Living with the effects of hormone therapy
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 about hormone therapy for prostate cancer
Low levels of testosterone can affect the amount of fat in your body. It can:
cause a build up of fat around your tummy (abdomen)
increase the amount of fats called cholesterol in your blood
A build up of fat and cholesterol can cause different heart problems. Some problems can be serious. Talk to your specialist doctor or GP about this risk, especially if you already have heart problems.
Insulin is a hormone that controls the level of sugar (glucose) in your blood. Low testosterone can make your body resistant to insulin, which keeps your blood sugar high. Insulin is important in helping glucose to be absorbed by the cells in your body.
If you already have diabetes your body may need more insulin to keep your blood sugar level within normal ranges. You may need to test your blood sugar level more often.
Maintain a healthy weight
Eat a healthy well balanced diet
Be physically active, exercise regularly
UK Guidelines recommend adults are active for 30 minutes each day for 5 days a week. What you can do will depend on what you do already. You may need to build up gradually. This might mean starting with a few minutes walk and slowly building it up over a number of weeks.
Exercise can be an important part of your physical recovery after cancer treatment.
Exercise should include activities to increase your muscle strength on 2 days a week. This can help with changes to your muscles with hormone treatment. This might include carrying shopping or more formal exercise such as lifting weights or yoga.
Find out more about physical activity and prostate cancer
A healthy well balanced diet will help to maintain your weight. Check with your dietitian if you have diabetes.
Read about diet and prostate cancer
It can be difficult coping with prostate cancer and its treatment. There is support available.
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.
Coping with prostate cancer can be difficult. There are things you can do and people who can help you to cope with a diagnosis of prostate cancer.
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.
Being active and keeping a healthy weight can help you to feel better during and after treatment for prostate cancer.
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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