Birth control making me gain weight? Anyone else?

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  • carolineat111
    carolineat111 Posts: 97 Member
    It seems weird it would take a year to effect your weight? Are you sure it's not something else? I've been on every birth control under the sun and have never gained (or lost) weight (unless of course I was eating more or less).
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member

    As the doctor said to me it's the food you eat and the amount that puts on the weight not the contraceptive..

    The problem with that kind of thinking is that it doesn't take into account that hormones are powerful influences in the body (otherwise, why do we have them?). The additional estrogen in the b.c. pill WILL contribute to 1) higher blood sugar, necessitating even higher levels of insulin than what would normally be the case and 2) estrogen stimulates appetite 3) It enhances fat deposition because it A) blocks iodine uptake and B) reduces the efficacy of thyroid hormone at a cellular level. Also, the fact that it supplies synthetic progesterone means that it will significantly reduce a woman's own natural progesterone (perhaps, even permanently) which, in turn, allows estrogen's effects to go unchecked. A woman's progesterone 1) lowers blood sugar 2) reduces appetite 3) enhances the efficacy of thyroid hormone at a cellular level and thus, helps to burn fat. There are other hormones that influence fat deposition/burning which are, themselves influenced by a the cascade effect of increased fat stores (adiponectin and leptin are just two of them). Saying "calories in - calories out" is like saying that reducing the number of crimes lowers the "crime rate". While undoubtedly true, it says nothing about what causes criminal behavior in the first place. C.I.C.O. really isn't very helpful in the long run because it teaches nothing about how to maintain one's weight loss. The b.c. pill doesn't always cause weight gain in everyone. That is true but it can certainly set up a cascade of hormonal difficulties that makes it very difficult to avoid weight gain in certain individual women. Otherwise PCOS wouldn't be the powerful influence that it is in a woman's metabolism.
  • laurenyntema
    laurenyntema Posts: 4
    Yes. And with cravings too.

    It comes with it, I suppose.

    I haven't changed my eating habits too terribly, but I do snack a lot more as the cravings get to me. That's my downfall, the cravings.
  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
    The only weight gain I had on BC was an increase in bra size. 32B to 32C in 5 days. My ex was loving it.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Yes. And with cravings too.

    It comes with it, I suppose.

    I haven't changed my eating habits too terribly, but I do snack a lot more as the cravings get to me. That's my downfall, the cravings.

    Try cutting out added sugars and wheat. That should reduce cravings. I cut out added sugar and wheat and haven't experienced cravings once afterward. May not work for you depending on your individual makeup but it certainly won't hurt you (may even benefit your health) and it is worth a try. :smile:
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    Talk to your doctor about it. No one BC pill (or any medication for that matter) effects all people the same. Also, as someone else eluded to, it is a myth that BC pills make you gain weight. You may have increased appetite but if you can get that under control and stay within your allotted calories, you won't gain. Any slight gain is likely due to water weight and shouldn't be more than a few pounds - no biggee.

    I think if I am trying to lose weight, the LAST thing I need is something that increases my appetite!
    So, I would say, BC does contribute to weight gain, through whatever mechanism it is.
  • krystalscharbrough
    krystalscharbrough Posts: 2 Member
    I am in a group on FB about Essure problems, there are over 10,000 women on there having issues, including weight gain, but certainly not limited to just that. I have been struggling to lose the 50 lbs I have gained in the last two years and I am barely losing anything, and I am busting my butt to lose. I don't know how it is causing some of the effects it does, but I know it does. A lot of women are getting pregnant w/ it still too.
  • princessigor
    princessigor Posts: 6
    I was a size 8 until I went on Rigvedon...3 years later I'm a 12/14 and ran out of the pill for a few weeks and noticed my appetite dropped dramatically - as soon as I went back on it I was starving and craving all the time. I spoke to my doctor and he put me on a low hormone pill and I've noticed a massive difference.
    I know they say that the pill doesn't cause weight gain but in my case it definitely increased my appetite which in turn made me gain weight, speak to your GP.
  • Mediocrates55
    Mediocrates55 Posts: 326 Member
    Aside from two pregnancies and a 4 month stint with the Mirena, and 3 months on Ortho tri, I've been on Depo since I was 16. I just turned 30 this year. NEVER had ANY issue with weight gain that wasn't directly related to me shoving junk in my foodhole and sitting on my duff. Zero periods, zero cramping, zero bloat or hormonal swings. Mirena nearly killed me. Bled constantly for four months straight. And I mean BLED. Ortho made me literally want to murder people in cold blood. Seriously nuts, there. Every body is different and will react differently to different things. Depo has been a lifesaver for me. Mirena and Ortho made me believe the conspiracy theory about men being in charge of a woman's fertility. LOL
  • esjones12
    esjones12 Posts: 1,363 Member
    Talk to your doctor. BC does not effect women the same way. I've been on it for years and never had any issues with appetite, mood, etc. I know others who are effected by it and have trouble finding one that works for them. There are different kinds so you and your doctor can discuss switching. Also make sure your weight gain isn't from eating too much, lack of activity, or a medical condition.
  • kaika_dragon
    kaika_dragon Posts: 101 Member
    I lost twenty five pounds in my first four months on birth control, because it screwed with my appetite really bad, and I have trouble eating when I'm hungry anyways. I was on Seasonique, I think... I wasn't sorry to see the weight go, as I was and still am obese, but it was NOT a healthy way to lose it.
  • Ginger046
    Ginger046 Posts: 204 Member
    I was on the implant - Nexplanon (i think) - and my weight shot up too just got it taken out the other week and am back on the pill!
  • sarieth05
    sarieth05 Posts: 313 Member
    I had Mirena in for about 2 years and it worked like a charm. I've had no children before, and basically maintained my weight for years.
  • loribethrice
    loribethrice Posts: 620 Member
    I have been on birth control for almost 13 years straight now and I wonder all the time if it is part of why I have had trouble keeping weight off since I was put on it at 15. I've been on Ortho-Tri Cyclen, Yasmin, and for the past almost 6 years I have been on Seasonique. I wish I could go off of the birth control, but they refuse to remove my uterus so I am stuck on it until I'm too old to use it anymore. If they'd take my uterus out then I could go on Metformin for my PCOS and the uterus being gone would fix my endometriosis and dysmennorhea so I wouldn't need the hormones.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    I will say, I haven't noticed that hormonal BC has caused me to gain weight. I have been on different types of the pills, but the most recent BC I was on was Nuvaring, and I lost a lot of weight while on it, getting to my lowest weight ever. Since then I have gained a lot back, and I have also been off all BC for a couple years. I'm about to go back on the Nuvaring and I can't wait! I have had nothing but good things from regulation of my hormones. My periods are lighter and I have less bloating and water weight gain, less cramping (which is often severe), and less mood swings. For me, hormonal BC is a great thing, for others, it may be the opposite. You have to figure out what works best for you.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    BC itself does not cause weight gain calories in>calories out causes weight gain.

    BC can cause an increase in appetite but if you count calories weight your food and log accuratly you wont gain.

    I have been on depo and Mirena for 15 years...before that various pills and those pills since I am older were a lot heavier in hormones than they are now...

    the only time I gained weight was when I ate too much and didn't move enough.

    +1
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,301 Member
    Most pills contain binders and fillers. A thousand years ago, (I'm over the hill and way down the other side) I gained weight on bc pills. Many years later discovered a reaction to maize starch one of the commonest binders and this is high in salicylate according to the Salcylate Food scale. but no one, GP's never consider this. It is related to aspirin, being the active ingredient and for me when I first was given levothyroxine (many many years later) one daily pill was enough to take away all the benefits of my salicylate avoidance. Weight gain is not the only problem which can be associated with salicylate.
  • m97tiger
    m97tiger Posts: 1 Member
    I first went on tri sprintec in April 2015, gained 10 lbs in one month with no change of habit, went off the pull one month later (partner went away for the summer), and lost 10 lbs. in 1 mo. Then went back on it at the end of the summer and now weigh 15 more lbs. Than before I started. I finally talked to my doctor and she has switched me to loestrin, which I hope helps, if not, I'm just going to quit pill bc all together.
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