Ladies..scared of BIRTH CONTROL!

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  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
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    The pill doesn't make you gain weight. A calorie surplus does.

    This. The pill might cause you to be more hungry, but anything beyond that is your call. I've never gained weight because of BC.
  • perfectionisntme
    perfectionisntme Posts: 205 Member
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    I quit taking it not because I gained weight, but because of side effects.
  • MeanSophieCat
    MeanSophieCat Posts: 200 Member
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    The experience that I've had with hormonal birth control is the bad side effect you have from one type of hormonal birth control will be the same across any. For me it isn't serious weight gain (maybe 5lbs of water) - no increased hunger - but I get a lot of other nasty side effects including insomnia and acne.

    I was told by my doctor, my friends, and the Internet that I wouldn't have the same experience with Mirena IUD because of the low hormones and because of the way the hormone is absorbed. Not true. Same exact problems as the multitude of pills I tried. I'm getting it removed tomorrow.

    The answer for me is no more hormones. Condoms for now - maybe a diaphram when my weight is under control.
  • dewsmom78
    dewsmom78 Posts: 498 Member
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    Condoms are great and no hormones! :love:

    ^^THIS
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
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    You know what makes you gain more weight than birth control? A baby. Just saying. :)

    Disagree. I lose weight like crazy every time I'm pregnant. I actually am contemplating being a surrogate to help work on the 15 extra pounds I don't want.

    LOL nice! Just generalizing ;) A friend of mine just had a baby and gained over 50lbs. I mean seriously, her baby as only 8 when she was born? Should of laid off the Taco Bell!

    Oh, I love the Taco Bell!

    I know I'm insanely lucky. I remember with my son around halfway through realizing I had lost 5 pounds since my last visit, and frantically eating JUNK to avoid getting yelled at. They finally had me keep a food journal and just realized that I'm apparently backwards.....

    The sad part was after having the baby I was fighting to keep the weight OFF. Didn't change, kept tracking.... both times it was hard work. But I did manage to keep it off over the long term, thankfully!

    I do joke about it a lot, though. "Maybe I should have a baby to lose some weight." My luck is it wouldn't work that way the third time. :tongue:

    XXL Nachos are on my cheat list this weekend ;) My food baby is growing and needs nourishment. And sushi.

    My two favorite things. Taco Bell and sushi. I like you. You are a good person.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    gaining over 20lbs isn't from birth control- that's a lack of SELF CONTROL. I don't think IUD causes weight gain - but pregnancy will
    MIRENA caused weight gain, yes. It's hormones.
    A paraguard does not.
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
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    gaining over 20lbs isn't from birth control- that's a lack of SELF CONTROL. I don't think IUD causes weight gain - but pregnancy will
    MIRENA caused weight gain, yes. It's hormones.
    A paraguard does not.

    Mirena has localized hormones. Not systemic. It, nor any other form of birth control, cannot cause weight gain. Eating beyond your TDEE causes weight gain.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    gaining over 20lbs isn't from birth control- that's a lack of SELF CONTROL. I don't think IUD causes weight gain - but pregnancy will
    MIRENA caused weight gain, yes. It's hormones.
    A paraguard does not.

    Mirena has localized hormones. Not systemic. It, nor any other form of birth control, cannot cause weight gain. Eating beyond your TDEE causes weight gain.
    Yeah... my doc told me that as well. It's absolutely not the case. I felt much more systemic effects from it than I did from pills, in fact.
    Mirena caused changes in my breasts, migraines, and 10LBS of water weight. (and a crashed libido). All of which reversed in the months following removal. (after a rather dramatic shift in hormones)
    I was not eating above TDEE, and as I said, it was mostly water. But holding on to water for months on end is not pleasant.
    That said, because of what they do, their mechanism of action, I also absolutely believe they increase appetite in some, of not many women. (Is this not a valid cause for concern?)
    Just as pregnancy does.
    Women vary.
    Their reaction to hormone shifts varies.
    Their response to progestins (as opposed to progesterone) varies.
    (Just as women experience pregnancy differently....)

    I'm glad you haven't experienced unpleasant side effects from hormonal birth control. You couldn't pay me enough to put that stuff in my body again. And I can't fathom the absolutist dismissal of concerns, and experiences that I see in these threads.
  • baileybiddles
    baileybiddles Posts: 457 Member
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    Hey, you're making a good choice here. I was on depo-provera for about 4 years and that is proven by doctors to be the method of birth control that makes women gain the most. I gained approximately 35 pounds in my first 6 months. I just switched from Depo to a birth control pill called Lo-Loestrin (lower dosage of estrogen than most pills to allow my system to adjust - Depo has no estrogen in it). My doctor assured me that I was actually going to more than likely see ACCELERATED weight loss because Depo keeps weight on. Don't worry! You have to be on birth control. Imagine all the weight you'll gain if you become pregnant. Picking and choosing. :)
  • baileybiddles
    baileybiddles Posts: 457 Member
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    Condoms are great and no hormones! :love:

    ^^THIS

    Not this. Condoms BREAK. Broken condom = baby.

    Whatever floats your boat, friends, but I'd much rather take the safe route than be up ****s creek without a paddle.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Condoms are great and no hormones! :love:

    ^^THIS

    Not this. Condoms BREAK. Broken condom = baby.

    Whatever floats your boat, friends, but I'd much rather take the safe route than be up ****s creek without a paddle.
    Are there no other options?
  • sunnyhlw77
    sunnyhlw77 Posts: 204 Member
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    I used to take Marvelon, took it for years, it worked okay, I did gain about 15 lbs within two months however, I would say it was due to eating more or lack of activity but that would a lie, I'm a clockwork kinda person, nothing changed in my life except that, I had never had a prescription drug before it (I was 25 at the time). After my husband and I unsuccessfully tried to have children and then he was diagnosed with Cancer, I went back on Marvelon and I was on an emotional rollercoaster from hell and gained a further 20 lbs. I've since switched pills (within the last 6 months) and am starting to get the weight off, not overly quickly and my moods are way better, my husband has found the woman he initially married again, mood wise anyway. So overall, what would I say? well, the weight I'm sure I can manage, I have MFP and exercise to help with that, but the mood thing really threw me for a loop and we had to deal with that, I can deal with being over weight but not being a B*%$#.

    Right now we're contemplating giving the ol' ball and chain the snip so I can get off the BC completely.

    Good luck with your decision!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    I used to take Marvelon, took it for years, it worked okay, I did gain about 15 lbs within two months however, I would say it was due to eating more or lack of activity but that would a lie, I'm a clockwork kinda person, nothing changed in my life except that, I had never had a prescription drug before it (I was 25 at the time). After my husband and I unsuccessfully tried to have children and then he was diagnosed with Cancer, I went back on Marvelon and I was on an emotional rollercoaster from hell and gained a further 20 lbs. I've since switched pills (within the last 6 months) and am starting to get the weight off, not overly quickly and my moods are way better, my husband has found the woman he initially married again, mood wise anyway. So overall, what would I say? well, the weight I'm sure I can manage, I have MFP and exercise to help with that, but the mood thing really threw me for a loop and we had to deal with that, I can deal with being over weight but not being a B*%$#.

    Right now we're contemplating giving the ol' ball and chain the snip so I can get off the BC completely.

    Good luck with your decision!
    The SNIP! We use non-hormonal BC, but yeah, if I wasn't in menopause, I'd be all for my husband getting the snip. :happy:
  • 50DayCountdown
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    The Depo Shot , helped me LOSE weight.
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
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    gaining over 20lbs isn't from birth control- that's a lack of SELF CONTROL. I don't think IUD causes weight gain - but pregnancy will
    MIRENA caused weight gain, yes. It's hormones.
    A paraguard does not

    I'm surprised you're so anti-hormonal birth control but okay with Paragard.... which they don't even know WHY it works. They have suspicions, but they don't know why copper repels sperm.... so what else could be happening that they don't know about?

    In reality, they know very little about the endocrine (hormonal) system, so it's all kind of a shot in the dark, but I find it interesting when people rave about Paragard being non-hormonal, but not even realizing that we don't know why a piece of plastic with copper wrapped around it shoved in our uterus prevents pregnancy.... and are okay with it.
  • curlyloca
    curlyloca Posts: 81 Member
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    Pull and pray? Lol
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    I am on Apri and I have still managed to get pretty lean. I have no idea whether the BC has any effect on my weight loss but when I went on Yaz 10 years ago I gained a LOT of weight. Apri is a low-estrogen, high-progesterone pill. I also haven't had a period in about 10 months, but the gyno isn't concerned because that is apparently common with this pill, plus my body fat is pretty low.

    Hormones don't *cause* weight gain per se, but they can increase your chances of experiencing it. In any case there are hundreds of pills out there so you can switch if one doesn't work.
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
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    gaining over 20lbs isn't from birth control- that's a lack of SELF CONTROL. I don't think IUD causes weight gain - but pregnancy will
    MIRENA caused weight gain, yes. It's hormones.
    A paraguard does not.

    Mirena has localized hormones. Not systemic. It, nor any other form of birth control, cannot cause weight gain. Eating beyond your TDEE causes weight gain.

    Check pharm inserts - depo especially has a pretty significant rate of weight gain in patients during clinical trials - more so than any other birth control. So yes, a hormonal change can change your appetite, the way you process food, etc. And if you don't believe this, I can honestly tell you that my increase appetite and food consumption during my pregnancies resulted in weight LOSS - for no reason, despite my best efforts. I believe my hormones are confused, and the doctors agree. It's not THAT uncommon - certainly not the majority, but the hormonal difference when you are pregnant can change everything and anything. Just like any hormonal change in your body can affect anything and everything.

    Hormonal balances feed off of different areas of your body - if you change the hormonal balance of your uterus, it will affect all kinds of systemic hormones throughout your body. People react differently to that, but it's really an unfair statement to make that hormones don't have the potential to change the way you metabolize food.
  • IndigoFlowers
    IndigoFlowers Posts: 221 Member
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    I got prescribed tri-cyclen lo. I didn't have problems with weight gain, but the headaches, mood swings, tiredness, body aches and constant spotting were enough to get me to run away from birth control as fast as I could.
  • nolachick
    nolachick Posts: 3,278 Member
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    Just be aware that birth controls can really mess with your body. They throw your hormone balances out. Hormones don't just control fertility. I was on the pill for several years, lost all sex drive completely and it has been suggested that they contributed to me developing chronic fatigue syndrome.

    I know these symptoms won't occur for most people but they do for some and doctors don't make you aware of this.

    i'm paranoid about getting on birth control because i already know my body so well and i dont want anything messing up my hormones, my cycle, my weight etc.

    sorry i dont have any good advice just a question:

    has anyone taken BC that HELPS lose weight :bigsmile: