Stopping birth control

crazydogladyjess

I'm thinking about stopping my birth control for various reasons, and was wondering what others' experiences were on their weight loss, muscle gain, and just general overall health?

CoffeeNCardio

I DESPISED hormonal birth control. It makes me into an insane rage monster half the time and a depressed lunatic the other half of the time. But we're not ready for more kids, so I got an IUD (paraguard is the one without hormones, mirena has hormones). Best decision ever.

lisalsd1

Well, I gained weight and gained 2 children. You can lose the weight, but not the kids.

kell260279

Birth control makes me raid the fridge lol

ManiacalLaugh

Much like when you go on birth control, I believe your body goes down a short learning curve coming off of the hormones. Your hormones might take some time to adjust, which could potentially affect your appetite and cause a little water gain. (Depending on the person, anyway). This should all be temporary, so just keep your deficit under control and any weight you gain will be gone in a few weeks - if you experience any gain at all.

omima07

Well when I stopped taking birth control I gained 45 pounds....but I became pregnant! But the few months before I became pregnant honestly I felt like I had more energy and I didn't gain weight at all.

jennalennafur

I didn't notice any difference when I stopped....And when I got my IUD. I don't think it typically affects your weight so long as you keep your diet consistent.

chandanista

I became a monster. BC was my leash on my hormones, since I've been off I am quicker to cry or lose my temper, hungry and don't care about the consequences, and low energy.

However. Everyone is different --there are pages of threads on this website of people regretting using the same hormonal BC that gave me balance. They are better off without it.

arditarose

Nothing happened with weight, but I remember ovulating my first time after I went off of it...so painful I had to leave work. I didn't understand what was going on and thought I had appendicitis.

emmycantbemeeko

When I originally went on the pill, it was a godsend that helped regulate my cycle, drastically reduced pain with my periods, and I actually lost weight. I went off it years later in favor of a mirena IUD for several years, but when I had complications from that, I went back on the pill. Coming off the pill the second time in preparation for possibly conceiving was a nightmare of mood swings, bloating, and ravenous appetite. I'm sure some of my weight gain in the last year was down to being hungry, exhausted, and unpredictably cranky for several months.

But after a few months off, I'm not having any more symptoms like that.

The pill affects hormone levels, that's its basic mechanism of action. What that means, both going on and coming off it, varies from person to person. It's pretty luck of the draw.

Knowing about CICO will go a long way to preventing weight gain if it does increase your appetite, though.

Do be sure you have a plan for what you're going to use in place of the pill if you don't intend to be pregnant, though. I work in an ER and I see soooo many women who got pregnant their first month off the pill because they were out of the habit of worrying about birth control or because they were under the impression that it had to "get out of their system" before they were fertile. Nope. You may become fertile within a few days of stopping the pill. So plan in advance or you might find you're gaining a whole other person worth of weight.

bajoyba

I took hormonal BC pills for 10 years. Didn't have any trouble losing weight on them, didn't notice any difference coming off them. Maintained my goal weight successfully until I got knocked up.

pomegranatecloud

No change in anything - weight, appetite, health, etc., except that my cramps are significantly worse.

Fit4LifeAR

I gained weight extremely fast when I came off, like 9 pounds in two weeks. I told myself it was water weight by it never went away. It was disheartening...and now Ive struggled with irregular periods since coming off. I may go to the doc soon and see if they can figure out what is going on. I am definitely not pregnant.

Christine_72

I stopped taking the pill around 7 weeks ago (hubby had a vasectomy ). I was waiting for.... I dunno, something different to happen lol But everything is the same as before, my periods even came bang on time.

ZeroDelta

crazydogladyjess wrote: »

I'm thinking about stopping my birth control for various reasons, and was wondering what others' experiences were on their weight loss, muscle gain, and just general overall health?

When my partner stopped, she started gaining weight. She lost it 9 months later.

katieboo93_

I actually lost a lot of weight and pretty fast too (all came back though) but I feel much happier being off of it. Idk, I like that I'm not putting any drugs inside my body. I don't even take paracetamol if I have a headache - but that's just me!

asyouseefit

lisalsd1 wrote: »

Well, I gained weight and gained 2 children. You can lose the weight, but not the kids.

There's always the woods if you're really committed to it.

Expatmommy79

I lost no weight coming off. Got pregnant a month later.

Non hormonal iud now. Love it.

BunnyBomb

Too many friends of mine had horror stories after coming off their injection based birth control. Literally it started with one friend, whose story scared another friend, whose combined story scared my cousin...so they all went off the injections.

In the space of a year there were 3 girls who had each never even had a period in years because of the contraceptive injections they were on, then they stopped the injections. In all three cases they needed a medical scraping to get things back to normal. The whole thing made me queazy so I've never touched the stuff, and never will. I think I'm somehow reassured by my body completing its cycle each month, I don't want to suppress it.

Each to their own as they say though. I'd never think less of another person for choosing that kind of contraception though, any less than a full bodied tattoo lol, I just don't have the stomach for it.

size102b

jennalennafur wrote: »

I didn't notice any difference when I stopped....And when I got my IUD. I don't think it typically affects your weight so long as you keep your diet consistent.

Wrong it does effect your weight on some contraceptives even doctors tell you it's not about food it's about retaining water & that's what some do to you.

crazydogladyjess

Thanks everyone! Wish me luck...

eviegreen

size102b wrote: »

jennalennafur wrote: »

I didn't notice any difference when I stopped....And when I got my IUD. I don't think it typically affects your weight so long as you keep your diet consistent.

Wrong it does effect your weight on some contraceptives even doctors tell you it's not about food it's about retaining water & that's what some do to you.

The hormones in a hormonal IUD are very minimal and don't cause increased hunger as, say, the pill might. And any water retention is only in the first few weeks as your body becomes accustomed to the device.

faberallison

I got off bc because my husband got a vasectomy. It messed with my hormones, but nothing weight related that I can tell. I actually miss my birth control and wish I hadn't gotten my IUD out. Periods suck.

GlamourVintage

I got off of the birth control implant about 2 month ago. I feel better. My appetite decrease and I lost 10 pounds. However, except periods. The first period was VERY painful. One of the worst cramps I felt, ever (for now).