PCOS, Birth Control, and Weight Gain.

ss0794

So as a warning, this is part venting, part genuine curiosity on the matter.

I'm 22 years old. I've been on 20mg of Rosuvastatin for my (inherited) high cholesterol for a couple of months and I take Vitamin D gummies daily. Two weeks ago, I started Jolessa/Seasonale to manage PCOS and whatnot. And within this last week I've gained almost 8 pounds.

I'm incredibly shocked, confused, and feel so disappointed. Is it possible that the birth control is causing this or would something else be packing on the pounds? Today I started a couch to 10K program and plan to occasionally throw in some Jillian vids (alongside tracking my calorie intake). I'm feeling kinda desperate and I'm scared to continue taking the birth control. Do any of you have any advice or similar experiences? Thank you so much!

StephieWillcox

There is no way that 8lbs in a week is actual weight gain.

It will be water retention from the change in hormones.

Give it a little bit of time to settle down and don't worry about the scale weight for at least a month (also drink a lot of water to encourage your body to dump the excess water it's holding).

For reference just before my TOM I will "gain" up to 7lbs in 3 days. This will go away at the end of the period. Unfortunately it's just part of the fluctuations of being a woman!

KnitOrMiss

Also, for most folks, the gain is a one time deal. That being said, BCP *can* help with PCOS, but it can worsen the symptoms, too, so be sure to track your moods, your cycles, and anything else you suffer from as a result of PCOS (different for all of us)... I take Microgestin, and it works well for me.

Also, you will, I repeat WILL have water retention from working out. Make sure to take pictures and measurements and such. You'll probably hate it now, but you'll be so thankful later when you need that point of reference.

As for cholesterol, make sure you get the good info on that - a book like "Cholesterol Clarity" can really help. High total cholesterol isn't necessarily a bad thing. Make sure you know exactly how your medication works. I don't know that one in particular, and I'm not wanting to google it, but if it is a statin, my understanding is that most of those work by actually killing off parts of your liver and can have lifelong and permanent side effects, so please be careful. Cholesterol is actually created by your body to transport glucose from sugars/carbs to your brain for fuel, so in most cases, cutting down your carbs (particularly sugars and grains) can help lower how much cholesterol your body NEEDS to make...

Good luck making progress with your symptoms, and never quit learning, never quit fighting!

P.S. With that vitamin D gummy, make absolutely sure you are getting K2 with it (M7 is the most active form). If you aren't getting K2 with the D vitamin, you really aren't helping yourself by taking it at all... It helps absorb calcium, but the K2 helps it stay together and know where to go, along with potassium and magnesium to help get it there, and with boron to help keep it there.