Can birth control keep me from losing weight?

shabaity

I've had no problems losing weight on the shot but I'm on because of erratic periods it being birth control is just a side affect

saragato

I asked my doctor about this when she prescribed me the mini-pill and she said that in her experience women tend to just be more relaxed and happy once the risk of pregnancy is removed and she thinks it's that that makes people put on through overeating if they do and nothing to do with the hormones.

This doesn't sound fact based to me at all. What about stress pounds?
That sounds like a folk story to me. sorry

I think it was more a cutesy little opinion the doctor expressed. Something they thought up and just blabber off, forgetting they're relaying it to a patient. I've had doctors of all professions do that after they get to that "friendly" stage with you. Long story short I don't think it was meant to hurt the person by saying it or accuse a woman, now "relieved" of her birthing problems, to then overeat from joy.

saragato

Abstinence is the only 100% guaranteed method of pregnancy and STD prevention. I have 8 younger siblings. I know that condoms do not prevent pregnancy. give me the pill. I have done my research and this is what I will use till my husband and I are done cresting our family. After we have our last little one he is getting a vasectomy. And he volunteered because he did his own research on it and tubal ligation.

Uh, that's all well and good but this is about medication causing weight gain, not how to not spawn hoards of children.

monicalosesweight

Ask yourself this, "Did I start gaining weight around the same time I started this particular medication?" If the answer is yes, then I would say you need to contact your doctor to see about alternatives.

I have no idea why you're on hormone therapy and I don't plan on asking as that is way too personal. I'm not here to judge you but I can say that medications sometimes do have side affects. If you feel this is a necessary medication for you, then by all means talk to your doctor to see about an alternative that may not have these same side affects.

The other part you need to consider is opening up your diary to your fellow dieters. Sometimes, someone might spot something and go..."Hey, you're not....and that caused me to experience no loss in weight." In other words, having an open diary entry makes it easier. I know I've been warned not to go under the amount of calories that the system gives me as that can cause your body to think it's starving. Are you eating ALL the calories the system lists or are you always under by 300 or 500? I've seen tons of posts where people did that and started eating those extra calories and were shocked when the weight started falling off again. Anyway, those are just some of my thoughts. Hope they give you some ideas.

LifestyleChange33

Hormones are a definite factor in weight loss- talk to your doctor. I use the NuvaRing which is a very low dose form of birth control. My Honey got clipped, so I went off it- and immediately broke out on the face and gained 10lbs!!! I'm back on it just for the benefit of what it does for me...
All that to say that your doctor may have some good input and a better solution since it may be a hormone issue.

All the best to finding a good solution! :flowerforyou:

Babymomakell

I would consider another option. I was looking into the shot and a lot of my nurse friends were talking to me about all of the issues with it... including hair loss and weight gain (and apparently these are common side effects!)

My hormones are messed up and the pills typically mess with me too much, some make me sick to my stomach, some make me depressed etc.... so, after talking to my DR, I choose the Nuvaring. You wear it for 3 weeks and take it out for a week to have a period, or you may wear it back-to-back and not menstruate. It is the only birth-control that I have tried and liked. I haven't had any side effects or problems with it at all.

seximami79

The hottest/thinnest/fittest I have been was when I was not on birth control....each time I get off birth control, I get pregnant:) I'd rather have a few extra pounds for right now:)

Huskeryogi

In response th NFP. I have friend who did NFP. She charted EVERYTHING for 6 months prior to her wedding. They wanted to wait a year after getting married to conceive. She got pregnant on one of the first three days of her honeymoon (she spent the last three days of her honeymoon pushing her husband away to avoid pregnancy).

To the OP - Depro could make it harder to lose weight or cause gain. As other posters have mentioned there are lots of options so talk thru concerns with your doctor.

Chainie

My only recommendation is to stop getting the shot. Any of the birth control pills and depo have artificial hormones and are really, really bad for you. Check out Fertility Friend or Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Both have free websites that will show you how to track your fertility naturally and safely - and for free. Natural Family Planning doesn't cost anything now (free to learn and do) or later (increased cancer risks, blot clots, infertility, etc.). Also, read ALL the fine print that goes with depo or any other birth control. These products are very dangerous to women and pose great risks that affect you the rest of your life. I know it's in you now and you can't do anything about that, but please do some research before choosing to get another shot.

Deo Juvante, Jen

Well written. Also, Your endocrine system hormones are not just reproductive (estrogen, progesterone, etc.) they are also metabolic (insulin, cortisol, leptin, adrenalin) so when you introduce synthesized hormones it can mess up your own (including your metabolic hormones) much more in some people than in others. People with hormone imbalance conditions and insulin resistance can diet effectively but need to do it a bit differently because so many diets theses days are anticarb which set hormone imbalance sufferers and IR sufferers up for fail. Best wishes xx

blonde20fan

I have been on Depo for 10 years. I have managed to lose 60 pounds in the past, gain in back. Right now I have lost 50 pounds in the last 2 years. I think if you work hard you can lose weight.

imchicbad

that depo vera shot made my girlfriend gain like 75 pounds over three years!! i would stop the shot asap.

birth control pills made me super skinny. i stopped taking thoes lol
everyones different i guess

BlueJean4114

My only recommendation is to stop getting the shot. Any of the birth control pills and depo have artificial hormones and are really, really bad for you. Check out Fertility Friend or Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Both have free websites that will show you how to track your fertility naturally and safely - and for free. Natural Family Planning doesn't cost anything now (free to learn and do) or later (increased cancer risks, blot clots, infertility, etc.). Also, read ALL the fine print that goes with depo or any other birth control. These products are very dangerous to women and pose great risks that affect you the rest of your life. I know it's in you now and you can't do anything about that, but please do some research before choosing to get another shot.

Deo Juvante, Jen

Natural family planning pretty much is code for "surprise pregnancy". Sorry! Not every woman's cycle is the same and many women don't ovulate like clockwork every month on the same day so natural family planning is very risky. It should be paired with another form of contraception imo unless you are at a point in your life where having kids would be a good surprise.

^i agree with the response about NFP is best left for couples who really would NOT mind an extra baby.
That excludes Many women, who truly WOULD mind being pregnant, very much.


Mayo clinic rates it as having a 25% failure rate,
which i suspect is a Very conservative estimate, as i described in earlier post of mine.
One has to trust the woman with lots of children, using NFP, is telling the truth when she states each pregnancy in her large family WAS "planned".

Some sites rate the failure rate of NFP as much higher, at 40% or more, by some researchers.

I do not personally know any woman who uses NFP who has no children,
or who has only 1 child. Could be women who use NFP who have no children, or only 1 chlld and i just never heard of them. that's possible.

Usually women who use NFP always seem to have large families, and say they wanted each pregnancy, that it was "planned". Which could be true, of course. It could be, that women who want large families, tend to prefer using NFP, could be some coincidence connection there.

sandiegosummer

I used to feel the same way but then I realized that A) I like sex and 10-15lbs gain and more difficulty taking it off is much better than 25lbs gain for nine months and then a baby FOR LIFE*

*when you aren't ready... when you want to be a mommy I am sure the latter part of B is worth everything!!!

concavity

NFP I think is totally rediculious and won't work, it's a bit sketchy and I would constantly live in fear of having sex if my partner relied on it.

Have you thought about an IUD?

lasteever

I gained weight on depo, but really, the best person to speak with this about is a doctor or gynecologist. You really can't take medical advice from folks on the internet, no matter how well-meaning it is.

predent

My only recommendation is to stop getting the shot. Any of the birth control pills and depo have artificial hormones and are really, really bad for you. Check out Fertility Friend or Taking Charge of Your Fertility. Both have free websites that will show you how to track your fertility naturally and safely - and for free. Natural Family Planning doesn't cost anything now (free to learn and do) or later (increased cancer risks, blot clots, infertility, etc.). Also, read ALL the fine print that goes with depo or any other birth control. These products are very dangerous to women and pose great risks that affect you the rest of your life. I know it's in you now and you can't do anything about that, but please do some research before choosing to get another shot.

Deo Juvante, Jen

Natural family planning pretty much is code for "surprise pregnancy". Sorry! Not every woman's cycle is the same and many women don't ovulate like clockwork every month on the same day so natural family planning is very risky. It should be paired with another form of contraception imo unless you are at a point in your life where having kids would be a good surprise.

^i agree with the response about NFP is best left for couples who really would NOT mind an extra baby.
That excludes Many women, who truly WOULD mind being pregnant, very much.


Mayo clinic rates it as having a 25% failure rate,
which i suspect is a Very conservative estimate, as i described in earlier post of mine.
One has to trust the woman with lots of children, using NFP, is telling the truth when she states each pregnancy in her large family WAS "planned".

Some sites rate the failure rate of NFP as much higher, at 40% or more, by some researchers.

I do not personally know any woman who uses NFP who has no children,
or who has only 1 child. Could be women who use NFP who have no children, or only 1 chlld and i just never heard of them. that's possible.

Usually women who use NFP always seem to have large families, and say they wanted each pregnancy, that it was "planned". Which could be true, of course. It could be, that women who want large families, tend to prefer using NFP, could be some coincidence connection there.

There are also plenty of us who are on some type of hormonal BC because of medical conditions. I used to get extremely severe ovarian cysts that would put me in the ER every single month, and I was only about 12 years old! My parents, being Catholic, were of course opposed to the idea of BC. The doctors told them that I risked doing permanent damage to my body and they changed their minds. Once I started taking the pill, they completely stopped. I haven't had one in almost ten years

I couldn't imagine stopping my medication to try and naturally figure out my body. I'm not guessing or estimating when it comes to my health!

vitty1

I think that the whole birth control and weight gain situation is a total myth.. but then again everyone is different. I have been on birth control for about 5 years now and I have not gained back a single pound from almost 74lbs of weight loss thus far.

leslielrd12

Nuva Ring all the way. I know it freaks a lot of women out, but it is a good alternative to the pill, espcially if a woman has trouble remembering it or isn't ready for an IUD. I've been on it 3 years with no cramps, mood swings, weight gain, and minimal cravings. My male gyno cracked me up on my last visit because he said that's what he would take if he was a female haha

Sabine_Stroehm

I used to feel the same way but then I realized that A) I like sex and 10-15lbs gain and more difficulty taking it off is much better than 25lbs gain for nine months and then a baby FOR LIFE*

*when you aren't ready... when you want to be a mommy I am sure the latter part of B is worth everything!!!

Again, I ask: are there any non-hormonal options? It all seems to black and white on this thread.

Sabine_Stroehm

I think that the whole birth control and weight gain situation is a total myth.. but then again everyone is different. I have been on birth control for about 5 years now and I have not gained back a single pound from almost 74lbs of weight loss thus far.

Everyone IS different. And many of us gain weight on this thing you call a myth.