Hormonal
Administering GLP-1 receptor agonists (liraglutide or semaglutide) during the proestrus/estrus (P/E) phase of the estrous cycle significantly enhances food intake suppression and body weight loss compared to administration during the metestrus/diestrus (M/D) phase in female rats.
If you are using a GLP-1 medication like semaglutide or liraglutide, your body's natural hormonal cycle may affect how well it works. This research suggests that taking your dose during the weeks when estrogen is highest (typically the first half of the cycle) might lead to greater appetite suppression and weight loss than taking it during other weeks. While more research in humans is needed, you might consider discussing cycle-timing with your provider to see if optimizing the timing of your injections could enhance your results.
GLP-1RA administration during P/E, compared to M/D, enhanced the intake-suppressive effects of liraglutide and semaglutide. Moreover, semaglutide administered only during P/E led to greater body weight loss compared to M/D-administered semaglutide.
Why this rating
High-quality preclinical data with clear statistical significance (p < 0.05) and consistent findings across two different drugs (liraglutide and semaglutide) and multiple neural nuclei.
Source
The estrous cycle moderates the food and body weight suppressive effects of glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonism
Sarah V. Applebey et al. · Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism · 2025
DOI 10.1111/dom.70177
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