Fat by birth control

o0oPopStarPrincesso0o
o0oPopStarPrincesso0o Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I am a 21yo 5'2" female that currently weighs 149. I've weighed 130 my entire adult life (yeah yeah..not that long) and as soon as I started taking birth control at 21 I ballooned. I also started eating a little worse but still stayed under calories. Have any of you ladies seen this happen to you? Should I stop taking my pills?

Replies

  • sailawaykate
    sailawaykate Posts: 126
    Are you *really* eating under calories? When I started birth control I was hungry ALL of the time, and misjudged portions by quite a bit (and put on 10 lbs in about a month - it went back down pretty quickly once the cravings got under control). When in doubt, food-scale it. BC can also make you hold on to water weight, so make sure you are drinking plenty of agua!

    Next visit to your doctor, ask about other forms of BC with less side effects if you're still concerned about it.
  • kaypee65
    kaypee65 Posts: 120 Member
    I'm 48 and took the pill for probably 20 of those years. I never gained weight on it.

    I'd talk with my doctor before dropping the pill and look hard at what I'm eating, not just the total calories. Next I'd invest in a scale to help me measure portions accurately so I'd have good faith in the numbers in my food diary.

    Good luck!
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    No, you should not stop taking your pills. (talk to your doctor) How do you know you were staying under your calories? Is it possible you were eating more? Or activity level decreased?
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    There is a thread within the last day or two that talks all about this. And basically the answer was no
  • LTKeegan
    LTKeegan Posts: 354 Member
    I did the same thing without changing diets, its a side effect. Luckily, when it happened I gained it all in my boobs. But I had other side effects too (I had "morning sickness") so I switched to a low-dose version of the pill I was on (tri-cyclerin to tri-cyclerin lo) and I lost the weight and the side effects. I've since switched again and like the nuva ring even better.

    But its a thing, its like being on your period, you bloat from water retention.
  • JLBurke1
    JLBurke1 Posts: 7
    I tried many different kinds of birth control pills and none were good for me and each resulted in weight gain. swollen breasts (not something I am wanting!) and other side effects. I finally switched to a copper IUD. It contains no hormones and is even more effective against pregnancy. I got the IUD and then went of the pills. Good luck with whatever you decide.
  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
    You shouldn't stop the pill no.

    As for weight gain on the pill... I have been taking it for 12 years now. The weight I gained was because I was over eating, not because of the pill itself.

    Many studies have been made on this, general concensus is that the pill itself souldn't cause weight gain except for the initial water weight gain it causes, which should be anout 5lbs.

    Mind you everyone reacts differently.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    I have the same problem on hormonal contraception. The hormones screw with my system too much and I was always hungry, which for someone who only ate when she was hungry resulted in weight gain. It was like every day was the two days before my period in terms of the cravings and hunger, and that was least problematic side effect. Went off the pills and the weight came off on its own once I was back to "normal." No more hormones for me.

    Do not stop taking your pills, but talk to your doctor about switching to another pill, you may not have as many side effects with a different ratio of hormones.
  • o0oPopStarPrincesso0o
    o0oPopStarPrincesso0o Posts: 2
    Thanks for what all y'all said but I think all birth control pills must be different, because what this person said "But I had other side effects too (I had "morning sickness")" (I don't know how to quote on here) is EXACTLY what is happening to me too. Random nausea, definitely not pregnant. I guess I'll be getting my butt to a doctor :)

    edit: found quote button ;)
  • stylin
    stylin Posts: 54 Member
    You can gain fat on the pill from a raised appetite, and not tracking your calories leads to eating more then you normally would. It will be hard to lose weight if you have no idea how much you're eating and you're always hungry. The pill doesn't directly make you gain weight.
  • vvvalentines
    vvvalentines Posts: 151
    I'd recommend stopping the pill for just about anyone, but it probably won't help you instantly drop that weight.
  • aubyshortcake
    aubyshortcake Posts: 796 Member
    As a side note, it can take the body some time (as in several months) to adjust to a specific birth control.

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