sleep disturbances and weight changes.
Get practical and emotional support to help you cope with a diagnosis of prostate cancer, and life during and after treatment.
Hormone therapy for prostate cancer can lower the levels of sex hormones (testosterone) in the blood. This can lead to bone thinning and weakness.
There isn’t any strong evidence that you should eat or avoid particular foods when you have prostate cancer. But you should try to have a healthy diet and stay within the government guidelines for drinking alcohol.
Prostate cancer is cancer that starts in the prostate gland. The prostate gland is found at the base of the bladder and is about the size of a walnut.
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