Birth control and weight gain?

jessica7368

So I've lost 22lbs so far. However, this week I have gained back 4lbs!! I'm not close to getting my period as I just started a new pack of pills about a week ago. However, I did switch types of birth control. I had to go to a stronger dose because I was bleeding through my last week of pills. Could this be causing water retention or something? I've been good about tracking calories, exercising, drinking water and I just can't figure out what's going on. 4lbs in a week is a lot!

fitforcollege

Water retention is one of the side-effects of birth control (especially with a higher dose of hormones). As your body adjusts to the higher dosage, the water retention should go away. I've always heard that you have to take a birth control pill for at least three months in order to give you body time to get used to it

pretty_ribbons

When i started my birth control it was like pmt forever, i was constantly hungry and bloated and grumpy and emotional, i put on weight but it wore off after a while

aWashCloth

I'm on Tricyclen, I actually had to switch to it after I started losing weight because I missed my period on the lower dosage pill (There was no pregnancy just messed up hormones from the weight loss) That was the end of october. Im down 41 lbs since then. So I wouldn't say its going to make a big difference in general.

Elizabeth_C34

Women, for the most part, will fluctuate quite a bit throughout our monthly cycle. Don't worry about it.

Birth control pills can exacorbate it, but rest assured that this is only water weight, not actual fat weight (as long as you are sticking to your meal plan and exercising as usual).

cjwolfjen

the pill always made me gain weight too, that's why I don't take it. Even the LoLoEstrin kind which is like the lowest hormone possible, made me gain weight. Only like 5 lbs but STILL. Ugh. Hubby is getting a vasectomy so I don't have to take the pill. No more hormones in my body PLEASE. I hate that.

natalie7015

I too started a new birth control pill after bleeding through my old ones. I am on week three of the first cycle month. I have put on 2.5 pounds. I seem to be bouncing up and down a little but am hoping once this month is over I will lose some weight. I was afraid of this happening but hopefully it will even out. Since I am still watching what I eat and exercising I am pretty sure its the new bc pills.

ohpilot

I found that I gained about 5lbs when I first started the patch. It was pretty disheartening at first, but I stopped weighing myself for a while and continued on with my routine. When I weighed myself next I had lost not only that weight but an additional 5lbs! So as much as the initial gain sucked, it was nice to see the scale down 10lbs at the end of it

Don't give up!

Awkward30

I'm just finishing month 3 of bc and it all but halted my previously regular progress. Also increases my appetite, so I feel like I'm being tortured and still completely unable to lose weight. If this next month doesn't work out better, I'm quitting. I also had a skipped/barely there period without a pregnancy, like an above poster, but refuse to go on a higher dose since my side effects are already long-term intolerable.

leannmanderson

It's the progesterine in birth control that causes weight gain. This is because one of the side effects of hormonal birth control is to trick your body into thinking that you're pregnant, which is why it helps stop your period except during your "off week" if you're using the pill. Because your body is acting like you're pregnant, it increases your appetite because you need to take in more calories when you're expecting. This is also why, despite the claims, many women also find that they actually have an increase in acne.

I was on provera (pill form of the shot) for a couple of weeks because of a hormonal imbalance (bled for more than 4 months straight) and it didn't work, and now the doc has me on premarin (estrogen) which has stopped the bleeding and which is what encourages ovulation. Naturally, estrogen starts your period and then encourages ovulation, at which point progesterine takes over. Estrogen actually can help with better moods and weight loss. The downside of any artificial estrogen, of course, is that there's an increased risk of blood clots, especially if you're a smoker or over the age of 30, so it's a good idea to move around a lot. There's also an increased risk with any artificial hormonal birth control of cervical cancer, because it causes cervical erosion and dries up the cervical fluid, which is part of how it makes your body inhospitable to sperm, as well as increased risks of heart attacks and strokes.

To be perfectly honest, if I hadn't had so much trouble that I HAD to use the premarin and provera, I wouldn't use artificial hormones at all. Outside of this little issue I've had lately, I'm normally a practitioner of the sympto-thermal method of natural family planning since it doesn't mess with my hormones and puts me in MUCH greater control. Hubby and I have been much closer since we started with this method, as well, since it requires communication. I also love that it's all natural, with zero risk, zero controversy attached, and that when he and I are ready for kids, it'll be easier to switch from avoiding pregnancy to attaining it. Plus it helps with weight loss because you're paying more attention to your body's natural signals.

mimaduck83

which Pill are you on? The combined hormone or the mini pill (progesterone only) ?

I found with the combined one I became a homicidal *****. literally couldn't control my emotions, in a rage for a lot of the time and I felt horrendous. I came off it and left it for 10 years seeing as I didn't have much use for it (kind of gave up sleeping with men :laugh: )

I only spoke to my doctor about going back on it back in the summer as I had enough of the crippling (and no, I'm not exaggerating) pain I was in with my periods. Turns out I have fibroids in the uterine wall which is causing the pain. I was in agony from my knees to my breasts, I'd throw up, pass out, turn white, lips would turn blue, the works.

The combined pill with the extra estrogen was what was causing the mood swings etc from before so I was put onto the "mini" pill with no estrogen and progesterone only and it is BLISS! No period. No PMS. No pain. No passing out. AND no weight gain with it. The added benefit is that estrogen "triggered" cancers like breast and ovarian cancers are less likely as I am not adding extra estrogen to my already estrogen sensitive body.

Speak to your doctor...see if there are other types of BC that you could try if some don't agree with you and good luck!:flowerforyou:

derposaurus

Oh yeah. Weight gain is SUCH a common side affect of gaining weight!! It's almost inevitable (though it didnt happen for me lol but I was already so heavy and not trying to lose. but it happens to everyone else I know).

Anyways, don't let it impede your routine or progress. I'd start going by body inch measurements rather than scale numbers for the next little bit while your body is getting used to the hormones.

StatutoryGrape

I've never had that particular side effect, but I've heard that monophasic pills (same dose every week) tends to cause less weight gain/water retention than triphasics (a different dose of hormones each week--these include OrthoTricyclin, TriNessa, etc.). I'm on a monophasic now because I take my pill continuously--three months on, then one week off for a withdrawal bleed. I was diagnosed with endometriosis last March, and stayed on a triphasic pill for a few months after my lap...and the pain started to return. I can't have any extra estrogen in my BCP, since it feeds the endometriosis. Since switching, I don't bloat as much during my off-week, and while I do have some spotting, my moods are more stable and I have fewer PMS symptoms in general.

It should level out after a while, but you're still having problems, ask about switching to a monophasic pill.

meggy_182

Is anyone else on the implant?
That's the main cause of my weight gain, I went on it a year ago and I gained 2 stone almost instantly, with no change to my food/activity level.
Is it harder to shift weight?

derposaurus

implanted where? uterus, or arm? there's two different kinds.

i'm on nuvaring, fyi. been on it nearly two years with no side affects

meggy_182

The arm. Mines called nexplonon or something like that.

kaytiecakes

implanted where? uterus, or arm? there's two different kinds.

i'm on nuvaring, fyi. been on it nearly two years with no side affects

i love nuvaring. the side effects are less intense and there's no remembering to take a pill every day! just an in/out every three to four weeks based on your preference. Five years of use and I have little interest in switching to any other form of hbc.

inammorata

Hormonal birth control is evil. I put on soo much weight over the years from Ortho-Tri-Cyclen. Never again.

meggy_182

Hormonal birth control is evil. I put on soo much weight over the years from Ortho-Tri-Cyclen. Never again.

I'm seriously considering removing my implant, but I've enjoyed a year without a period/

hikeout470

Same here, the BCP is a wretched unit. Not only did I lose 20 pounds when I went off it, I gained my sense of health back. Throw away your pills and buy a condom. They are fairly reasonable.

BarbWhite09

I hate birth control with a passion. It makes me constantly hungry, I always end up gaining a bunch of weight, plus during my period I'm pretty much psychotic...I cry constantly, over absolutely nothing...Everything makes me mad...I hate everyone/everything. I've made the decision to never use it again, after 2 crazy attempts at it. Eeek.

heather7131

All through college I was on Depo and I ballooned like crazy! Way more than the usual freshman 15!!!
Now I have Mirena and I love it! I don't attribute my weight gain to the birth control now as much bc I've not been eating r exercising like I did when I was in college!

AZKristi

Condoms (98% effective when used correctly, 90% effective as used by the general population) are far less reliable than oral contraceptives (99.9% effective when taken correctly).

4 lbs of water weight is a small price to pay. There are a LOT of options for oral contraceptives, so if this particular brand doesn't work for you, there are others you can consider.

derposaurus

implanted where? uterus, or arm? there's two different kinds.

i'm on nuvaring, fyi. been on it nearly two years with no side affects

i love nuvaring. the side effects are less intense and there's no remembering to take a pill every day! just an in/out every three to four weeks based on your preference. Five years of use and I have little interest in switching to any other form of hbc.

same! it was the first and only birth control i've ever tried. my doctor said "dont waste you time trying a pill. everyone who takes nuva ring says they 'LOVE' it, and I don't ever hear anybody use that word in the same sentence as birth control" lol. so i was like alright, good enough for me. it's been fine from the start! some people are really intimidated by it. but you dont feel it. and it's so easy to put in and remove. some people think its such a huge complicated procedure that you have to go the doctor for lolno. it's easier than inserting a tampon. and you forget it's there! love it.

karamille

The arm. Mines called nexplonon or something like that.

I have it. Implanon is the name for it here. I did gain weight while I have had it, but I can't blame it on the implant. We had some serius stress going on with our baby's health problems. I comfort ate, didn't sleep, didn't workout, and just generally let myself go to hell. I am in the last 6 months of the 3 years of it, and I do find that my hair and eyelashes are growing better now that the dose is lower as it is winding down

leannmanderson

My step-daughter had implanon. She went off of it because it was actually causing her to have hallucinations. There are SO many side effects that they never tell you about, or lie to you about outright if they're only interested in profit. I still say ditch the hormones unless actually needed medically and start charting fluid and temp. 99.999% accuracy (I'm fairly certain my step-daughter screwed this up on purpose, considering she'd been trying to get the papers signed to marry her now ex-boyfriend for nearly a year before she got pregnant...)

As for myself, before I started NFP, I had been on the pill (three different types), the shot, and the patch. I felt crappy on all of them, and the shot made me bleed for 6 months straight and gain 60 pounds and caused ovarian cysts. Since I started NFP, I have found a lot more confidence, had fewer mood swings, had almost zero acne (which means no makeup needed so I'm saving money there as well as saving money because I don't have to pay for artificial birth control), and I'm just overall happier, which is what led me to this, my weight loss journey, because I now believe I can pull it off.

Trust me, you'll feel so much better for switching.

rmsturdy

I actually had a Mirena put in even though I haven't had kids. I'm horrible with my birth control and it would be extremely hard on our finances if we had an accident right now. I gained a little, like maybe 5 lbs, but I suspect that had a lot more to do with my lifestyle when I first had it implanted. It seems a little harder to lose, but not terribly so. I'm more stable. My weight doesn't fluctuate so badly and my PMDD isn't as bad.

dad106

I take Loestrin 24 FE.. and have had no weight gain or any problems losing weight. I know why I gained weight.. because I drank like a fish every weekend in college and ate pizza and jimmy johns practically every night. The pill had nothing to do with it.

Keep plugging away and drink some extra water. It will even it's self out eventually. I personally could never go off my B/C.. the cramps, nausea and fatigue are way too awful.

ladykaisa

I've *just* stopped taking my Yaz... I've been on it for 10 months, and have gained 35lbs that I cannot seem to shake off with a stick. Everyone was saying "oh, the number on the scale is going up because you're gaining muscle!" but it wasn't. I'm not toner, I'm not leaner, I'm not going down dress sizes. I'm just getting fatter.

In the 5 days I've stopped the pill, I've noticed my eating has decreased and I have very little appetite. My willpower is much improved, but my eyes are still dry as the desert and I'm puffy. I'm attributing that to the fact it takes a bit for the hormones to get our of your system.

Amy

LindaCWy

Hormonal birth control is evil. I put on soo much weight over the years from Ortho-Tri-Cyclen. Never again.

Agreed!

tiannajade

Ah OK! I haven't been eating AS healthy as I should; however, I think I'm often pretty hard on myself and I do maintain quite a good diet and still heavier than I've ever been. I've never had cellulite until the past few months and my bra went up 2 sizes! It's not like I'm completely shoving my face 24/7. But I did switch from Tri-Cyclen Lo to the normal dose a few months ago which is when these changes started happening. It would make me feel a lot better if this were the case, but it makes me sad to see these negative changes in my body that are very difficult to get rid of