What's Your Personal Experience w/ Starting Birth Control?

gramarye
gramarye Posts: 586 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello there ladies.

So, next month I'm starting hormonal birth control for the first time in six years, and I'm curious what your personal experience with starting the pill (or other birth control) while losing weight has been. I know conventional wisdom says its hard to lose weight while on it, but I feel like as long as I'm still eating at a moderate deficit and exercising, the adverse effects ought to be minimal.

Basically, I want to go into it with realistic expectations, not excuses. Whether that means I may have to reduce my calories (which may have to happen soon anyway) or what, I don't know, lol.

Thanks! :D
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Replies

  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
    Never took it myself =X
  • JumpRopeLady
    JumpRopeLady Posts: 1
    Many studies show that birth control pill doesn't affect your ability to lose weight nor does it cause weight gain, aside from the initial ~5lbs water weight.

    Been taking it for 10 years, I didn't personally see any significant change when I started.
  • PunkyRachel
    PunkyRachel Posts: 1,959 Member
    I love my birth control, I take Yaz (yes I've seen the law suit commercials) to help with my PCOS. My doctor told me Yaz also promotes weight loss too. I've been on it for a little over an year now. I'm finally at a healthy BMI and am going off it in July to try for a baby. I'm nervous because I like how my birth control makes me feel. It has helped clear up my acne prone skin. I also love having a normal period on schedule without having super heavy days or periods lasting 2 weeks. I worry I'll revert back, although my doctor has told me I won't automatically it will take a couple months. My only real side effect of the birth control was lack of sex drive and severe dryness while having sex. Which I did find a really good lubricate (had to try a few out) and problem solved. I never had to use lube prior to being on the birth control so it was a new experience for us.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    I actually just had this talk with my doctor. I'm on the depo provera injection. And have had no problem losing weight at all. But I mentioned to my doctor that many women believe that they have Trouble losing on birth control. My doctor uses mfp also. He said, " when a woman tells me she can't lose weight because of birth control, I tell her to create a mfp Profile and pick up a food scale" to sum up a long conversation, some women claimed to be eating @1200 a day, but couldn't lose. Then after weighing and measuring their foods and tracking them, they realized they where actually eating @2900/3100 per day.

    So, I'm sure there's some women that may have trouble losing due to medicine or medical issues, but I've had no problems losing at all and have been on the depo shot for years.
  • manicautumn
    manicautumn Posts: 224 Member
    I've done nuvaring, alesse, the mini-pill, and mirena.

    Alesse was the worst, but only for making me emotional and making my fibromyalgia worse.

    While I have gained weight while on them, it's definitely been due to my eating habits and lifestyle choices. On Mirena, I've lost 10 pounds (unhealthily due to wisdom teeth making eating hard) plus about 4 recently.

    While some women seem to have worse experiences, I can't blame my birth control for me overeating.
  • zeal26
    zeal26 Posts: 602 Member
    I have had no issues losing weight while on BC.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    I'm so happy to see others that are not making excuses, and are not blaming medicine for not losing. I've seen many threads filled with ladies claiming that it's all the birth controls fault and not taking responsibility for their actions.
  • AmyWininger
    AmyWininger Posts: 150 Member
    I started it a month ago, and gained 5 pounds, but that's just water weight. :) I have an increased appetitte, but I'm keeping it under contol, or, starting to. :) I let it take over a few days, but that's just my fault.
  • gramarye
    gramarye Posts: 586 Member
    Awesome, thanks for the anecdotal hope! :D

    I suspect the appetite aspect will be the hardest (I remember what I was like when I was pregnant, lol), but I conquered that once when I started MFP -- I can damn well do it again. I was just worried that on top of all my other concerns about starting birth control, that I would also have to relearn how to lose weight when I've finally hit a stride with it.
  • gramarye
    gramarye Posts: 586 Member
    I love my birth control, I take Yaz (yes I've seen the law suit commercials) to help with my PCOS. My doctor told me Yaz also promotes weight loss too. I've been on it for a little over an year now. I'm finally at a healthy BMI and am going off it in July to try for a baby. I'm nervous because I like how my birth control makes me feel. It has helped clear up my acne prone skin. I also love having a normal period on schedule without having super heavy days or periods lasting 2 weeks. I worry I'll revert back, although my doctor has told me I won't automatically it will take a couple months. My only real side effect of the birth control was lack of sex drive and severe dryness while having sex. Which I did find a really good lubricate (had to try a few out) and problem solved. I never had to use lube prior to being on the birth control so it was a new experience for us.

    Good luck with conceiving! I know it can be a really stressful transition. :D It's funny, because my biggest concern about getting on the pill is how it will make me feel.

    Also, I hadn't even thought of lubrication issues! I don't have them now, and I cannot remember for the life of me what it was like when I was on the fill back in the day. (And even then, I was in my early 20s then. Who knows what my body is up to now, lol.)
  • LilynEdensmom
    LilynEdensmom Posts: 612 Member
    I never have had a problem with the pill...The depo shot on the other hand...30 pounds in 6 months as soon as I stopped the shot, 30 pounds gone in two months.
  • AlysonG2
    AlysonG2 Posts: 713 Member
    It's never affected my weight loss at all. Lost 50 pounds a few years ago while on it. Got back on it after I had my son, and I've lost 50 pounds again.

    ETA: I gained that 50 pounds back while I was pregnant, ie NOT on birth control...the only time in the last 13ish years that I was off of BC :).
  • myfaircellist
    myfaircellist Posts: 4
    I gained about 7 pounds starting the pill. Mostly went to my breasts and butt so I didn't mind too much :P but I did get a little thicker around the waist.
  • enriant
    enriant Posts: 38 Member
    As far as I know (i.e. what my friends in med school have told me), the reason birth control seems anecdotally correlated with weight gain has more to do with when most people go on it (i.e. ages 16-20) rather than the hormonal changes themselves. From everything various doctors have told me (I've spoken to three on the subject, since I didn't go on till relatively late), any changes you *do* see should fade and become more regular within 3-6 months.

    I'm currently on the patch, which was great for me, since I'm always visually reminded of what I have to do with it (it's on my body, for goodness sake) and since I tend to forget things you have to do daily. I went on just over a year ago, and didn't notice significant differences -- if anything, it made it easier for me to lose weight, since I no longer get such extreme pre-menstrual cravings or such terrible cramping (usually).

    That said, I've recently started having bad skin reactions, so I'm switching to an IUD. I've talked to 4 friends about their experiences with that, and no one seems to have had any problems with weight gain ... and these are four very body-conscious ladies.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    I stared actively trying to lose weight in December 2013 - started low-dose BCP in March 2013, went off it again in Feb 2014...
    Since Dec 2013 I have lost over 70 pounds. The BCP did not hinder my weight loss efforts at all, in fact I think it actually helped because it made my periods considerably lighter and I never had cramps anymore so there went my 3-7 days-a-month excuse to not exercise. (Oh and I stopped wanting to kill people too, super bonus!!)
  • Foodiethinking
    Foodiethinking Posts: 240 Member
    I'm in UK and been on Cerazette for over a year.
    I haven't found any problems with losing weight on it. Friends of mine have struggled with the injection though. I'm considering changing my current pill to another and doctor told me I would almost certainly gain weight if I chose injection.
  • FatFreeFrolicking
    FatFreeFrolicking Posts: 4,252 Member
    Hello there ladies.

    So, next month I'm starting hormonal birth control for the first time in six years, and I'm curious what your personal experience with starting the pill (or other birth control) while losing weight has been. I know conventional wisdom says its hard to lose weight while on it, but I feel like as long as I'm still eating at a moderate deficit and exercising, the adverse effects ought to be minimal.

    Basically, I want to go into it with realistic expectations, not excuses. Whether that means I may have to reduce my calories (which may have to happen soon anyway) or what, I don't know, lol.

    Thanks! :D

    I love my birth control. I take Junel Fe 1.5/30 (Lo estrin). It's the pill with the lowest amount of estrogen so it causes the least amount of side effects. I've been on it for 5+ years and it didn't cause me to gain any weight. I would highly recommend it to anyone.

    After 5+ years of being on it, I barely bleed during my period which is awesome.
  • RobynMWilson
    RobynMWilson Posts: 1,540 Member
    I was on and off Lo Ovral (generic low ogestrel) from age 16 to age 35 and managed to maintain my 70-lb weight loss in that time. Funny, the year I did start gaining it back, I wasn't on the pill! lol Now I'm too old for the pill and I miss playing "God" with my TOM and miss the light and cramp free TOM. Sigh...to be young again! lol

    Anyway, I have noticed that the BC that's available these days seems to cause a lot of problems with the younger women. Not sure if my old brand is still out there but I def would talk to your doc about a low dose pill.
  • cadaver0usb0nes
    cadaver0usb0nes Posts: 151 Member
    I didn't gain weight on the pill or with depo shot (currently on it now) and usually if you do experience any weight changes its in the first couple of months while your body adjusts to it. Just keep logging food on here and I am sure it will be fine. You do have to give each birth control method a couple of months to adjust and if one doesn't work good for you at that point you can try something else. The pill didn't work for me because I forgot to take it too much and that made my periods irregular.
  • PunkyRachel
    PunkyRachel Posts: 1,959 Member
    I gained about 7 pounds starting the pill. Mostly went to my breasts and butt so I didn't mind too much :P but I did get a little thicker around the waist.

    really? That must of been nice. lol A coworker of mine claims she lost her boobs to her birth control, she went from a C to barely an A cup.
  • mom2aeris
    mom2aeris Posts: 98 Member
    I've never used anything but the Depo shot, so I don't have experience with anything else, but I do know that I only started gaining weight when I went *off* the shot due to cost. Now that I am back on it, I haven't had any problems with losing weight. I've been steadily dropping since I made my dietary changes.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
    my birth control of choice doesn't interfere with my weight loss at all
    20131013-085851.jpg
  • GrasslandFairy
    GrasslandFairy Posts: 23
    I'm on the depo shot. It took a while to get used to it, at first it made me really irritable, but I'm fine now. Weight loss hasn't been a problem though, I'm down 22 lbs already. :)
  • basslinewild
    basslinewild Posts: 294 Member
    my birth control of choice doesn't interfere with my weight loss at all
    20131013-085851.jpg

    Ahahahaha :laugh:
  • spamantha57
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
    I'm on BC hormones for medical reasons. I used to be on yasmin for quite a few years (7 I think) & have been on NuvaRing for about 5. I was high & low with yasmin, but not having to do with the pill. Although I gained weight when I started the ring, it didn't have anything to do with the ring. I have lost the 17lbs this past year while on the ring too.
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 698 Member
    I've been on birth control (loestrin/minastrin) for ~3 years. I didn't notice weight change in either direction when I started. I love it though (I had horrible erratic and heavy/painful periods my entire lift until I started the pill).
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    I was on bc for 7 years. I never experienced weight issues; in fact, I lost about 10lbs while on it through diet changes and consistent exercise.
  • DeterminedFee201426
    DeterminedFee201426 Posts: 859 Member
    depo shot for 3 months my side effects were

    wanting to eat alot mainly
    sleep alot
    Mood swings like crazy
    periods that lasted forever it felt like
    until the shot wore off
    extra body pains
  • FireOpalCO
    FireOpalCO Posts: 641 Member
    I've been on Mirena for a couple of months now. I'm on it to treat my abnormally heavy and abnormally painful periods. (After my son was born I went from heavy periods to, clots larger than quarters heavy.) I'm loving it so far, this last period I'm going the whole day with ONE regular tampon. I haven't used anything other then super plus in four years and was sometimes changing them hourly! I no longer feel like a thorny vine is digging itself into my body and tightening its grip from mid-back to knees.

    This is making a huge difference! I'm getting decent sleep (no pain, no getting up to change or strip the sheets off the bed). I'm able to work out because the anemia is gone! I'm still having food cravings, but not as bad. My breasts are still tender, but not aching.
  • soupandcookies
    soupandcookies Posts: 212 Member
    I've been on birth control pills in the past (for many years, on and off), and now I use the Nuvaring. I've had 3 children, and was on birth control before them, in between them, and after I had them. I haven't noticed that it has affected my weight. I sometimes think I'm more bloated because of it, but that may be my imagination. So, in my case, weight neutral.

    I considered trying the Mirena, but I would have had to pay out of pocket (we have a high deductible), and it was $1200. I was set to do it anyway, because my sister raves about it, but when I read that some people have weight gain issues with it, I got scared and backed out. I didn't want to pay the $1200 and then decide to have it removed. Honestly, if a medication or some kind of implant caused me to gain weight (which hasn't happened to me before), I know myself, and I'd freak out and want to stop using it....

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