Birth Control Hell

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  • mrslcoop
    mrslcoop Posts: 317 Member
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    It wasn't until I quit BC that I had issues. I was on Yasmin for nearly 10 years and quit about 8 months ago. Ever since I’ve been holding onto roughly 5 lbs of water weight that just will not shed. At this point it’s been so long I’m over it, but the weight gain wasn’t/isn’t the worst part of quitting BC.

    I hate that I was ever on it. The hair loss, acne, and my personality while I was on it. Never again. Doctors should have to explain not only the side effects of starting, but also of quitting.

    ETA: I should add that I lost rouhgly 10 lbs when I started Yasmin. It has some diuretic effects that keeps you from ever holding onto any water weight. I couldn't remember what bloating looked or felt like in nealry a decade. I'd personally just quit if I were you. Especially if you’re married or in a long-term relationship. There are other methods that don’t require messing with your hormones and they've worked well for my hubby and me.
  • sofiawantstolose
    sofiawantstolose Posts: 46 Member
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    I'm on my second month of using birth control pills, and I haven't had any struggles with weightloss. I've been back to MFP since december, and I got started on the pill the first week of january. I've been losing weight normally.

    You should know that it depends on the hormones the pill has - mine are combined.

    Girls, me and my boyfriend have been together for almost 4 months, I'm 18 and he's 24, and we've been using condoms as well as the pill. Better to be safe than sorry! Also, condoms could break or slide, so they aren't 100% safe. Birth control pills prevent many types of cancer on women, and also decrease the risk of endometriosis.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
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    I have never had any issues with Mirena.

    All you can do it try and see what happens.
  • scarrletti_girl
    scarrletti_girl Posts: 479 Member
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    Sorry about angry aunt flo i know how that goes. DON"T get the depo shot it is not only like the worst form of birth control but it is a major weight gainer that is how i gained my first like 50-60lbs and then the lbs just kept coming after that. But yeah i liked the patch I still gained but not as much very little at a time but that's because i wasn't on a diet but i feel if you work hard and really wanna lose that birth control wont bother you losing weight. and just don't worry about going on the scale until your ready too or until your period is done. hope this all helps you :)
  • moment_to_arise
    moment_to_arise Posts: 207 Member
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    i gained a ton of weight in the beginning when i started the pill. i can't for the life of me remember which pill it was, but i was nauseous all the time and put on like 20 lbs. i have since been on nuvaring for close to 6-7 years and it is AMAZING. never nauseous, didn't gain any weight (i even lost the weight i gained from the pill) highly recommended in my opinion.
  • Tdacks
    Tdacks Posts: 136 Member
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    I use Paragard IUD, which has no hormones and is as effective as tubal ligation. You might look into it. The pill messed me up. When I stopped hormonal methods and switched to the IUD, my periods went back to normal/healthy within a year, but I've heard others say that it makes them worse. Pretty much everyone responds to the IUD differently.

    Good luck :)

    ETA: Oh yeah, I had DEPO for 3 years before switching to the pill. Avoid that shot like the plague. I gained 30 pounds and had month long periods.
  • summertime_girl
    summertime_girl Posts: 3,945 Member
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    Paragard IUD. No hormones, good for 10 years, as effective as a tubal ligation. I love brainless birth control. I don't have to worry about it AT ALL.
  • ILoveGingerNut
    ILoveGingerNut Posts: 367 Member
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    Sorry guys, there isn't a girls only thread. :ohwell:

    I always avoid the scale while Aunt Flo is around, but recently I've come into some trouble. I stopped taking my birth control in hopes of switching to a new one, but I then found out that my Primary Care dropped me without any notification (don't worry, found a new one).

    So now I'm detoxing from the pill while waiting to get an appointment and I'm having my second period this month (literally five days after my scheduled period). It's probably the most horrific period I've ever had.

    I'm afraid to step on the scale because I have no idea what this might do to my weight fluctuations- I'm also worried that starting a new birth control will make it more difficult to shed pounds. My old birth control didn't cause me to gain weight, but I'm trying to find one with a lower dosage of hormones.

    Has anybody's birth control given them trouble with weight loss goals?

    Every woman reacts differently to every kind of birth control. Unfortunately, just because one woman did or did not gain weight on it, doesn't mean you will have the same experience. For example, a guy chimed in here and said his wife gained 100 pounds on depo. I was on Depo for almost 10 years and did not have ANY problems with it. No weight gain due to it and I lost 30 pounds rather easily over about 8 months while taking it.

    If you are afraid your new pill will make you gain, you will want to be extra diligent about logging your food. LOG EVERY BITE!! Keep a very close eye on what you are eating and you'll be fine.

    Oh, and I would recommend staying off the scale until a few days after Aunt Flo leaves. She will cause false higher numbers that will just upset you!

    ^THIS
  • gailmelanie
    gailmelanie Posts: 210 Member
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    IUD's generally have a very good track record and are effective, usually side-effect free, long-lasting and care free contraception. Most women who have them are very happy with them. They were given a nasty rap in the 20th century due to some misogynistic designs, but the ones that are available in the US right now are generally problem free if placed by a competent provider. You can choose between one that is non-hormonal and one that is. The difference is that with the hormonal one you will definitely have less bleeding. But as with all hormonal contraceptives, your risk of blood clots is greater, but especially if you smoke. Whenever you decide you want to get pregnant, you just go and have the IUD removed. I think it's usually recommended that you wait one cycle to allow the endometrium (the stuff that comes out as your period) to regrow nice and lush so implantation is more favorable, so you would need to either abstain during your fertile period or use a barrier method.
    My experience with the Nuvaring was that it would come out during intercourse. You have to make sure to look for it afterward, wash it and put it back, and remember to replace it on schedule.
    As an OB nurse I always recommend the IUD. I say check it out. Just because you've heard of others who have had problems with them doesn't mean you will. And remember that as with anything like this, you're going to hear more about what goes wrong than what goes right. That means there are many more success stories that you're not hearing.
    And thank you for using birth control and not getting pregnant when you don't want to.
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    The pill just gave me problems period. Got my tubes tied, problem solved!
  • Greytfish
    Greytfish Posts: 810
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    There are lots and lots of OCP options, and there will more than likely be one that will not cause you any issues. I would, however, see an OB-GYN instead of a PCP, so you get a more informed opinion.
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
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    IUD's generally have a very good track record and are effective, usually side-effect free, long-lasting and care free contraception. Most women who have them are very happy with them. They were given a nasty rap in the 20th century due to some misogynistic designs, but the ones that are available in the US right now are generally problem free if placed by a competent provider. You can choose between one that is non-hormonal and one that is. The difference is that with the hormonal one you will definitely have less bleeding. But as with all hormonal contraceptives, your risk of blood clots is greater, but especially if you smoke. Whenever you decide you want to get pregnant, you just go and have the IUD removed. I think it's usually recommended that you wait one cycle to allow the endometrium (the stuff that comes out as your period) to regrow nice and lush so implantation is more favorable, so you would need to either abstain during your fertile period or use a barrier method.
    My experience with the Nuvaring was that it would come out during intercourse. You have to make sure to look for it afterward, wash it and put it back, and remember to replace it on schedule.
    As an OB nurse I always recommend the IUD. I say check it out. Just because you've heard of others who have had problems with them doesn't mean you will. And remember that as with anything like this, you're going to hear more about what goes wrong than what goes right. That means there are many more success stories that you're not hearing.
    And thank you for using birth control and not getting pregnant when you don't want to.

    ^^ I like this lady


    keep in mind that different birth control pills may have different ratios regarding hormones which could affect people differently. I started out on a low dose for acne control then switched to a higher dose for actual birth control, I plan on switching to an iud after I decide I want a kid or not. Also the pill works for me right now.
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
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    Why not just stay off the pill? Being pumped with hormones is not good for you and obviously has some bad side effects. They make condoms for a reason. :-P From what I hear, the pill decreases your sex drive as well, so why would you want it? I'm a Naturalist, but that's my humble opinion. Find the right condoms that are lubricated and ditch the Pill!!
    The pill did not decrease my sex drive (and if it did, it's probably a good thing I was on it!).

    People in long-term, monogamous relationships sometimes don't like using condoms, but still do not want to get pregnant. The pill did nothing to harm my health in any way. In fact, the pill has been proven to decrease one's chances of contracting ovarian cancer, one of the most difficult cancers to detect and one of the most deadly there is. It lightened and shortened my incredibly long, heavy, uncomfortable and somewhat debilitating periods, too.

    That may be your humble opinion, but this is my actual and real experience.

    Obviously, different women react differently, but the pill is no better or worse than any other medication out there and is extremely helpful to some people.

    Totally respect that.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    I'm on my second month of using birth control pills, and I haven't had any struggles with weightloss. I've been back to MFP since december, and I got started on the pill the first week of january. I've been losing weight normally.

    You should know that it depends on the hormones the pill has - mine are combined.

    Girls, me and my boyfriend have been together for almost 4 months, I'm 18 and he's 24, and we've been using condoms as well as the pill. Better to be safe than sorry! Also, condoms could break or slide, so they aren't 100% safe. Birth control pills prevent many types of cancer on women, and also decrease the risk of endometriosis.

    No BC is 100% effective except for abstinence... and even that didn't work out so well for the Virgin Mary. LOL

    but doubling up is NEVER a bad idea (well not condom's because well- that causes friction and breakage- that's bad- never do that)... but using multiple forms/back up- is an excellent idea.

    Because this is hormone manipulation- it's going to affect everyone differently- so fortunately/unfortunately it's one of those things you have to just keep playing around and tinkering with until you get it right.

    For many moons- I was on the pill for mood control- not as BC. And never had issues with my workouts or weight loss/gain.

    But really- it's common to see issues with it- and some people it makes crazy- you really need to just find the one that works best for you and your life style.

    Mine's thankfully officially a back up now. :D old man got snipped snipped- so much easier!!!
  • Maleficent0241
    Maleficent0241 Posts: 386 Member
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    I agree that everyone is going to react differently, but to add to the anecdotes, I never had any problems on the pills, but Depo screwed with me in a horrible way. I have only been successful trying to lose this newly found weight when I quit the Depo. I have other medical problems too, so it probably isn't just that, but it made a huge difference for me.
  • Maleficent0241
    Maleficent0241 Posts: 386 Member
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    There should be no "detoxing" from the pill. That sounds hokey to me.

    Just a change in regulating your hormones since that is what the pill does.
    This can affect some people more than others.

    I have had no problems what so ever with the pill.

    Detox may not be the right word, but depending on the half life of the BC method, there is definitely a period of readjustment while and after the medication fades away. Something like the shot can take months to clear your blood after your missed shot.
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
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    There should be no "detoxing" from the pill. That sounds hokey to me.

    Just a change in regulating your hormones since that is what the pill does.
    This can affect some people more than others.

    I have had no problems what so ever with the pill.

    Detox may not be the right word, but depending on the half life of the BC method, there is definitely a period of readjustment while and after the medication fades away. Something like the shot can take months to clear your blood after your missed shot.

    I did say that there is "a change in regulating your hormones"
    Maybe I wasn't exactly clear in how I phrased it, but detoxing is a wrong way of phrasing it.
  • Greytfish
    Greytfish Posts: 810
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    I agree that everyone is going to react differently, but to add to the anecdotes, I never had any problems on the pills, but Depo screwed with me in a horrible way. I have only been successful trying to lose this newly found weight when I quit the Depo. I have other medical problems too, so it probably isn't just that, but it made a huge difference for me.

    There you're not just dealing with hormones, but with other ingredients as well. The downside to hormonal BC that lasts longer tend to also be that if you have side effects, it can take longer for them to subside.
  • Maleficent0241
    Maleficent0241 Posts: 386 Member
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    I agree that everyone is going to react differently, but to add to the anecdotes, I never had any problems on the pills, but Depo screwed with me in a horrible way. I have only been successful trying to lose this newly found weight when I quit the Depo. I have other medical problems too, so it probably isn't just that, but it made a huge difference for me.

    There you're not just dealing with hormones, but with other ingredients as well. The downside to hormonal BC that lasts longer tend to also be that if you have side effects, it can take longer for them to subside.

    Yeah, TOO long :) I was so happy for my body to finally start regulating out again!

    ashenriver - sorry for the misunderstanding. I agree detox isn't really the right way of saying it. Reading back my post, it sounded like I was arguing with you. Didn't mean that at all.
  • alfiedn
    alfiedn Posts: 425 Member
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    I had paraguard for a while, but it didn't work out. No excessive weight gain. Now I'm on lo lo estrin, which is a very low dose pill. I'd recommend it. I don't have any weird hormone feelings, which has been a problem for me in the past (depression). I wish I could go without hormones, but I'm super irregular and will have my period for months at a time (straight) and then not for months at a time (4 months early last year). Best luck! Everyone is different!

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