On Birth Control and Having A Difficult Time

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  • klick21
    klick21 Posts: 107
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    HI I am new to this forum. I had the depo injection in April and at first I was so happy that I wasnt getting a period or the symptoms with it (emotional, sore, any period at all etc etc). When I went back for a check up 3 months later and to get my next shot i had gained 21lbs and I was so embarrased and upset. I knew I had gained weight-but didnt realise how much I suppose I tricked myself into thinking it wasnt that bad! I am getting married in July 2012 and I have been excercising hard and eating right and it just wont budge. Please does anyone have any positive advice for me that has been in the same situation? Because I feel like my body has changed dramatically since having the depo and I am due to get it again tomorrow (on my birthday!!) I will of course consult my doctor - but he is a male - so i wanted the opinion of women who have the same outcome from the depo as i have and some advice....thank you
  • christibear
    christibear Posts: 93 Member
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    Are there any other women out there on Birth Control [namely Depo] that are having a difficult time losing weight? If so, what have you done to make your weightloss successful?

    I gained 60 lbs just because of depo. It IS a fact that some people CAN gain weight due to this birth control shot. It is in fact the most prominent side effect of it, and the doctor should have warned you about it.

    The doc did tell me I could expect weight gain, I just didn't know how much. (I gained the extra 60 lbs without any change in lifestyle - except eating more due to increased appetite.) I tried losing weight by exercising regularly and changing my eating habits, but my weight loss wasn't significant enough. Once I stopped using it, I dropped the weight and an additional 40 lbs on top of the 60. (Obviously the weight didn't magically go away, and I had to eat a healthy diet and exercise on a regular basis.) In addition, there are other aspects to consider of depo shot, but I prefer not to talk those aspects of my body on a public forum. :)

    Everybody reacts differently to it, so I would say try other options if depo doesn't work for you.

    You may want to read this: http://www.monheit.com/depo-provera/side_effects.asp

    I haven't read the other responses, but in college I went on the depo shot and the doctor told me it is a misconception that women gain weight because of the shot, they gain weight because the depo shot makes them hungry so they tend to eat more and that makes them gain weight. Which makes sense to me, I did gain weight while on the shot but I was eating more.
  • asyouseefit
    asyouseefit Posts: 1,265 Member
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    Thank you SOOO much! Your information was very helpful and Im so glad Im not the only one personally experiencing this problem. The SAME EXACT THING happened to me when I stopped taking my Depo. It waS much easier for me to drop the weight and I ended up losing about 40 lbs in 4 months.

    Im a new mom and Im not trying to have any kids right now so obviously coming off the Depo again to loose the weight is NOT an option! [chuckles]

    There are other BC options out there!
  • TMcBooty
    TMcBooty Posts: 780 Member
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    depo can make some people gain weight. just switch to the pill.. to see if it makes a difference. I know it's less convenient.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    I take Loesterin 24FE and have lost 29 pounds no problem... just eating less and exercising more.

    Glad to see that you are having more success now!
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
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    I got off the pill, and I am having a much easier time losing weight without it.

    It does make you hungry. Who in their right mind doesn't eat when they are hungry? Yes, you can reach for something healthy when you are hungry, but for a petite woman such as myself, it only takes 100-200 calories over to start putting on weight. I was a healthy weight when I started taking them, and I didn't know or care that it might make me hungry, but after about a decade of this nonsense, I realized what was going on and I wanted to get off of them.

    I am now hoping to get an IUD, but I have to wait for my period to get one inserted since I've never had kids. Unfortunately, I haven't had a period in two months, so I have a doctor's appointment today. I know I'm not pregnant, because I've been very careful not to have sex since getting off of the pill, but man, this celibacy thing gets old real fast. Otherwise, I feel fantastic, the weight is coming off, and eating right is much easier to do.
  • crudd12
    crudd12 Posts: 63
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    I was on that and gained 40 pounds then got off of it and bleed for 8 months straight! I would get off that get on the pill or something else! It's bad stuff!
  • crudd12
    crudd12 Posts: 63
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    I was on that and gained 40 pounds then got off of it and bleed for 8 months straight! I would get off that get on the pill or something else! It's bad stuff!
  • mizjohnston
    mizjohnston Posts: 196 Member
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    Taking birth control doesn't make you gain weight-- weight gain is strictly calories in vs calories expended. As long as you are following your allotment of calories and have a deficit though exercise, you should be losing weight regardless of taking BC.

    I wish that was true but it wasn't for me. I lost 15 pounds in two months after stopping my birth control. I didn't change one thing at all. I was tracking everything on here and no matter what I did, it didn't come off until I stopped taking it. I was taking it for 8 years though. My doctor said you could gain about 2-3 pounds a year from it. I met somebody recently who loses weight on birth control. Everyone is different.
  • KerriMx5
    KerriMx5 Posts: 569 Member
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    I can't take Depo. My doctor tried me out on a pill that was about the same to see how I did and I was a mess. My hormones were all over the place. They can make you gain weight. I would suggest when it is up to try a lower dose pill. I know it is something you have to take all the time but it won't have the effects of Depo. That is just my experience.

    My sister gained on Depo.

    Just keep moving and you can overcome the effects you are feeling. You can do this. :)
  • christibear
    christibear Posts: 93 Member
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    Taking birth control doesn't make you gain weight-- weight gain is strictly calories in vs calories expended. As long as you are following your allotment of calories and have a deficit though exercise, you should be losing weight regardless of taking BC.

    I wish that was true but it wasn't for me. I lost 15 pounds in two months after stopping my birth control. I didn't change one thing at all. I was tracking everything on here and no matter what I did, it didn't come off until I stopped taking it. I was taking it for 8 years though. My doctor said you could gain about 2-3 pounds a year from it. I met somebody recently who loses weight on birth control. Everyone is different.

    Did you gain weight or just not lose weight because there is a difference between something not allowing you to lose and making you gain.
  • mizjohnston
    mizjohnston Posts: 196 Member
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    Taking birth control doesn't make you gain weight-- weight gain is strictly calories in vs calories expended. As long as you are following your allotment of calories and have a deficit though exercise, you should be losing weight regardless of taking BC.

    I wish that was true but it wasn't for me. I lost 15 pounds in two months after stopping my birth control. I didn't change one thing at all. I was tracking everything on here and no matter what I did, it didn't come off until I stopped taking it. I was taking it for 8 years though. My doctor said you could gain about 2-3 pounds a year from it. I met somebody recently who loses weight on birth control. Everyone is different.

    Did you gain weight or just not lose weight because there is a difference between something not allowing you to lose and making you gain.

    No I gained slowly over the amount of years but when I hit 30 an extra 8 came on so that is why I got off. As long as I exercised and ate well it would not get worse. It was definitely water weight. I kept sodium and everything to minimum that is why it was frustrating.
  • lunarescape
    lunarescape Posts: 51 Member
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    I'm pretty sure it's how I gained weight in the first place. I used to have a fast metabolism and could eat whatever I wanted. Now...not so much. I'm not really having trouble losing the weight, but I do have to be more careful of what I eat, it seems to come back rather quickly.
  • bjshooter
    bjshooter Posts: 1,174 Member
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    I didnt want to take the pill for years beacause of this. I was stuck weight loss wise though and figured it couldnt make much difference, I hadnt lost for 3 months. Started taking the mini pill and as if by magic the weight started falling off.
  • queenpushycat
    queenpushycat Posts: 761 Member
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    I started BC late last year for the first time, and I've been told by the doctor and nurse that the side effect is weight gain. But... I've been eating good and doing regular exercise, somehow I managed to keep my lbs down :)
  • Tyva
    Tyva Posts: 34
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    HI I am new to this forum. I had the depo injection in April and at first I was so happy that I wasnt getting a period or the symptoms with it (emotional, sore, any period at all etc etc). When I went back for a check up 3 months later and to get my next shot i had gained 21lbs and I was so embarrased and upset. I knew I had gained weight-but didnt realise how much I suppose I tricked myself into thinking it wasnt that bad! I am getting married in July 2012 and I have been excercising hard and eating right and it just wont budge. Please does anyone have any positive advice for me that has been in the same situation? Because I feel like my body has changed dramatically since having the depo and I am due to get it again tomorrow (on my birthday!!) I will of course consult my doctor - but he is a male - so i wanted the opinion of women who have the same outcome from the depo as i have and some advice....thank you

    Like I said, in my case I had to choose another BC method, the pill was my choice. I was on Depo for about 3 months and it took 6 months for me to start loosing again. Talk to your doctor and discuss your concerns.

    Once it was out my system, I tried burning 400-500 calories a day. You can tell when its finally out of your system when that scale starts to move :) . Good luck!
  • laurastrait21
    laurastrait21 Posts: 307 Member
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    I've never had a problem with weight gain on the generic pill I'm taking now. It's called Reclipsen. I used to have a horrible time on a Nuva Ring - and actually, there is a possibility of weight gain with any medication regardless of whether you are eating more or less, but it's water/bloating. especially with steroid hormones like Estradiol/progesterone

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