The Pill - changes in strength/muscle

HeidiMightyRawr

I've been doing some research lately into the effects of the contraceptive pill on muscle and strength gains and whether they can hinder performance in this. I've found some interesting articles I thought of sharing for anyone who's interested.
I'm not promoting anyone coming off this without alot of thought, but it makes for a good read, especially if anyone was considering coming off anyway.

The pill is thought to cause problems in many women such as weight gain, lack of sex drive. This is most likely due to the decreased testosterone levels in women who are taking it. It can cause the liver to produce higher amounts of SHBG (serum hormone binding globulin) that "soaks up" excess hormones, in particular testosterone.

http://www.virginiahopkinstestkits.com/pgbirthcontrol.html

Research has been done on women, creating a study that found those who were not taking the pill, gained 60% more lean muscle mass over a 3 week training period than those who were taking it. There were no differences in strength levels, however at a higher level when competing or as an athlete it could affect your performance (generally women it seems can't reach the same maximum strength levels either as men, without taking extra hormones)

http://www.ironmanmagazine.com/blogs/jerrybrainum/?p=64
http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/43210/title/Science_+_the_Public__Birth_control_pills_can_limit_muscle-training_gains

Other benefits have been found when interviewing women on their findings, they found women were able to decrease their body fat % within two months without changing their diet or exercise regime. Their body fat was below 15% to start with. They also found it easier to kick start their weight loss while cutting calories and exercising, something that was harder to do while on the pill. After switching birth control forms to an IUD they also had an increase sex drive.

http://figureathlete.t-nation.com/article/features/does_birth_control_impact_your_progress



I'm a firm believer myself that you can achieve the results you want, within reason, with hard work and nothing is going to make it easy, you still have to work hard for it. However, if something is slowing that down or making it harder it may be beneficial for some to weigh up the costs and benefits of stopping that. Obviously getting pregnant for many would be worse than having a little extra weight around their middle, and wouldn't be worth it, but some have switched types and found results.

As my goals are around getting as strong as I can be, and maybe competing at some stage in the future I have been thinking about it myself. I feel i'm doing ok how I am but that I could possibly be doing better (I've been on the pill since before I started weight training so don't have much in terms of comparison) It's certainly opened my eyes to alot of things, this is the sort of thing myself and I'm sure others never get told when it gets prescribed to them.

WifeMomDVM

Thank you for sharing this! I've been off (but only because we plan to try for a baby in a few months) but I do notice a difference in my sex drive (or is the weight loss making me feel sexier ) not on it.... also scared of those dern blood clots. Guess I'll have to tell hubby he better get used to those condoms! :sad:

beatlemom

I took birth control pills for one year. They were prescribed by my doctor to treat PCOS symptoms, since I am not planning to have more children. I gained about 20 pounds in that year. I stopped taking them as part of my weight loss journey. (PCOS symptoms subside when you are at a healthy weight too) I feel so much better now that it has been 2 months since I have taken one. Mine caused bad dreams, actually increased my menopause symptoms (hot flashes, exhaustion etc) I just really feel that they are not healthy for most women. The only plus side to them was regular periods, but now that I am losing weight, I am having those anyway.

dad106

I see a personal trainer twice a month and we weight train, and I'm still seeing lean muscle developing. I'm also not having a hard time losing weight on the pill. My weight gain though was more attributed to a crappy college kid diet, then to the pill. As far as the sex drive goes, since I've never been sexually active, I can't comment on that part

Honestly, if someone said you need to go off the pill in order to make weight loss easier, gain more lean muscle etc, I'd tell them they are absolutely crazy. When I'm not on my pill, I can hardly function during that time of the month.. so to me, it's more of a god send then a hinderance. My pill is also a really low dose pill.. so that may also play a role in all this.

HeidiMightyRawr

I see a personal trainer twice a month and we weight train, and I'm still seeing lean muscle developing. I'm also not having a hard time losing weight on the pill. My weight gain though was more attributed to a crappy college kid diet, then to the pill. As far as the sex drive goes, since I've never been sexually active, I can't comment on that part

Honestly, if someone said you need to go off the pill in order to make weight loss easier, gain more lean muscle etc, I'd tell them they are absolutely crazy. When I'm not on my pill, I can hardly function during that time of the month.. so to me, it's more of a god send then a hinderance. My pill is also a really low dose pill.. so that may also play a role in all this.

Of course, for everyone it would have different effects I don't think it's a universal good or bad idea for everyone but maybe for some people thinking of coming off anyway or switching to a different method, the information is quite useful. Lots of different aspects would come into it. For really bad periods or other medical reasons, it would be wise to continue, or at least speak to a doctor about it. Alternatively for an aspiring athlete, or someone looking to get really lean/muscular who only uses it as a contraceptive, other contraceptives may be more helpful for their personal goals.