Questions for women on birth control pills

First, you should know that your experiences now might not be representative of what it will be. For the first two to three months, your body will be adjusting to the new hormones you are putting in it. You'll notice a lot of weird things like weight changes, skin changes, even sometimes vision changes such as inability to wear contacts and light sensitivity. The majority of the time, these symptoms will either go away or level out to a manageable level. If after three months you are still having weight gain or other symptoms you can't accept, go back to your doctor. There are many other birth control options even while staying on a pill.
Second, it is possible to lose weight on any medication that makes you gain it. The majority of the time, medications don't actually cause you to gain weight, hold on to fat, or anything like that. They usually either increase your appetite or make you want foods that aren't as good for you. If you control those habits and exercise, you will be able to lose weight.
Third, I JUST had this conversation with my doctor. Breast cancer and ovarian cancer run really heavily in my family. I asked my doctor what I should do about that as getting off birth control isn't really an option, and whether a certain type of birth control is less dangerous than the others. She said that they all have pretty much the same risks, which are low risk factors. Birth control may slightly contribute to the risks, but she said that if you're going to get it, you will, if you aren't, you won't and birth control isn't likely to change it that much. There are VERY slight decreases in risk with certain birth controls, for instance one with the minimum amount of hormones, but even that change doesn't really matter in the scheme of things. If you're happy with the depo, I'd say to stick with it. After you talk with your doctor, of course, and verify what she/he thinks. Your case may be different than mine. I wish you luck in what ever you decide.

That's really understandable. It sucks, but at least you know since you've done it before that you can do it again.

I went off Yasmin in November, and it has been a nightmare. I went on the pill 5 years ago without knowing it had a diuretic built into it. Now, I have gone off of it, and my whole body has been a water-retention nightmare because it does not know how to get rid of water on its own anymore.

Yes, birth controls like Yasmin help with water weight (I found out later), but the consequences when you go off are twofold. I also would suggest an IUD as an alternative method.

birth control causes water retention, not fat build up, so yes it can increase the weight dramatically. each person has a different body the same birth control wont make someone bloated, while the other person will be. you cannot compare yourself to someone else, because everyone has a different effect on it.

also it does not increase appetite nor does it cause you to want junk food, that is a common misconception, it has nothing to do with the stimulation of satiety center in the brain.

Everyone is different.. I never gained with BC pills.. I would suggest to anyone to let their OB/GYN or family doctor know ahead of time that you are trying to become more healthy and would like to know bc options that won't make you gain weight. There are some out there that don't