Can birth control keep me from losing weight?

Just as an FYI - not to get into a great debate - yes, we make hormones, but they are hormones that are supposed to be in our bodies, not the artificial ones created for BC. There is a big difference and the artificial ones do cause side effects and are dangerous.

I only advised the OP to read the fine print and urged her to do some research. She is free, as is anyone, to make her own decisions based on the facts she finds in her research. There is a lot of info in the fine print that COMES WITH the birth control, straight from the company, that no doctor will tell you. There are also MANY studies which correlate many health problems (increased risk of cancer, blood clots, infertility, etc.) to hormonal birth control use. It's your health and your body. If you want to roll the dice with it, go for it, but we are presumably on this site to lose weight and get healthy. I just wanted to give some info that I thought might be helpful. Do with it what you like.

Oh, and yes, absolutely, I understand that some women are prescribed BCPs to regulate cycles and help with hormonal imbalances. I would still urge women in that situation to look into natural hormones rather than synthetic and look to find out WHY the hormones are imbalanced. There are many ways to correct imbalances without hormone replacement.

Peace.

Deo Juvante, Jen

I find your advice in this thread and others to be extremely irresponsible. I've seen you post about this several times now and I really am starting to wonder what your game is. This is the only thing you seem to post about. Whether or not a person should take a given medication is a discussion that they, individually, need to have with their doctors and other health professionals, such as a naturopath, and not with some random person on the internet with a very particular agenda who never seems to talk about anything else....

Hormonal birth control really benefits quite a lot of people, both in terms of it's obvious pregnancy prevention aspect, and a number of other potential benefits. I use the Nuva Ring and it has dramtically improved my life. It has eliminated my cramps and PMS symptoms and stablized my formerly wild mood swings, and yes, I have seriously worked with alternatives and did so for many years before trying this. This works for me. For the record, I used to be a hardcore believer in NOTHING BUT NATURAL and deeply criticaly of everything to do with pharmaceuticals. I am still critical, especially of the economy and political clout of the pharmaceutical industry, but I've come to realize that many medications can be genuinely beneficial and the best anyone can do is to just inform themselves and be mindful of how things they use effect their bodies, be it "artificial" hormonal birth control or "natural" herbal alternatives. At this point in my life I combine mainstream and alternative methods for just about any health problem I find myself facing. I use hormonal birth control and other pharmaceuticals, but I also take herbs and recieve acupuncture. Each has it's place and the best we can do is simply be mindful, careful to assess how our bodies respond and to work closely with that. Closing off options for paranoid ideological reasons is not responsible or smart. Be critical, but recognize that most options suit someone, and some of them with not suit you. That doesn't mean it doesn't suit someone else.

For me- every pill made me gain weight- increased my appetite for carbs and sweets and such. I came off it but once you get a sweet tooth its hard to lose it! (in my experience)

Some people find that hormonal contraception increases their appetite, others don't. If it's causing you problems, try something else. I've had injections for about 3 years and implants for the last 7, and I've been everywhere from a UK 8 to a UK14 on both, depending on my eating and exercising patterns at the time. The pill made me feel so rough I didn't stay on it long enough to see if it would make me put on weight.

There are loads of options - maybe try a family planning clinic rather than a GP if you want specialist advice?

Ive been on the depo for almost 10 years, and though at first I blamed it for making me hungier and gaining weight, its not actually a good excuse.
Ive not had any problems with it, in terms or weight gain, or loss. The reason I gained weight was by eating things like 4 sausage rolls for breakfast, I lost it eating well and exercising.

is rather be a big girl than a parent right now

My thoughts exactly. Birth control is so worth a little weight gain, although the OP might consider looking into other forms of bc.

And to miss "natural planning," the fact that you have seven children has turned me off of natural planning forever. Thanks for informing me that it clearly does not work at all.

Hey Bridget, how do you know I didn't PLAN to have 7 children???? ;o)

every person is different. i have to take birth control because of my PCOS and i have taken Yaz since i was 16 (i know, i know. i've seen those stupid Yaz commercials). i've found out the hard way that if i don't take the pill, my appetite is crazy and i gain weight. while on it, i don't feel that urge anymore and have actually lost weight.

To Gibsy,
while i share your concern with someone touting 'natural family planning' as "effective" on a website where who knows what impressionable young mind might be reading along, and i sooooooo agreed with many of your remarks,
it seemed kinda harsh to call the person who posted her opinion on it as having 'paranoid' ideas, imo.. I read all her posts, and did not pick up anything i'd call paranoia, but rather, it seems to me she has a deep concern about health risks of some forms of hormonal birth control. That was my take on her posts, but, i should not try to speak for her. I"m new here, i don't know what all is going on about previous postings, etc. but on this thread, i understood her posts and heard her, i just don't think 'natural' family planning IS that reliable at all.

i LOVE LOVE LOVE that you found such relief of your PMS and other health problems through Nuvaring, YAY!! So many women seem to have to struggle along til they find one that works best for them.

Yeah, point taken. I'm speaking from my own experience, growing up in a household where my mom was actually quite paranoid about the dangers of pharmaceuticals in general, including birth control. She had a lot of issues herself so it was understandable, but that experience did eventually help me understand that one person's negative experience can't be universalized. It took me a long time to think through it and discover that in some cases they have a lot to offer, and that alternatives aren't *automatically* better. I don't mean to assume anyone else is coming at it from that place. I stand by the rest though. It is extremely irresponsible to constantly tell everyone that they should NEVER take a medication that helps them. That they should use a method that has a really high failure rate instead. There is a line between reasonable concern and caution, and fear mongering. There's a line between considering *potential* issues and suggesting that these issues will always arise. I retract the "paranoid" comment but I stand by the rest of it.

I was on a pill that made be gain at least 15lbs but once I switched to a new one I have been slowly able to lose it.

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.