On birth control? Gaining weight?

_Wits_

Uhhh.....yeah no thanks.

*walks back out of thread*

Psychoanalytic

Actually, different forms of birth control have varying amounts of estrogen in them, unless it's a progestin only pill. For some women, this added amount of estrogen can cause weight gain. Although they say that the weight gain is minimal, it depends on the woman's current level of estrogen to begin with.

From a personal standpoint, I've been on several different types of birth control. With some I remained the same, some gained, some lost. It depends on the form of birth control. What works or doesn't work for you doesn't mean it has the same effect on someone else.

not_virified

Actually, different forms of birth control have varying amounts of estrogen in them, unless it's a progestin only pill. For some women, this added amount of estrogen can cause weight gain. Although they say that the weight gain is minimal, it depends on the woman's current level of estrogen to begin with.

From a personal standpoint, I've been on several different types of birth control. With some I remained the same, some gained, some lost. It depends on the form of birth control. What works or doesn't work for you doesn't mean it has the same effect on someone else.

This is true

itsuki

One thing you have to keep in mind is that different hormones in different doses affect different people in different ways.

I've been on 6 different BC pills since turning 18 (8 years ago), trying to find one that has side-effects that are manageable for me (unmanageable side-effects for me include depression and intense mood swings). I have never gained weight on a pill until this year (so 5/6 of the pills did not affect me in this way).

I started MFP in December of last year and lost 20lbs in 3 months of eating well and exercising. In March I started a new BCP, and the weight loss stopped within a week. For three months I went up and down the same four or five pounds. But my lifestyle hadn't changed - still eating great, still exercising. And I tried all the "tricks" for combating a plateau - upping calories, shaking up fitness routine, IF, you name it. Nothing helped.

Then, after three months, I took my 1 week of lower hormones (Camerese has 12 weeks of active pills and 1 week of lower hormones for 4 periods a year), and low and behold, lost 7lbs in that week. Then once I was back on the higher dose, it's slowed down immensely again.

So I went to talk to my OBGYN, who has a degree (which is more than most people giving medical advice on the internet) and knows a lot about women's health and how hormones impact the body. She said that yes, the pill does cause weight gain in some women because it makes them eat more. But sometimes it's just the hormone that does it.

She also said it can make it difficult to lose weight - the hormones trick the body into thinking it could be pregnant, so it tries to hold on to all the weight it can. I asked her if my 3 month plateau could be attributed to the pill, and after she looked at my diet and exercise logs, she said yes, it was probably the case.

She said straight up that if I hadn't been on the pill I was on, I probably would have lost another 20lbs in those 3 months.

If you think you're gaining weight or having trouble losing weight with the pill you're on, talk to your doctor. He or she may be able to prescribe something different - either a different combination of hormones or a different dose - that affects you differently.

Doctors will often give you this advice. Is the OP a doctor? If not, take her "opinion" with a grain of salt.

ErinBeth7

I stopped taking BC because it made me grow mountain ranges on my face. True story. Strange, because, my doctor had prescribed me the BC that is most typically used in controlling acne. Did the exact opposite for me!

Krizzle4Rizzle

STOP USING BIRTH CONTROL, PERIOD. Pill popping to stop the course of nature is just wrong.

I love sex and dislike children so...no.

jcpmoore

No one person, doctor or no, can tell you what hormones will do for every woman on the planet. I am not now, nor will I ever be again, on birth control pills. I hate the things and have quite enough hormone issues without their help, thank you. However, I've had my share of horror stories from them. Yes, they can and DO contribute to more than hunger pangs and cravings, dears. You might think that hormones can only make you feel hungry or moody, but this is not true. They can and frequently do trick your body into holding onto not just water but weight. I can work out 2 hours per day, eat well within my calories, eat exactly the kinds of foods I should, and still nothing moves on the scale. It's not bc pills in my case-I had a hysterectomy a few years ago and my hormones are wack from that.

The reason I keep doing everything I can right is not because I think my hormones will suddenly snap into line and let the weight go. It's because I feel better when I do it right, even if I don't get smaller. Not to mention it gives me a chance to punch the crap out of the bags once in awhile when I'm really angry.

Racerrgirl21

I was also on BC (the shot) and was having a very VERY hard time losing weight. In 3 months of kickin my a$s with exercise and eating healthy I managed to lose 4 pounds anyway!! The nurse even told me "hey you went down 4lbs from the last time". It is kind of upsetting this BC makes it A LOT HARDER to lose it though.

ladykaisa

I was 145lbs. I worked out every morning, ate 1200-1300 calories, and maintained perfectly fine. Then I started Yaz. I didn't eat more. I didn't snack. I maintained my workout schedule. And I gained 30lbs.

When I was 20 I was 120lbs, worked out, maintained my weight, and started Tricyclin. I didn't snack, I didn't eat 3500 calories a day. In fact, I followed my anorexic diet of 300 calories a day intake, working out at least 600 calories a day. There is no possible way to *gain* weight doing this. But I did. I ballooned up 47lbs in 8 months.

Both times, I stopped my OCP and started steadily losing weight after 2-3 months.

My mother has the same thing. She gains like a mo-fo when on hormonal replacement, and goes back to a steady weight post-stopping.

So, your "kind" and "helpful" post is full of it. Until you have at least 10 years or medical schooling for specializing in the endocrine system or women's issues, kindly keep you "truth" as Opinon, and not fact, as it came across as being stated.

If you think you're gaining weight or having trouble losing weight with the pill you're on, talk to your doctor. He or she may be able to prescribe something different - either a different combination of hormones or a different dose - that affects you differently.

This is exactly it. Talk to someone who has a medical degree. Best advice out there

brandi22479

STOP USING BIRTH CONTROL, PERIOD. Pill popping to stop the course of nature is just wrong.

Ahhh, the reason millions of children are born to families who cannot properly support them... Truly the dumbest thing I've seen on here yet!

msamcoates

Wow is all I can say to this.

daisiemae123

Actually, different forms of birth control have varying amounts of estrogen in them, unless it's a progestin only pill. For some women, this added amount of estrogen can cause weight gain. Although they say that the weight gain is minimal, it depends on the woman's current level of estrogen to begin with.

From a personal standpoint, I've been on several different types of birth control. With some I remained the same, some gained, some lost. It depends on the form of birth control. What works or doesn't work for you doesn't mean it has the same effect on someone else.

This is true

This is very true. Do some people use it as an excuse and a crutch, absolutely. Does everyone, absolutely not. I was able to lose a bunch of weight on the depo shot after I had been on if for a while and my body had adjusted to it. Went off to have my son and chose to start it again. Had to have a very long discussion with my endocrinologist about my decision to resume the shot as opposed to remain with a progesterone only pill. He was very unhappy with my decision and was concerned that my gestational diabetes may become permanent if I was unable to lose the baby weight. Apparently there is something about the depoprovera that can affect the way your body breaks down the food and reacts to the carbs and sugars. Does it happen to everyone, no but there are people that it does happen to.

TessaZx

I've gained weight every time I was on the pill, I also tried different ones...Ugh, it seems like if they didn't mess with my weight or skin they made me crazy emotionally. I really wish I could take them, but the side effects just suck.

Thats what happened to me too

rml_16

Actually, different forms of birth control have varying amounts of estrogen in them, unless it's a progestin only pill. For some women, this added amount of estrogen can cause weight gain. Although they say that the weight gain is minimal, it depends on the woman's current level of estrogen to begin with.

From a personal standpoint, I've been on several different types of birth control. With some I remained the same, some gained, some lost. It depends on the form of birth control. What works or doesn't work for you doesn't mean it has the same effect on someone else.

This is true

This is very true. Do some people use it as an excuse and a crutch, absolutely. Does everyone, absolutely not. I was able to lose a bunch of weight on the depo shot after I had been on if for a while and my body had adjusted to it. Went off to have my son and chose to start it again. Had to have a very long discussion with my endocrinologist about my decision to resume the shot as opposed to remain with a progesterone only pill. He was very unhappy with my decision and was concerned that my gestational diabetes may become permanent if I was unable to lose the baby weight. Apparently there is something about the depoprovera that can affect the way your body breaks down the food and reacts to the carbs and sugars. Does it happen to everyone, no but there are people that it does happen to.

My doctor won't even prescribe it. And, to be honest, weight gain is the least troublesome of its side effects. For my best friend, it worked as a weight loss drug -- she lost a bunch of weight without trying and couldn't gain if she tried. But it messed her up so badly in other more permanent ways.

nyprdiva

Who the hell Is so ignorant they they would promote not using birth control? People like THAT are helping mess up society. We are already over populated and people are starving. Foster homes are full and so are the orphanages. I'm sick of these IDIOTS breeding. Ignorance.

Except for those who are on it for medical reasons, what's wrong with using condoms? But seriously it's your personal choice. At the end of the day everyone's bodies reacts differently to BC. You determine with your doctor what is right for you.

rml_16

Who the hell Is so ignorant they they would promote not using birth control? People like THAT are helping mess up society. We are already over populated and people are starving. Foster homes are full and so are the orphanages. I'm sick of these IDIOTS breeding. Ignorance.

Except for those who are on it for medical reasons, what's wrong with using condoms? But seriously it's your personal choice. At the end of the day everyone's bodies reacts differently to BC. You determine with your doctor what is right for you.

I like being on BC because it helps with my heavy periods, but honestly, once you're in a long-term, committed, monogamous relationship, condoms are just a PITA.

If you don't mind using them, go ahead. But I love not needing to. The pill, an IUD, whatever, is just more convenient. Plus, for me, there's a level of intimacy that condoms interfere with.

I'm not against BC and different kinds affect different people in different ways. On the pill, I never had any problems with weight or really anything else for many years. The last couple years on it, I started having periods for two weeks straight and they were getting heavier and heavier, and it didn't matter how many times I changed pills, I had the same problem. So I got Mirena, which was a huge mistake.

Now I'd rather deal with the periods than be fat anymore so I'm going back.

MuddyEquestrian

I was 145lbs. I worked out every morning, ate 1200-1300 calories, and maintained perfectly fine. Then I started Yaz. I didn't eat more. I didn't snack. I maintained my workout schedule. And I gained 30lbs.

When I was 20 I was 120lbs, worked out, maintained my weight, and started Tricyclin. I didn't snack, I didn't eat 3500 calories a day. In fact, I followed my anorexic diet of 300 calories a day intake, working out at least 600 calories a day. There is no possible way to *gain* weight doing this. But I did. I ballooned up 47lbs in 8 months.

Both times, I stopped my OCP and started steadily losing weight after 2-3 months.

My mother has the same thing. She gains like a mo-fo when on hormonal replacement, and goes back to a steady weight post-stopping.

So, your "kind" and "helpful" post is full of it. Until you have at least 10 years or medical schooling for specializing in the endocrine system or women's issues, kindly keep you "truth" as Opinon, and not fact, as it came across as being stated.

If you think you're gaining weight or having trouble losing weight with the pill you're on, talk to your doctor. He or she may be able to prescribe something different - either a different combination of hormones or a different dose - that affects you differently.

This is exactly it. Talk to someone who has a medical degree. Best advice out there

That was my opinion and I DO have a medical degree. Like I said, I agree to disagree with people! That's why we all have opinions, we don't all have the same one.

HerBravado

BC makes me very sluggish & gives me the worse headaches. I stopped taking mine this month to experiment--I feel so much better. I'm going to talk to my doctor on switching me to a low-dose like I was on previously, which had little to no side effects. The Pill also virtually slowed my weight loss; everyone's different but it DOES contribute to a legitimate excuse involving lack of weight loss (or even weight gain). Then again, I'm on it because of my PCOS--so that probably puts me in another group of women altogether. :ohwell:

sicilysclover

STOP USING BIRTH CONTROL, PERIOD. Pill popping to stop the course of nature is just wrong.

I love sex and dislike children so...no.

LMAO great response.

FitCurves444

Agreed. I do find myself retaining more water these days and that is a side effect of BC.... says so on the package.... but that is not actual weight gain.....Also, prescription drugs that do cause weight gain have to include it in the possible side effects. BC does not cause weight gain. The sooner we stop blaming our BC for our weight gain, the sooner we can get it off or under control.