I went into perimenopause at 35. My legs ballooned, I was covered bruises and piled on 50lbs. Doctors said I was lazy… but it was a little-known deadly condition
For years, doctors had insisted Laura Kerr was just ‘lazy.’
The counselor, who lives in Canada, watched as her legs swelled dramatically over time, heavy and tender to touch.
‘For years, I knew something was different about my body but I didn’t have the language to explain it,’ Kerr said.
‘My calves grew disproportionately, and no amount of dieting or exercise changed them.
‘From the outside, it looked like I wasn’t trying hard enough. On the inside, I was living with daily pain, swelling, confusion and eventually, self-doubt.’
No matter what she tried, fat continued to accumulate. Within two months, she gained 50 pounds in her arms and legs.
Unbeknownst to her, at just 35 years old, she had gone into perimenopause, a transitional phase before a woman’s ovaries produce less estrogen and she enters full menopause.
But despite the worrying signs, Kerr, now 41, claims she was repeatedly dismissed by doctors and told to diet, exercise more or accept that she was ‘just pear-shaped.’
Laura Kerr, pictured above, was branded ‘lazy’ by her doctors when her legs swelled out of nowhere, despite diet and exercise
Kerr is pictured at left with swollen legs and at right during her recovery. She claims she gained 50lbs in her arms and legs
Exasperated by her doctors’ dismissal, Kerr went down a research rabbit hole in 2021 and found information on lipedema, a progressive condition in which fat builds up on both sides of the lower body.
Unlike more common forms of weight gain, lipedema, occurring in one in 72,000 people worldwide, doesn’t respond to diet and exercise.
It’s unclear exactly what causes it, but hormonal shifts, such as those that occur during perimenopause and menopause, have been shown to exacerbate the condition.
‘Instantly, everything clicked,’ Kerr said. ‘[I felt] a mix of grief and relief. Grief for the years I spent blaming myself, and relief because I finally had an explanation.
‘I wasn’t broken. I wasn’t lazy. I wasn’t failing – I had a medical condition.’
Left untreated, lipedema can reduce mobility and damage blood vessels and veins, leading to chronic venous insufficiency, the same condition suffered by President Donald Trump. Chronic venous insufficiency has been shown to raise the risk of potentially deadly blood clots and fluid buildup.
When Kerr brought up lipedema to a nurse, she was told there was nothing she could do to fix it but decided to push for answers anyway.
‘I didn’t accept the nurse’s statement,’ she said. ‘I asked for referrals, learned to advocate for myself and continued treating my body while waiting months to see specialists.
‘The doctors could diagnose and support specific requests, but the real healing came from what I learned and implemented myself.’
Kerr’s legs are seen above before she was treated for lipedema
In addition to weight gain, Kerr also suffered leg bruising, as seen above
Following her diagnosis in 2021, Kerr shifted to an anti-inflammatory diet, which typically focuses on whole, nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, fatty fish, nuts and olive oil.
She also adopted self-manual lymphatic drainage, which involves gently stretching the skin for a few minutes as day to help reduce swelling.
Over the next few months, Kerr lost 50lbs in her arms and legs. In 2023, she traveled to Poland for lymph-sparing liposuction, a surgical procedure used to drain excess fluid while minimizing damage to surrounding tissues.
Kerr had two gallons of diseased fat removed. Within weeks, she was pain-free for the first time in years.
She said: ‘My body finally made sense. The physical relief healed something deeper too. Years of shame, self-blame, and psychological weight began to lift.
‘Having a name for what I lived with was heartbreaking – but also empowering. I finally knew the truth.’
Kerr also noted that lipedema has forced her to ‘slow down, listen and build a lifestyle rooted in regulation, not restriction.’
Kerr, seen above, said she now manages lipedema with an anti-inflammatory diet, light exercise, lymphatic support and compression
She now manages her condition with light exercise, lymphatic support, compression, nervous system regulation and anti-inflammatory habits such as maintaining a minimally processed diet.
She also has shifted her mindset about lipedema. ‘I don’t hate it anymore. I respect it,’ she said. ‘Lipedema changed my life not because it’s easy, but because it forced me into a deeper relationship with myself.
‘It led me to my work, my purpose and my community.’
Kerr is also encouraging other people to watch for signs of lipedema – which include painful or tender fat, easy bruising, swelling and heaviness in the legs – and seek a second opinion if they feel dismissed.
She said: ‘If you feel like your body doesn’t follow the “rules,” trust that. Start learning. Seek providers who understand lipedema. Stop blaming yourself, and please stop dieting as a punishment.
‘Education, support and nervous system safety are just as important as any physical treatment.’
