Ladies: Your birth control is making you fat!

crjugrl

Okay, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But don't rule it out.

I have been busting my butt for the last 6 months doing Zumba, the 30 Day Shred, Turbo Jam-- you name it-- 4-6 days a week. I zig-zagged my calories, drank my water and kept my sodium intake below 1500. And guess what?

I haven't lost an ounce.

Naturally, I was completely devastated. So for the last month or so I've dropped all exercise and I've been back to my old eating habits (keeping sensible portions in mind, but not tracking calories) and I've continued to maintain. Much less work, and just as little progress.

I made an appointment with my doctor and expressed my concerns. She checked my thyroid and interviewed me pretty thoroughly. My thyroid was fine and everything else seemed to check out (getting enough sleep, eating properly, etc.), until we finally got to the topic of birth control. Since starting birth control pills (Levora), I have been extremely emotional (and I have never been an emotional person), it KILLED my libido (tmi) , and I've gained 15 pounds.

She gave me the spiel about how birth control pills only cause some women to gain weight, but only about 5 pounds. She said that the depo shot may cause about a 15 pound weight gain, but since that is a different form of birth control, that didn't apply to me. I didn't buy it. I have never been a compulsive eater. I've always been about 15-20 pounds over weight, but never has my weight ever sky rocketed like that in as little as 5 months. So she switched my pill to Gianvi, the generic form of Yaz.

Let me start by saying that this pill has awful reviews, and I'm hoping that I never experience half of the side effects that some people have stated they have experienced. But I've just finished my first full month of taking these pills and sticking with my normal eating habits and no exercise, and guess what? My appetite isn't half of what it used to be, the libido is back, and I'm down 3 pounds.

So if you're weight isn't budging and you're giving it all you've got, consider switching up your contraception.

Just my two cents :drinker:

TinaS88

Well you also have to be careful WHAT you eat, more than just how much... doesn't matter if you are under your calories if you are eating all crap.

Never heard about the pill causing weight gain, but I know my mom used depo and gained a ton of weight while on it.

Mirena here... no worries in that area. :P

Oh, also... are you checking your inches? The scale can be evil sometimes.. you can loose inches without the scale actually really moving.

mpmama2re

it also depends on what type of pill you are taking. different pills different levels of hormones. I can lose weight fine on the
one I am taking right now. maybe switch?

miss_ally08

I take Ortho-Tri-Cyclen & I've been on it for almost 7 years now & it never made me gain weight. The only thing I heard that makes you gain is depo for some reason, lol.

But, I'm glad you went to the doctor to try to figure it out. Maybe you just hit some type of plateau or are just really stressed? Stress makes you gain weight

MelissaCagle

Do you know anything about the Mirena? That's what I have.

tbrown1025

Yes, the pill can make you gain weight. As with ANY hormone therapy, it can make your internal hormones "wonky," and hormones control SO SO much more than we know. Hormones regulate metabolism, energy levels, libido, fat storage, everything. Synthetic hormones can and often do confuse your natural hormone balance, and likely for the worse.

Pangui

Sorry to read about your difficulties. I take the same pill and I guess I must be lucky. I notice no side effects and it has made my life livable again (due to it's regulation of my cycle). I think it has saved me from needing a hysterectomy, so I am willing to put up with a lot for that benefit alone.

bookyeti

It has been proven that birth control pills, in general, increase insulin resistance - a physiological condition where the natural hormone insulin becomes less effective at lowering blood sugars. The resulting increase in blood glucose may raise levels outside the normal range and cause adverse health effects, depending on dietary conditions...including weight gain.

For many women who don't struggle with insulin/sugar problems, the pill won't make a huge dent in this area... but if you are someone who does have insulin resistance, type II diabetes, and/or PCOS, it will cause a lot more problems than it will solve.

carmcd

I am on yaz too, have been for over a year...never had a problem with the awful side effects people say (knock on wood!) and also have been able to lose (and gain, thought it was my fault haha) too! Heard that it varies person to person and pill brand to pill brand!

rosalee87

I take Ortho-Tri-Cyclen & I've been on it for almost 7 years now & it never made me gain weight. The only thing I heard that makes you gain is depo for some reason, lol.

But, I'm glad you went to the doctor to try to figure it out. Maybe you just hit some type of plateau or are just really stressed? Stress makes you gain weight

I'm also on Ortho-Tri-Cyclen; I gained weight only 'cus I never cared about how much or what I ate but now that I'm trying to lose weight it's allowing me to.

LorinaLynn

I had one brand of pill that made me stark raving mad. I only took that one month. The side effects might have been temporary, but I didn't want to risk another month of that hell.

Knowing what I know now, it had me in a 24/7 anxiety attack. Road rage level anxiety, all the time. I still believe that it was one of the triggers for my TMJ problems.

Different people react differently to the same things. I did great on the antidepressant Lexapro, but I know people who felt like they were in a daze on it. The muscle relaxant Flexeril worked well for me; Soma didn't do a thing.. But I know people who were looped out of their mind on Soma. We're all unique.

ajfranzen77

Careful with Yaz! My friend just found out she is pregnant after a year of being on YAZ!!! No missed pills, no antibiotics were taken while on it either!

crjugrl

Well you also have to be careful WHAT you eat, more than just how much... doesn't matter if you are under your calories if you are eating all crap.

Never heard about the pill causing weight gain, but I know my mom used depo and gained a ton of weight while on it.

Mirena here... no worries in that area. :P

Oh, also... are you checking your inches? The scale can be evil sometimes.. you can loose inches without the scale actually really moving.

The type of food I was eating is actually one of the things I discussed with my doctor. I did goood . I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of Mirena yet, but maybe someday I'll warm up to it lol. And I did lose 1.5 inches. Not enough for 6 months worth of my best effort, in my opinion.

To everyone else, I'm super jealous that your contraception didn't make you gain weight! I'm just happy that my new one isn't making me gain any more, and that it's also allowing me to lose!! It definitely does vary person to person and brand to brand, as another poster said. The "ingredients" effect everyone differently. It's just good to keep in mind for those who may not realize that this may be the reason they're not losing :flowerforyou:

WalkingGirl1985

I'm on depo now..and I've been losing while on it for the most part. Sometimes i feel more cranky, emotional, in the mood to eat so much, but not often. So hey, whatever works! :bigsmile:

miss_ally08

I take Ortho-Tri-Cyclen & I've been on it for almost 7 years now & it never made me gain weight. The only thing I heard that makes you gain is depo for some reason, lol.

But, I'm glad you went to the doctor to try to figure it out. Maybe you just hit some type of plateau or are just really stressed? Stress makes you gain weight

I'm also on Ortho-Tri-Cyclen; I gained weight only 'cus I never cared about how much or what I ate but now that I'm trying to lose weight it's allowing me to.

I love it, lol. I'm sure you will lose weight though!! How much do you have to go?

saadler

I know that for some people birth control can make your weight skyrocket. For me, it was the opposite. When I first went on it a couple years ago for PCOS, I was constantly starving. But what I soon realized was that even though I was eating a ton, I wasn't gaining anything. Lucky for me, my appetite went back down before I started gaining anything.

Rebeloo24

I've been on just about every low dose b/c and even tried depo. Every time I gain about 20+lbs, and when I stop I drop it right off. But I assume it mostly because of my hypo thyroid and being sensitive to to hormones.
I have a joke that they call it birth control cuz it makes me fat and crazy and no one wants to deal with a fat crazy chick anyways lol

crjugrl

I've been on just about every low dose b/c and even tried depo. Every time I gain about 20+lbs, and when I stop I drop it right off. But I assume it mostly because of my hypo thyroid and being sensitive to to hormones.
I have a joke that they call it birth control cuz it makes me fat and crazy and no one wants to deal with a fat crazy chick anyways lol

bahahaha!! I just love the irony of it killing my libido. Extra protection! lol!

Rebeloo24

That too. I hate the lows of pms and fighting wanting to over eat, but the highs while ovulating and not having much of an appetite, and feeling like I'm in "heat" is kinda fun. Plus having the desire makes for some extra cardio activities lol
It's a give and take.

hush7hush

This is why I LOVE MY MIRENA!

crjugrl

That too. I hate the lows of pms and fighting wanting to over eat, but the highs while ovulating and not having much of an appetite, and feeling like I'm in "heat" is kinda fun. Plus having the desire makes for some extra cardio activities lol
It's a give and take.

AGREED! :laugh:

Joisgettingfit

I'm on the contraceptive implant, in the past 4 1/2 months i've gained about 15lbs,lost 5 so far though
I'll admit part of it has to do with me eating more but I wasn't eating that much beforehand and i'm trying to be healthier and eat more so going from like 600 calories a day to 1500 calories a day was obviously going to make me gain weight,
I do find myself tempted to slip back into old habbits but I want to be healthy and strong and fit so i'm ignoring my mind as best as I can.

I'm planning to leave it in 6 months and go back on cerazette because I had no problems on that at all.
This one i've gained weight,have periods for at least 2 weeks of every month, I have no idea what the word sex drive even means anymore ahaaa

I can lose weight on it but all the other effects make me want to take it out now, i'm going to wait till September though just to see if it settles.

AshDHart

I went on bc after my 2nd child 20 years ago. In spite of eating great and walking a lot I gained on average 6 lbs a week until I had packed on 90 lbs. I didn't think it could be the pill. I stopped taking it because my blood pressure shot way up and I knew the pill might not be helping. First week off was the first week I didn't gain any weight. My doctor ran numerous tests and referred me to a specialist because of the rapid weight gain. After exhaustive testing the conclusion was the weight gain was caused by the pill. No reputable doctor will put me on it again. I even got stupid one month and suggested it. Some people do react very differently than the norm. Wish I had snapped to it after just a few weeks but I think post pregnancy thinking wasn't very clear for me.

TinaS88

Well you also have to be careful WHAT you eat, more than just how much... doesn't matter if you are under your calories if you are eating all crap.

Never heard about the pill causing weight gain, but I know my mom used depo and gained a ton of weight while on it.

Mirena here... no worries in that area. :P

Oh, also... are you checking your inches? The scale can be evil sometimes.. you can loose inches without the scale actually really moving.

The type of food I was eating is actually one of the things I discussed with my doctor. I did goood . I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of Mirena yet, but maybe someday I'll warm up to it lol. And I did lose 1.5 inches. Not enough for 6 months worth of my best effort, in my opinion.

To everyone else, I'm super jealous that your contraception didn't make you gain weight! I'm just happy that my new one isn't making me gain any more, and that it's also allowing me to lose!! It definitely does vary person to person and brand to brand, as another poster said. The "ingredients" effect everyone differently. It's just good to keep in mind for those who may not realize that this may be the reason they're not losing :flowerforyou:

Mirena is great! I have used it for 4 years now and love it! Me and the husband can have all the "fun" we want and have 100% NO worries!

fridayjustleft04

Any hormone based birth control can increase your cravings, and therein lies the danger of gaining weight. I've been on the depo shot since January and I've managed to lose 20 pounds since starting it, so potential bc weight gain can be controlled no matter what method you choose..for most women, anyway.

crjugrl

Any hormone based birth control can increase your cravings, and therein lies the danger of gaining weight. I've been on the depo shot since January and I've managed to lose 20 pounds since starting it, so potential bc weight gain can be controlled no matter what method you choose.

Wow! I've never been on the shot, but it's awesome that you're able to lose, especially since you hear of so many instances where people gain a lot on the depo shot. Unfortunately, after 6 months of doing everything I was supposed to do and not losing weight, I can say first hand that weight can't necessarily be controlled no matter what, though I'm sure it depends on the person. I think feeding into my cravings was 100% my fault, but not being able to lose it clearly was not in my control. My bc made me retain fluid like crazy and the scale just would not budge. Lo and behold, after switching brands, my weight is finally coming off. The cravings definitely are a killer though!

crjugrl

Mirena is great! I have used it for 4 years now and love it! Me and the husband can have all the "fun" we want and have 100% NO worries!

haha no worries always sounds like a good idea to me!!!! I work at a day care and one of the mothers that has her kids there had an IUD that fell out without her knowing and now she's expecting baby number 4! Yikes!! I'd always be checking, but the idea of a string hanging there weirds me out. I've never seen one, but I heard that's pretty much how it works.. I'm sure one day I'll get sick of the pill though and look to other options. Sounds so much easier than setting an alarm to take a pill at the same time every day :grumble:

Helice

i remember when i started mine they told me that one of the side effects is an increase appetite and a chance of weight gain.
but fortunately im on the pergesterone only pill, and apparently it isnt half as bad for weight gain as the combined one.

ckmama

Okay, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But don't rule it out.

I have been busting my butt for the last 6 months doing Zumba, the 30 Day Shred, Turbo Jam-- you name it-- 4-6 days a week. I zig-zagged my calories, drank my water and kept my sodium intake below 1500. And guess what?

I haven't lost an ounce.

Naturally, I was completely devastated. So for the last month or so I've dropped all exercise and I've been back to my old eating habits (keeping sensible portions in mind, but not tracking calories) and I've continued to maintain. Much less work, and just as little progress.

I made an appointment with my doctor and expressed my concerns. She checked my thyroid and interviewed me pretty thoroughly. My thyroid was fine and everything else seemed to check out (getting enough sleep, eating properly, etc.), until we finally got to the topic of birth control. Since starting birth control pills (Levora), I have been extremely emotional (and I have never been an emotional person), it KILLED my libido (tmi) , and I've gained 15 pounds.

She gave me the spiel about how birth control pills only cause some women to gain weight, but only about 5 pounds. She said that the depo shot may cause about a 15 pound weight gain, but since that is a different form of birth control, that didn't apply to me. I didn't buy it. I have never been a compulsive eater. I've always been about 15-20 pounds over weight, but never has my weight ever sky rocketed like that in as little as 5 months. So she switched my pill to Gianvi, the generic form of Yaz.

Let me start by saying that this pill has awful reviews, and I'm hoping that I never experience half of the side effects that some people have stated they have experienced. But I've just finished my first full month of taking these pills and sticking with my normal eating habits and no exercise, and guess what? My appetite isn't half of what it used to be, the libido is back, and I'm down 3 pounds.

So if you're weight isn't budging and you're giving it all you've got, consider switching up your contraception.

Just my two cents :drinker:

THis is exactly why I don't take birth control. It made me an even bigger emotional beotch than I was before.

coolsmartygirl

Careful with Yaz! My friend just found out she is pregnant after a year of being on YAZ!!! No missed pills, no antibiotics were taken while on it either!

All pill birth controls have that risk, they are not 100% fool proof even if you are a perfectionist taking them.

queenbcronen

I suppose for everyone it will be different. People will react differently to hormones. I've been on many different birth control types as I have endometriosis. I never really gained weight with any. I started depo 4 1/2 years ago after I had my daughter. I had heard all the weight gain hub-bub about it but my dr. thought it would be the next best choice after the Mirena to controlling my endometriosis. My insurance did not cover the iud very much and it was spendy so I went with depo. It is controlling my endometriosis AND just 6 mos after having my daughter I was in the BEST shape of my life. No weight gain. My weight gain now is from other factors and is not birth control based. Thank goodness! I feel for those here that have to deal with that.