Birth control

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EmmieBaby
EmmieBaby Posts: 1,235 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok I've been on birth control for a few years and recently my doctor told me that my weight problem was because my Pill makes me gain weight and harder to lose it.

is this true...does birth control pill make it harder to lose weight?:huh:

Replies

  • hm_day
    hm_day Posts: 857 Member
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    It depends on the pill. Does it make you gain weight? Sometimes. Does it make it harder to lose? Sometimes. My pill did NOT make me gain weight, but sometimes it makes me bloated, which then goes away. And in some people, especially if the dose is higher, it can make the weight harder to lose because of the hormones. I take mine for primarily my periods, which used to make me very sick, and because of my anemia, I'd be very weak from blood loss.
  • FaugHorn
    FaugHorn Posts: 1,060 Member
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    I've heard that before...of course pregnancy makes it even HARDER to lose weight ;)

    Ask your doctor about adjusting the hormone level or switching to a different kind and that will often help people.
  • thetiwi1890
    thetiwi1890 Posts: 256 Member
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    I was on Ovranette for 4 years from 17-21, and I was sure that it had made me put on weight (~7lbs). Not so, because I came off the pill 6 months ago, and I did not lose any weight, in fact, it was the opposite almost! I guess it may have been a combination of happy weight, and still developing, I don't know, but either way, it made little or no difference to my weight! Hope this helps!
  • thetiwi1890
    thetiwi1890 Posts: 256 Member
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    Oh, and just to add my TOM was much more manageable on the pill (barely any PMT, rare bloating and lasted only about 2-3 days!)
  • sandy2006
    sandy2006 Posts: 483 Member
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    Obviously all doctors are not the same. Mine told me that was a myth. BC does not make you gain or make it hard to lose. I really dont know. I am on the pill and Im losing weight.
  • WarriorMom2012
    WarriorMom2012 Posts: 621 Member
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    Your doctor told you that the pills he prescribed would cause weight gain and you're on here asking random strangers if it's true?! I would personally trust the man with the PhD.

    :flowerforyou:
  • RieBerg
    RieBerg Posts: 261 Member
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    Be careful with pills. I was on a few medications for a few years. I didn't even put the two together, I just figured I was gaining the weight because I was getting older. Then I tried to lose weight, It wasn't happening. I got off all medications and it wasn't like the weight dropped off, I had to work for it, but at least my work was actually paying off. I don't know if it makes you gain weight, or just make sit impossible to lose weight, but after I got off all medications, I slowly was able to lose. It makes me angry that doctors don't warn you beforehand.
  • thinkingthingirl
    thinkingthingirl Posts: 153 Member
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    Ahhh the whole argument weather birthcontroll makes u gain wait. I personally think that maybe it doesnt help u lose weight. But ofc if u have a hormone contraception they generally increase ur appetite so u munch more junk (similar to tom munchies) But if u eat healthily then no, you will not gain weight.I find its just something that people like to blame. Everyone wants an excuse to why they r over weight.
  • mymelody_78
    mymelody_78 Posts: 657 Member
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    I gained weight on birth control previously because of all the hormones. I think when I was feel crazy, I would feed my soul and binge eat. Also, I heard that it causes cravings so if you give in to those, you can gain some weight. It probably depends on the type and the level.
  • Froggy1976
    Froggy1976 Posts: 472
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    Ahhh the whole argument weather birthcontroll makes u gain wait. I personally think that maybe it doesnt help u lose weight. But ofc if u have a hormone contraception they generally increase ur appetite so u munch more junk (similar to tom munchies) But if u eat healthily then no, you will not gain weight.I find its just something that people like to blame. Everyone wants an excuse to why they r over weight.

    Ahh a voice of reason!
  • ackeebee
    ackeebee Posts: 1,042 Member
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    I have been on the pill for the past 6 years and i did not notice any change in my weight until 2 years ago when i hit 30!
    However, for your info on the leaflet inside the bill box it does say that the pill often increases appetite so one needs to be careful with what they eat.
  • thinkingthingirl
    thinkingthingirl Posts: 153 Member
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    Ahhh the whole argument weather birthcontroll makes u gain wait. I personally think that maybe it doesnt help u lose weight. But ofc if u have a hormone contraception they generally increase ur appetite so u munch more junk (similar to tom munchies) But if u eat healthily then no, you will not gain weight.I find its just something that people like to blame. Everyone wants an excuse to why they r over weight.

    Ahh a voice of reason!


    Theres always a reason for weight gain. But people are so ready to blame other factors rather than the fact they are eating the wrong foods. I have the mirena coil in and i have not put on weight. :) i have lost 10lb, not that this is due to having the coil. This is because i dont eat cakes and sweets any more :)
  • EmmieBaby
    EmmieBaby Posts: 1,235 Member
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    haha yea, Im not blamming my BC for my weight gain...I blame my lazy tush eating nothing but junk for a year....you know....when your in a rut and you eat nothing but crap...you pay for it in the long run.
  • kmbrooks15
    kmbrooks15 Posts: 941 Member
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    I have been on Loestrin 24 (low-dose estrogen) for about 6 years. I've gained weight while on it, but only because I was eating whatever and however much I wanted and not exercising. Since I started MFP, I'm steadily losing. At one point in that 6 years, I did try switching to Seasonique (the 3-month pill). Had to stop it halfway through because it made my sick. Switched back to the Loestrin and have done fine.

    I don't think the pill itself makes you gain (there are studies that say it does and studies that say it doesn't). However, the hormone dosage may be wrong for you. It may be too much and it causes you to have crazy cravings or eat more than normal. If that's the case, yes, you'd gain weight.

    Maybe talk to your doctor about trying a different pill. If he refuses, I'd find another doctor. Most doctors are more than willing to let you try various pills to see what works for YOU. I had a friend who tried the Loestrin 24, and she had a horrible time with it, while I've done just fine on it.

    Your doctor may be able to help you out with some samples, too, while you work on trying to find the right pill for you. I've never had a doctor not be willing to experiment with the pill to try to find the right one, and they've always given me samples to help me until we settle on the right one.

    Good luck!
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
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    I lost 56 pounds while on the pill (Yaz). Wasn't any more or less difficult than anyone else's weight loss.
  • Jovannyr
    Jovannyr Posts: 108 Member
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    I have been on BC for many many years...I cant say that It has affected my weight at all...I noticed that if I dont watch what I eat then I'll gain and if I do then I'll lose but again, I cant say it has affected my weight in any way...then again ive only been off of them for no more than a month or so when we wanted to get pregnant and then start them again after birth...I cant get off them cuz then my cycle goes crazy...
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
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    I'm Loesterin 24 FE, and I don't feel it made me gain weight. What made me gain weight was not exercising, eating burger king 3X a week and binge drinking during college.

    I also don't feel it made it hard to lose weight.. I mean, I lost 28 pounds while on it and the only hiccup I have is the week before my period and the week of my period. I don't lose those two weeks, but other then that I'm good!
  • jess_blonde
    jess_blonde Posts: 229 Member
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    It's a toss up if it was my lax eating habits or my hormonal birth control made me gain weight (I suspect a combination of the two) but since I started actively trying to lose weight, I have dropped it incredibly easily (thus far) since switching to a non-hormonal form of birth control (I have a copper IUD). It took me five months and daily exercise to drop to 160lbs on hormones, and it has taken two weeks with exercise 3x per week (or less) to drop back to 160. Here's hoping it continues!
  • KayteeBear
    KayteeBear Posts: 1,040 Member
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    SOME pills will cause you to gain weight. Some you won't. The one I was on I didn't lose any weight.

    But I think I actually read somewhere that the reason some pills cause you to gain weight is because they increase your appetite so you are hungrier thus eat more thus gain weight...I can't remember where I remembered it so I can't say for sure if it's completely accurate.

    Some pills you will gain weight once you go OFF of them. I think for me that was part of it...I went off the pill and gained five pounds but I think that's more because I have PCOS and that has a whole bunch of weight gaining problems/problems losing weight and the pill I think was helping keep that in check I think so when I went off of it then that caused me to gain some weight because I didn't change anything. I was still working out lots and eating healthy...anyway....

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