Birth Control Weight Gain [Women] :p

rosalee87

I didn't know where to place this topic - didn't want to place it under chit-chat, fun, etc. - didn't seem like it would fit in

Alright! Well, I've been on BC for about 11 months now (Ortho Tri Cyclen) and when I get to the inactive pills I feel horrible - headaches, neck tension, fatigue, hot flashes, and sometimes I feel unable to concentrate/foggy but, once I start my hormone pills on the 3rd or 4th day I start feeling better and I am able to move on. I spoke to my doctor about this and he told me that it was not because of my BC that it was probably coincidence and I more than likely have tension headaches; no. I made sure this wasn't just a one time thing and it's happened for 3 months now that I've been counting and I spoke to my doctor and he now said I'm having hormone withdrawal symptoms during those days but he rather have it that way than perscribe me something else that's going to constantly keep me on the hormone - I agreed with that. But, after all this it got me thinking - why would I want to put my body through this; sure my periods have gotten less painful but it's caused me so much discomfort now now I just want to stop; the doctor said I would probably experience these symptoms 3-6 months till my hormones regulate now I can deal with that BUT - HERE'S THE WEIGHT LOSS/GAIN PART....

I've read other forums that some people actually gain 10-20 pds when they come off BC; that's just scary to me - I worked so hard to lose all this weight only to sabatoge it by simply stopping my BC - it terrifies me. ESPECIALLY because I read some people on the forum who were always active and served a healthy lifestyle they still gained all that weight and couldn't take it off. I'm stuck, IDK what to do - stay on it or just stop - I don't want to gain this weight back.

Have any of you ladies experienced this? (Withdrawal symptoms - weight gain after stopping) ANYTHING? Shine some light on this very confused lady

Drunkadelic

I honestly thought it was my birth control that was keeping me from losing more weight. I was also pretty sure it was giving me crazy moods and my sex drive became non-existent (best birth control ever). So I decided to stop taking it. Instead of losing weight, like I expected, I gained about 10 lbs which totally sucked since I gained all the weight back I had lost. I also haven't had a period yet and I've been off hormonal birth control for over 2 months. BUT I do not regret going off of it. Here's why:

- I had been on hormonal birth control for 7 years and I still had not found one I liked
- hormones control everything in your body and I did not want to screw with a system that seems to work fine by itself.
- I no longer have crazy cravings that make me feel like a bottomless pit. I can finally feel full.
- My moods have evened out and I feel more like "me."
- and I FINALLY HAVE A SEX DRIVE AGAIN!

The only thing that makes me a bit nervous is not having a period (and I'm not preggo - took a test) but apparently that's pretty normal.

Marissakbooth

It took me a year to get my period back after I stopped using Depo.

rosalee87

See, those are the reasons I want to stop my BC - I don't want to put my body through this and I didn't know what I had gotten myself into. I don't want to gain weight Are you having a hard time losing that weight?

kitinboots

My pill hasn't affected my weight, but it has made my boobs grow! Not a bad thing since they were small to begin with.

SARgirl

Are you on Ortho Tri Cyclen or Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo? I'm on the Lo and have been on the pill for 10 yrs and haven't had any major side effects.

XiaoRuRu

On the other hand, with mine (Ortho tri cyclen lo, yaz, yazmine, nuvaring, leena (I"m never happy with mine)) they have all made me retain weight and in the in between periods when I've stopped taking them I lost weight. My doctor warned me that my pills would cause me to gain/retain weight, not help me lose/maintain. And it's true for me.

farmers_daughter

OK - don't read this over breakfast....


I use the Nuva Ring, and all I have to say is when I take it out, mother nature shows up in 2 hours or less, when I put it in mother nature dissapears in 3 hours or less.

Now tell me that there isn't a massive amount of hormones running thru my body. I believe that BC has a great possibility of screwing with your body. Not sure how, but with those facts, yeah.....

I struggle on my own with my weight I always have, I just blame that on me. Good Luck in whatever you choose tho

CaoimheAine

I've taken two types of the pill - Diane and Yasmin. Both made me grumpy, sluggish and I broke out like crazy... It wasn't worth the trouble just to have regular periods haha so I told my doctor's I was done with trying them. I did gain about 2-3kg but they came off soon after I stopped taking them...
I'm concerned with the long term effects of having extremely irregular periods though so I may have to reconsider trying another brand soon if my body decides it wants to continue being difficult in that sense :sad: haahha

jen2607

See, those are the reasons I want to stop my BC - I don't want to put my body through this and I didn't know what I had gotten myself into. I don't want to gain weight Are you having a hard time losing that weight?

No offense, but your doctor is an idiot. Maybe he/she isn't ... but if you do have a legitimate concern. Weight gain aside, it is really hard to maintain a daily active lifestyle if you are feeling all inbalanced.


Some underlying conditions, like PCOS, make it to where you can't tolerate triphasic pills.They will literally make you feel like you are losing your mind and seriously mess with energy levels. I used to take the pill you are on, but do the same side effects you are experiencing I stopped. I told my old doctor and he just brushed it off. I tried to take it again after being off of it for several months, and I experienced the same side effects.


After not being on anything for a while, I started just not feeling right. I would be irregular and emotional at random times. When I did get a period, it was rough. FINALLY, I started taking seasonique and it really helped to be on a monophasic pill that I could take for 3 months straight. The nonactice pills also have a small dose of progestrine to keep you from getting migraines if that is something you suffer from. After a while, it got too expensive and I had to stop taking it. I tried Seasonale, but now I just have a prescription for Sprintec that I take 3 months straight. It's basically just a cheaper monophasic pill.


Bottom line: if triphasic pills are making you feel out of whack, try a monophasic pill. If you can afford it/ have insurance I would try seasonique.