Birth Control Weight Gain

merbear787

Hi there! So about a year ago during my fitness journey stopped having my period. I was very active and lost about 20 pounds. After 7 months of having no period I finally saw my doctor. Of course they recommended just putting a bandaid on it and out me on the pill. My activity level hasn't changed but since then I only had my period once (it's been about 3 months) and I gained 20 pounds back. Any other ladies out there experience weight gain from the pill? I am considering asking my doc for a different pill and I'm so sad that I gained my weight back and still don't have regular periods

Cristjams

I asked my ob/gyn about this since I had gained a lot of weight that I had attributed to the pill. His response was that the amount was much more than the pill alone would cause. He said that I could expect maybe 5 pounds from it. Therefore anything over it was due to something else, whether that was diet, lack of exercise, or sickness. More than likely, my gain was due to being perimenopause and hormonal fluctuations that increased sugar cravings and appetite. I did manage to drop 50 pounds after that talk. Unfortunately, I have since put it all back on and am working to lose it again. This time, I am no longer on the pill so it can't be attributed to that.

Good luck in your weight loss journey!

rickiimarieee

Most weight gain comes from a birth control pill because it increases your appetite. I've been on birth control for 8 months, I've lost 22.6 pounds! Just measure and weigh what you're eating!

Need2Exerc1se

Discuss it with your GYN. There are several birth control pill options.

leggup

Birth control cannot make matter appear. 20 lbs did not appear from the birth control. Those 20 lbs were in excess calories consumed. Perhaps the pill increased your appetite. Maybe it made you more susceptible to blood sugar drops. That said--- going off the pill will not cause the 20 lbs to come off. Your appetite may get smaller, but it's unlikely. It's much harder to start eating less once our body's hangin' out at a higher amount.

Need2Exerc1se

leggup wrote: »

Birth control cannot make matter appear. 20 lbs did not appear from the birth control. Those 20 lbs were in excess calories consumed. Perhaps the pill increased your appetite. Maybe it made you more susceptible to blood sugar drops. That said--- going off the pill will not cause the 20 lbs to come off. Your appetite may get smaller, but it's unlikely. It's much harder to start eating less once our body's hangin' out at a higher amount.

This isn't actually true. Some medications can cause severe inflammation which can lead to significant weight gain. Weight is not just fat.

leggup

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

leggup wrote: »

Birth control cannot make matter appear. 20 lbs did not appear from the birth control. Those 20 lbs were in excess calories consumed. Perhaps the pill increased your appetite. Maybe it made you more susceptible to blood sugar drops. That said--- going off the pill will not cause the 20 lbs to come off. Your appetite may get smaller, but it's unlikely. It's much harder to start eating less once our body's hangin' out at a higher amount.

This isn't actually true. Some medications can cause severe inflammation which can lead to significant weight gain. Weight is not just fat.

20 lbs of inflammation? Study after study shows that there is no causal relationship between hormonal BC and weight gain. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0012456/

Main results: We found 49 trials that met our inclusion criteria. The trials included 85 weight change comparisons for 52 distinct contraceptive pairs (or placebos). The four trials with a placebo or no intervention group did not find evidence supporting a causal association between combination oral contraceptives or a combination skin patch and weight change. Most comparisons of different combination contraceptives showed no substantial difference in weight.

Rosesandhealth

I've been on the pill for 5 years and I did notice about a 15lb difference. I'm sure it was increased appetite mostly but birth control alters hormone levels in your blood. These can cause weight fluctuations, maybe not huge differences but a slight weight increase (or decrease in my friends experience) is to be expected. I can still perfectly manage my weight with the pill though.

jessicapk

If you lost your period while losing weight, you were losing too fast. If I were you, I'd go off the birth control (unless you need it for preventing pregnancy) and go to a normal deficit 1-2 lbs / week loss, depending on how much you have to lose total. Your body shuts certain things down when you go too low on calories and periods are one of the first things to go. You were likely losing a good bit of hair at the same time, too...

I was actively losing weight when I had my IUD put in two years ago. After that, I gained a pound a day for about a week and then went insanely hungry for things I didnt' use to crave. While birth control does not make you gain weight, it does change your desire for food (think of how you feel during PMS or when pregnant!). It did stop and I was able to lose the weight back. However, and I know this might be difficult for some people on MFP, if I could go back in time, I would have asked for an appetite reducer (phentermine or the like) after my IUD insertion to help with the cravings. Once you get a couple of months into it, your hormones calm down and you can go off the meds. So, if I were in your boat and HAD to be on the birth control, I would talk to my doctor about something to suppress my appetite. You may simply be eating more than you realize.

laur357

Hormonal medications can change appetite and cause a lot of water retention, as posters above mentioned. I'd check with your doctor to find a different pill - different hormone formulations are available and can have very different effects from woman to woman. Your doctor should work with you to find a pill that works for you - if you're still having issues after 2-3 months, it's time to try a different pill.

The pill itself should not cause you to gain weight (more than 3-5 pounds anyway, which is primarily water retention). 20 pounds is a substantial, so factors other than the pill are likely contributing to the gain.

Also, did you ever have issues with missed periods before? BC is a common way to treat that, but there are other underlying conditions that could be contributing to the missed periods and increase in weight aside from weight loss and activity.

Need2Exerc1se

leggup wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

leggup wrote: »

Birth control cannot make matter appear. 20 lbs did not appear from the birth control. Those 20 lbs were in excess calories consumed. Perhaps the pill increased your appetite. Maybe it made you more susceptible to blood sugar drops. That said--- going off the pill will not cause the 20 lbs to come off. Your appetite may get smaller, but it's unlikely. It's much harder to start eating less once our body's hangin' out at a higher amount.

This isn't actually true. Some medications can cause severe inflammation which can lead to significant weight gain. Weight is not just fat.

20 lbs of inflammation? Study after study shows that there is no causal relationship between hormonal BC and weight gain. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0012456/

Main results: We found 49 trials that met our inclusion criteria. The trials included 85 weight change comparisons for 52 distinct contraceptive pairs (or placebos). The four trials with a placebo or no intervention group did not find evidence supporting a causal association between combination oral contraceptives or a combination skin patch and weight change. Most comparisons of different combination contraceptives showed no substantial difference in weight.

Yes 20 lbs of weight gain from inflammation. I've seen a 5 you child gain 10 overnight.

I've seen a man with cirrhosis who could barely keep food down balloon up to 300 lb due to medication.

I also saw my niece gain 19 lbs in 5 weeks on BC and then lose it all when her doctor switched her pill.

Weight is not just fat. Medications can cause weight gain.

EDIT: But even if it some/most of the weight is from increased hunger, she should still speak with her GYN rather than fight excessive hunger all day

aeloine

I was put on a Mirena IUD abut two years ago. In the first 5 months I gained 60 pounds or so.
I chalked it up to the IUD for a looooong time.

Looking back, I was also in grad school, moved across the country for a new jobs (to a city with AMAZING Italian bakeries), lived alone, didn't exercise, drank heavily when I visited my friends, smoked, and didn't get enough sleep.

I've since taken ownership of my body (down 40, more to go), and being on an IUD hasn't stopped me.

There ARE some considerations that go into it, though; I haven't had a proper period in about two years, but that doesn't mean the PMS symptoms go away. I still get crabby, I still bloat and retain water. I still get cravings and get emotional. And it's harder to predict when that's going to happen. I've started using a period tracker to track the SYMPTOMS of PMS, which have actually gotten worse since I passed the 25 lb mark.

Take a look at your life and HONESTLY consider everything you're eating and doing. I didn't believe my OBGYN when she said I shouldn't have gained this much weight, either.