Birth control and weight loss (females only, please)

MinnieInMaine

I switched to a Progesterone only BC pill about the same time I started my weight loss journey a year and a half ago and I don't think it's effected my weight loss at all. The only reason it's taken me this long to lose 67 pounds is because I stalled out a couple times around the holidays - but honestly, I'm good with the slow and steady progress.

Not sure if it's my overall change in mindset or the lack of extra estrogen but I feel like PMS is more bearable - less cravings, less bloat (about the same emotionally though - watch out! LOL!). In fact, I never thought about it before but that might be why i don't gain those 2-10 pounds during TOM that other women do...who knows.

musica814

I just came off of birth control this week. I no longer wanted those artificial hormones coursing through my body... but I had been using Mononessa (generic for Sprintec) for a little over a year, and I managed to go from 155 to currently 139 through proper diet and some exercise here and there. I'm not sure if Mononessa was supposed to cause weight gain or not, it did mention it in the package insert, but like I said I didn't have a problem with it. Good luck!

fudgebudget

Not sure if it's my overall change in mindset or the lack of extra estrogen but I feel like PMS is more bearable - less cravings, less bloat (about the same emotionally though - watch out! LOL!). In fact, I never thought about it before but that might be why i don't gain those 2-10 pounds during TOM that other women do...who knows.

My boyfriend claims that I'm like a different (better, less-irritable) person with my IUD, ha.

rankailie

I'm on depo and currently having no issues with losing weight.

That said I had issues many years ago with Ortho Tri-Cyclen, it made me kinda crazy and I gained a ton of weight (which is probably also attributed to the fact that prior to that point I had been basically homeless and at a very unhealthy weight for my size. So the crazy irrational behavior from the pills combined with my body coming off malnutrition was pretty bad.

What my nurse told me about depo is that it can for some women increase food cravings and that it does decrease calcium in the body. So being aware of that I haven't had issues, I tend to try and recognize if I'm having a craving and I try to satisfy it in a healthy manner.

A_New_Horizon

Not sure if it's my overall change in mindset or the lack of extra estrogen but I feel like PMS is more bearable - less cravings, less bloat (about the same emotionally though - watch out! LOL!). In fact, I never thought about it before but that might be why i don't gain those 2-10 pounds during TOM that other women do...who knows.

My boyfriend claims that I'm like a different (better, less-irritable) person with my IUD, ha.

My cousin also had the Mirana and really liked it, but the problem is my insurance doesn't cover it (only BC pills).

wanttogetskinny

There is no scientific proof that birthcontrol causes people to gain weight. Just eat smart, stay on track, and keep doing what your doing. Alot of peopel use birthcontrol as the scapegoat for weight gain.

Um then explain to me why it's specifically listed as one of the first major side effects in my prescription information, both on the packaging from Walgreens, and in my pill pack itself? I don't think they can list it as a side effect if it hasn't been proven it's a side effect.

I never changed my eating habits, exercise habits...nothing. And within 3-4 months of starting the pill I had gained 15lbs. I've never had weight problems before in my entire life.

I get really offended by people like you who assume that it's always the person's fault if they gain weight, not the medication. Oftentimes, it can be the medication. In my case I have no doubt....calling it a coincidence would be ridiculous.

fudgebudget

[My cousin also had the Mirana and really liked it, but the problem is my insurance doesn't cover it (only BC pills).

I had a hell of a time getting mine covered - my insurance was supposed to cover it without question, but the doctor I was originally seeing didn't carry them in the office, so I was going to have to order the IUD through the pharmacy - when it was going through the pharmacy, my insurance company was claiming that it was "durable medical supplies" and wanted to charge me $600+ for it. I switched to a doctor that carried the devices in-office and my problem was solved, so you might want to check with your insurance to see how they classify it.

Also, you can sometimes get Planned Parenthood to cover a good bit of the cost of the actual device and insertion, and you can always go to your preferred doctor for consult/follow-up.

I figured out that even if I'd had to pay for mine out of pocket, I'd still be saving money. 5 years of birth control (60 months) at $700 was still less than $12/month, and I was paying $50/mo for brand name pills.

fujax2005

When I first started birth control (around age 23), I was at my lowest adult weight ever (pretty much the loses since I was 15). I did not gain weight during that year at all. I can't remember what I was on, but it was something generic (so not one of the new fancy ones). I then changed BC 1st to the ring, then to implanon. I have gained weight since being on implanon, but I don't think that has to do with the implanon.

My younger sister did gain weight after starting birth control that I can fairly confidently say was due to the birth control. But she is one of those people that tends to be on the thinner side and her weight is very stable. She was on it about 2 months, gained about 7 lbs, went off it and lost the weight. It might be that the weight issue is only relevant to people who are on the thinner side because the estrogen may attempt to make these girls/women a little more "womanly" (with more weight on the hips)... of course, this is just a theory. I have not scientific evidence to back this up.

_angua_

I got on Mirena the same week I started to make an effort and lose weight. So far I have lost 15lbs easily.

maura1110

I was on a different pill for 2 years and never had any problems with weight gain, except for the fact that it made my chest grow by 2 cup sizes! Then, I switched to Loestrin because of the side effects I was having, and I gained 20 pounds in a year. I wasn't actively trying to lose weight but at the same time I wasn't doing anything differently with my eating habits than I had been before that. As a side note, it also made me extremely moody. So, this past January, after my gyno telling me it was unhealthy to gain 20 lbs in a year, I went off the pill completely, started watching what I ate and started running. Then a couple months later I started using MFP and in total I have lost those 20 lbs since January and hope to keep losing more!

So, I don't know for sure whether going off the pill helped me lose the weight or if it was really the diet and exercise, or a combination of all 3. But I did notice a huge weight gain when I went on it, so I personally believe there was a connection. But I guess different pills also affect people differently.

I hope this helps!

clrrrr

What worries me is that I've read that birth control severely reduces the rate of muscle gain...

fiberartist219

I have had too many variables in my life to say whether or not birth control has affected my weight, but I did read somewhere that it increases your appetite. So, if you eat the same amount and exercise the same amount, it will not affect anything, but it makes you WANT food more. If you have self control, you can still lose weight.

However, I can't exactly site my source, so I don't know if this is true or not.

Vhovell

I'm on one called Yasmin...have had no problems re gaining weight (and it cleared up my spots too woop!).

Time will tell now i'm trying to loose weight whether it will prove a hindrance!