Pregnancy triggered lipoedema – it took me years to lose weight

Following the birth of her first child, Michelle Keith felt helpless in her battle to lose weight – unaware that the hormonal shift of pregnancy had triggered an incurable condition. 

As well as weight gain – which left her feeling very self-conscious – the 33-year-old, from Minnesota, found that she began to suffer daily pain, swelling, inflammation and restricted mobility.

Her flare-ups, which used to spark before her period, caused a burning and stinging sensation in her arms, as well as a feeling of intense heaviness. 

Ms Keith was battling lipoedema, a chronic condition that causes an abnormal build-up of fat beneath the skin, most commonly in the legs, hips and bottom, and sometimes the arms – often creating a striking imbalance between the upper and lower body. 

At her heaviest, she weighed 15-stone (210lb/95kg) but no matter what diet, exercise routine or weight loss hack she tried, she was unable to shift the ‘baby weight’.

She tried fasting, a calorie deficit diet and long periods of exercise which only left her more ‘depressed’. And despite speaking with multiple doctors, though, the cause of her ‘resistant’ condition was unclear.

Ms Keith said: ‘I was devastated when I thought this would be my body for the rest of my life.’

In 2023, she stumbled upon a video from somebody with lipoedema; a chronic disorder causing abnormal and symmetrical fat build-up.

Piecing together the information, coupled with her ongoing symptoms, she spoke with a specialist who confirmed her diagnosis.

Experts are unsure what causes lipoedema, but it may be linked to changes in hormones due to puberty, pregnancy or the menopause. Research suggests it runs in families. 

Debate has long run over whether the condition is weight-related, because most patients insist that lifestyle changes – such as dieting – make no difference.

For this reason, drugs such as Mounjaro have not been considered a potential treatment, but for Ms Keith, they proved somewhat of a golden bullet. 

By combining the $200-per-month weight loss jabs with a strict anti-inflammatory diet rich in leafy greens and pulses, she has lost 5st 3lbs (70lbs/31kg). 

She said: ‘If I eat anything off-track or there’s any hormonal changes, I am still in pain. But it’s much more manageable. I’m usually back on my feet almost instantly.

‘And they’re not so visual anymore, either. I’ve gone from surviving each day to actually being present.

‘I have more energy, less pain, more patience – which means I can show up fully for my child.

‘I’ve drastically improved my life, though. I feel like a different person. I’ve changed so much, not only physically, but mentally, too.’

Lipoedema affects up to one in ten women and causes issues with self-confidence and mobility and there is no specific drug treatment available.

The NHS recommends managing the symptoms with diet, exercises and compression socks. In severe cases, liposuction may be offered. 

But experts are calling for GLP-1 medications, like the one used by Ms Keith, to be considered as a possible treatment option. 

Dr Lesley Steinitz, head of research at Lipoedema UK, says: ‘We are pushing for a trial to see whether these drugs should be offered widely for lipoedema.’

The new weight-loss medicines stop the body from producing hunger hormones, meaning users do not feel the desire to eat. 

Obese people taking them can lose up to a third of their body weight within a year.

‘These injections also have an anti-inflammatory effect, and I think this, alongside the weight loss patients are experiencing, is why lipoedema patients find their symptoms are relieved,’ says Dr Harvinder Chahal from the London Endocrine Centre and Imperial College London.

‘This is an ill-appreciated condition and we are finally seeing benefits from a treatment.

‘But we need research data to assess why this is happening and who it can help.’