Odd issues with birth control and weight gain..

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  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
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    I suspect there are a lot of hormonal issues that can be treated or suppressed by being on BCPs. Your weight gain probably has a medical/hormonal cause and isn't the result of any diet or exercise irresponsibility on your part.

    PCOS is relatively common among hormonal problems, but there are lots of other disorders affecting steroid-based hormones (which is the category of estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, etc.), especially cortisol, that affect weight gain. Most can make you fat and miserable (not related to weight--body aches, weakness, etc.) if untreated. Treated and everything gets back to normal. Get checked, get treated, problem solved, though you may have to take a pill or two a day the rest of your life (like us thyroid people).

    If there's a possibility of pregnancy, get checked for that too. All birth control methods have a failure rate except abstinence, and if you are Christian, even abstinence is suspect ("Virgin" Mary?)...
  • meaganmna
    meaganmna Posts: 24
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    I'm experiencing a similar thing... I've been on birth control for the last 15 year - recently low estrogen pills taken continuously. I stopped the pill about a month ago and have consistently gained 2 lbs per week. I've been measuring, too, and my hips and breasts have added inches. I follow the same eating plan and track my food, and my exercise habits haven't changed. I'm so frustrated and thinking about just going back on the pill to "solve" this. Frustrating! Any advice?
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
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    I know there's a million topics about people gaining weight or being concerned about it when on the pill. I'm starting a new thread because my issue is a little different.

    I gained almost 30 pounds in 3 months, AFTER QUITTING the pill.

    You can skip over this paragraph if ya want.

    I'm 22. I went on Yasmin when I was 16, mainly because I had absolutely horrible acne and it was making me miserable. Also because that time of the month was miserable, I had to miss school. Anyway.. A few months later, my Dr. switched me to Yaz, due to them finding out Yasmin was horrible for you lol. All was well, until January 2011, when I started getting horrible migraines. Around that time, I was put on Loestrin since apparently Yaz is bad for you too. I continued having horrible migraines 3-4 days of the week until October 2011, when I randomly decided to quit taking the pill since I couldn't connect anything else in my daily life to my migraines. They stopped completely when I stopped the pill. But then, the weight gain started..


    Over the next 3 months, I blew up like a balloon. I was packing on 10 pounds a month. I got really bloated and cramped around what was supposed to be that time of the month, kinda normal. Except I didn't have a period, and the bloating didn't go away. Next month, same deal. Got more bloated and cramped, didn't have a period. In December I went to the doctor panicking after numerous negative home pregnancy tests and the onslaught of random chin/neck hair. They ran all kinds of bloodwork, everything came back completely normal and they said there was no reason I should be gaining weight and having no period and all the other things I was experiencing. They blamed it on my diet and stress? The weird part was, after going off the pill, I did nothing differently except spend a little more time in the gym due to the energy I gained when quitting the pill. My eating habits didn't change, I wasn't stressed. To make matters worse, I'd bet 90% of the weight I gained went STRAIGHT to my stomach. You think I'm kidding, I'm not. I look like I'm 7 months pregnant. 168 lbs on a 5'0 frame, all concentrated in the stomach is awful. I have NEVER weighed this much in my life. Luckily after 3-4 months I stopped gaining weight, but still random periods and no matter what, I cannot lose a pound. I stopped eating crap and upped the time I spent on workouts for 6 months and didn't lose any more than 5 pounds. What on earth is going on?? mind you, I gained MAYBE 5 pounds in the 6 years I was on the pill, and gained 2 cup sizes. That is minimal weight gain, if any. Of course now my boobs have gone back to what they were before, smaller, plus the 30 something pounds I packed on to my belly and face.

    I guess what I'm wondering is if anyone else has had this problem, or has any suggestions on what I should do. I feel so awful about myself. I need help.
    have you been tested for PCOS?

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