Birth Control

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  • PixieGoddess
    PixieGoddess Posts: 1,833 Member
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    I mean to take it continuously to stop your periods altogether?

    No, it's perfectly safe, and is becoming very normal for most women. I've had my doctor outright ask me if I wanted her to prescribe my extra refills for the year so that I wouldn't have periods. (I declined, but that's in large part b/c I like a monthly confirmation that my BC is still effective :wink: )
  • amystyran
    amystyran Posts: 84 Member
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    stopping taking the pill will probably make you gain at first then suddenly lose it :) but it takes a few months for the pill to be completely out of your system!

    i've been on pretty much every pill they have and the implant, sometimes combined, and it's a ***** to lose weight on it! the doctors are trying to make me go back on the pill with the implant still in but last time i did that i gained like 8lbs 0.0 i'd just say expect to put weight on, but with exercise, you should lose it fast :)


    good luck!
  • auria17
    auria17 Posts: 94 Member
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    Hi,

    I was on birth control for most of my teens and early twenties, in Canada it seems almost manditory for Dr. to put us on it as soon as they find out we are sexually active. In a way I realise how important that was, but I know that it changed my body for the worst both inside and out, at such a crucial time in my development as a woman, my mood swings were terrible! maybe they should do a large scale study on tenage girls moods and pill use.

    I was 27 when I got off it for good, went through major changes with my skin as well, re-regulating of hormones. A major side effect for me, that was a hugh bonus was that it makes me a cup size bigger...losing that was a bit hard for me...lol But other than that my body made some amazing adjustments in weight loss without me even counting calories or exercising more.

    Once you have made the full transition back to a regular cycle, try one of the period apps on most of the smart phones. They are free and help you track when you are fertile, so at that time you can be more careful by abstaining or using a barier method, obviously not as nearly as effective as the pill, but seeing how much my body loves to be synthetic hormone free and not thinking it is constantly two months pregnant has felt amazing, and I refuse to go back!
  • kayleec2
    kayleec2 Posts: 14
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    Took yaz for 2 years and then another brand for a year, that plus sedentary lifestyle= gained 40 lbs in 3 years. I had no weight problems before starting BC. I've been off since March 2010 and still hard time taking of pounds and have lots of issues with irregular cycles (although they were mildy irregular before starting) even though the doc says my hormones are "regular." Anyway, moral of the story, everybody's bodies are different so I wish you good luck!
  • ilikepandasyay
    ilikepandasyay Posts: 96 Member
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    Hi,

    I was on birth control for most of my teens and early twenties, in Canada it seems almost manditory for Dr. to put us on it as soon as they find out we are sexually active. In a way I realise how important that was, but I know that it changed my body for the worst both inside and out, at such a crucial time in my development as a woman, my mood swings were terrible! maybe they should do a large scale study on tenage girls moods and pill use.

    I was 27 when I got off it for good, went through major changes with my skin as well, re-regulating of hormones. A major side effect for me, that was a hugh bonus was that it makes me a cup size bigger...losing that was a bit hard for me...lol But other than that my body made some amazing adjustments in weight loss without me even counting calories or exercising more.

    Once you have made the full transition back to a regular cycle, try one of the period apps on most of the smart phones. They are free and help you track when you are fertile, so at that time you can be more careful by abstaining or using a barier method, obviously not as nearly as effective as the pill, but seeing how much my body loves to be synthetic hormone free and not thinking it is constantly two months pregnant has felt amazing, and I refuse to go back!

    If OP is looking for hormone free, they can also look in to getting a copper IUD which is totally hormone free, is good for 8-10 years, and doesn't require you doing anything at all during the time it is in.
  • macnotes
    macnotes Posts: 210 Member
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    I've been off birth control for about 1.5 years and I didn't notice any immediate changes, except maybe emotional and spikes in my hormones. But things evened out for me.

    I would suggest learning about the Fertility Awareness Method, which is a fantastic way to figure out your body and if you've ovulated yet etc. I wish I had known about it much earlier so that I knew about my cycles and could sort them out easier.

    Fertility Friend is also a great app and on-line program for tracking things.
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
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    I mean to take it continuously to stop your periods altogether?

    It's perfectly safe -- I've done it for several years. BC is sold with a "withdrawal week" for marketing purposes: women historically were monitoring their periods to monitor their health. When oral contraceptives were originally developed, women were skeptical of not having their periods. Data since then shows no negative impact of continuous birth control, hence the approvals of Depo-Provera (same drug, injected, disseminates slowly), Mirena (drug on an IUD), Implanon or Norplant (matchstick sized rods, implanted in arm, drug elutes over time).
  • jccst9
    jccst9 Posts: 58 Member
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    I've been on 3 types of birth control. The regular old orthotricyclen (sp.?) and the low-estrogen version cause maybe a 3-5 lb. gain immediately but I was able tp drop that. I'm currently on a progestin-only pill that is absolutely AWFUL! In the first 5 weeks of use, I gained 22 LBS! In addition to this unwelcome addition, I get this lovely thing called "breakthrough bleeding" which is heavier than spotting but not quite a full-on period. So what should be 3-5 days is 3-5 consecutive days plus at least 6 random days throughout the month. Fantastic.

    I'm not sure if this is even relevant to your topic anymore. I just know that progestin-only pills are not the way to go if you were looking to switch to put a stop to weight gain associated with birth control.
  • DragonflyF15
    DragonflyF15 Posts: 437 Member
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    It is perfectly safe to take continuously as long as you are being monitored by your doctor. Many women have found relief from endometriosis by doing so as well, not to mention that it really isn't that unnatural. Women were designed to have more children more frequently, thus would have fewer menses than the modern day woman does.

    As for the original question, as much as the birth control marketing companies say that it doesn't cause weight gain, I think certain ones will in certain women. Hormone levels are being changed and it's hard to find the right birth control that will work without any side effects. Hopefully your doctor has done hormone testing on you to make sure you are on the best BC that might be workable for your body :)

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