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Medical Weight Management
Medical Weight Management for Women in Los Angeles
When the usual advice stops working, something has usually changed.
Weight changes can reflect shifts in metabolism, hormones, medications, pregnancy and postpartum physiology, PCOS, or the menopause transition. Dr. Kim begins with a medical evaluation to understand what is driving the change, then builds treatment around the cause — including GLP-1 medication when it is clinically appropriate.
Physician-led care · Weight management in women’s health long before GLP-1 medications · GLP-1 treatment when appropriate
Medically reviewed by David Seil Kim, MD, PhD, FACOG · Last reviewed
Is this for me?
Medical weight management may be worth considering if…
- Your weight has changed despite doing what used to work.
- You have PCOS, or signs of insulin resistance.
- Your weight changed after pregnancy and has not come back down.
- Your body composition changed during perimenopause or menopause.
- You are considering a GLP-1 medication and want it supervised by a physician who knows your history.
- You want to understand why your weight changed before starting another program.
There is no weight threshold for being seen. The question is whether something has changed that is worth explaining.
Your physician
Weight management did not start here when GLP-1 medications became popular.
Dr. Kim has treated weight and metabolic change in women’s health for many years — PCOS, pregnancy, menopause — and has prescribed GLP-1 since 2023. One tool in that, not the program.
- ExperienceNearly 30 years in obstetrics & gynecology
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center15 years · OB/GYN residency faculty
- American Board of Obstetrics & GynecologyOral board examiner
- Los Angeles Magazine Top Doctor2020–2024 · 2026
What we evaluate and treat
The conditions underneath.
The purpose of this evaluation is to find out what is actually happening metabolically, and to treat that. Where medication is appropriate it is prescribed and monitored properly. Where it is not, we will say so.
Weight & metabolic change with PCOS
- Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common hormonal condition in women of reproductive age, and it is frequently diagnosed years later than it could have been.
- It presents as irregular or absent cycles, acne or unwanted hair growth, difficulty conceiving, and weight that is difficult to shift.
- Diagnosis and treatment of PCOS happen in the gynecology and fertility setting, not as part of weight management — see PCOS evaluation & treatment.
- Managing PCOS is different when the goal is pregnancy. See fertility care.
Insulin resistance and metabolic health
- Insulin resistance often precedes any diagnosis, and it is a large part of why PCOS and weight are so closely linked.
- It changes what will and will not work, which is why it is worth naming rather than working around.
- Cardiovascular and metabolic risk is worth knowing about in your forties rather than in your sixties, particularly through the menopause transition.
- Where another specialist should be involved, we coordinate it rather than handing you a name.
Physician-supervised weight management
- This is a medical program, not a diet plan. It begins with an evaluation of what is driving the change, including thyroid, hormonal and medication causes.
- GLP-1 medications are prescribed where they are clinically appropriate, with the benefits, side effects, monitoring and what happens on stopping discussed before you start.
- They are not appropriate for everyone, and they are not a substitute for evaluating an underlying cause. We will tell you if that is your situation.
- Progress is followed by a physician, with regular review of how you are actually doing rather than only what the scale says.
Postpartum, perimenopause and beyond
- The postpartum year is its own physiology — thyroid changes, sleep loss, and feeding all affect it, and it deserves patience and evaluation rather than pressure.
- Thyroid dysfunction after delivery is common and easily missed. It is checked rather than assumed.
- Weight changes during perimenopause and menopause are real and are not a failure of effort. Body composition and where weight is carried both shift with the hormonal transition.
- Related: menopause and hormonal health.
Has something changed that you cannot account for?
Irregular cycles, fatigue, or weight that no longer responds to what used to work are worth evaluating properly rather than pushing through.
What to expect
How it works.
- A full historyCycles, energy, sleep, medications, pregnancies, family history, and what you have already tried. What has already not worked is genuinely useful information.
- A treatment planDirected at what the evaluation actually found. Where medication is appropriate it is prescribed and monitored; where the answer is a different specialist, we arrange it.
- Follow-upReviewed on a set schedule so that what is working continues and what is not is changed rather than persisted with.
This page is general information and is not medical advice. No treatment described here is appropriate for everyone, and whether medication is suitable for you requires a consultation and evaluation.
Treatment
What treatment actually involves.
Evaluation tells us what changed. Treatment is built from there, and it is rarely only one thing.
Including GLP-1 therapy where it is clinically appropriate, prescribed and monitored by the physician who knows your history rather than by a subscription service.
PCOS, insulin resistance and thyroid abnormalities are treated here where appropriate, and referred where that is the better answer.
Built around your clinical picture rather than handed over as a generic sheet. What is reasonable for you depends on what the evaluation found.
Weight, symptoms, response to medication and side effects, reviewed at intervals rather than left to the next annual visit.
Including a plan for what happens if medication is reduced or stopped. Weight regain after stopping is common and expected, and it is planned for at the start rather than discovered later.
Explained
What we evaluate, explained.
What each condition is, how it is assessed, and what treatment involves.
Weight & metabolic change with PCOS
Polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common hormonal condition affecting women of reproductive age. It typically presents with irregular or absent periods, signs of elevated androgens such as acne or unwanted hair growth, and difficulty conceiving.
PCOS is diagnosed and treated in the gynecology and fertility setting rather than as part of weight management, and treatment differs depending on whether pregnancy is the goal — see PCOS evaluation & treatment.
Insulin resistance and metabolic health
Insulin resistance means the body needs more insulin to move glucose out of the bloodstream. It frequently precedes any formal diagnosis and is a large part of why PCOS and weight are so closely linked.
Naming it matters because it changes what will and will not work. Understanding this in your forties is more useful than discovering it in your sixties.
GLP-1 medical weight management
GLP-1 receptor agonists are prescription medications that act on appetite and glucose regulation. Where they are clinically appropriate they are prescribed here as part of a supervised program with monitoring.
They are not suitable for everyone, they have side effects and requirements worth understanding before starting, and what happens when they are stopped is part of the conversation at the outset. They are also not a substitute for evaluating an underlying cause — if that is your situation, we will say so.
Physician-supervised weight management
This is a medical program rather than a diet plan. It begins with an evaluation of what is driving the change, including thyroid, hormonal and medication-related causes that are commonly missed.
Progress is followed by a physician, with regular review of how you are doing overall rather than of a single number. Where another specialist should be involved, we coordinate the referral rather than handing you a name.
Postpartum weight management
The postpartum year has its own physiology. Sleep loss, feeding, and thyroid changes all affect it, and postpartum thyroid dysfunction is common and easily missed — so it is checked rather than assumed.
This period deserves evaluation and patience rather than pressure. Care here is coordinated with your postpartum care rather than treated as a separate project.
Weight management during perimenopause and menopause
Changes in body composition and in where weight is carried are common during the menopause transition. They are physiological rather than a failure of effort, and they are one of the most frequent frustrations patients bring to a menopause visit.
The approach that works at this stage is usually different from what worked at thirty, and it is considered alongside the rest of the transition — see menopause and hormonal health.
Questions
What patients ask first.
Do you prescribe GLP-1 medications?
Yes, where they are clinically appropriate. They are prescribed and supervised by Dr. Kim as part of a treatment plan, not sold as a standalone subscription. Dr. Kim has prescribed them for weight management since 2023.
How much weight do people lose on these medications?
Published trials report average total body weight loss in the mid-teens to around twenty percent depending on the medication and the dose, over roughly fifteen to eighteen months. Those are trial averages rather than predictions, and what happens for you depends on your starting point, the dose you tolerate and what else changes alongside the medication.
How often is the medication taken?
The GLP-1 medications used for weight management are given as a once-weekly injection you administer yourself at home. The dose is increased gradually over the first weeks rather than started at the full amount.
What are the side effects?
The common ones are gastrointestinal — nausea, reflux, constipation or diarrhea — and they are usually worst in the days after a dose increase. Less common but more serious risks exist, and these medications carry a boxed warning, which is part of what the consultation is for. Side effects are reviewed at follow-up rather than left for you to decide about alone.
Will I regain the weight if I stop?
Weight regain after stopping is common and expected, which is why a plan for reducing or stopping is part of the treatment from the beginning rather than a conversation that happens later.
Do I need to have obesity to be seen?
No. There is no weight threshold for an appointment. The question is whether something has changed that is worth explaining, and whether medication is appropriate is a separate decision made at the consultation.
Can I take a GLP-1 medication if I am planning a pregnancy?
This is a question worth asking an obstetrician-gynecologist rather than a weight-loss service. These medications are not used in pregnancy, and the timing of stopping before trying to conceive matters. If pregnancy is in your plans, say so at the first visit, because it changes the recommendation.
Why would I see a gynecologist about this rather than my primary care doctor?
Because weight change in women is frequently hormonal, and the hormonal picture — cycles, pregnancy and the postpartum year, perimenopause and menopause — is what a gynecologist already knows. If pregnancy is a consideration, that changes the recommendation, and it is easier when the person prescribing already knows your history.
Is weight gain during menopause inevitable?
No, but body composition does change through the transition, and what worked before often stops working. That is a reason to look at what has changed rather than to try harder at the same thing. See menopause & hormonal health.
Where can I get medical weight management in Los Angeles?
Yunella Women’s Health provides physician-led medical weight management for women on San Vicente Boulevard in central Los Angeles, convenient to Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Beverly Grove and the Miracle Mile.
More on coverage and cost: Insurance & Payment. General questions: FAQs.
Start here
Start with finding out what is actually going on.
An evaluation is one visit. It is a better starting point than another plan.
Or call (424) 404-8832 · 6330 San Vicente Blvd, Suite 418, Los Angeles, CA 90048