Ladies- Any Experience on Depo Provera or Implanon?

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kalleybo12345
kalleybo12345 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi! So I'm eighteen now, and thirty pounds heavier than I was two years ago, funnily enough that's when I first embarked on my weight loss journey. My doctor told me my birth control, depo provera, was responsible.

Which is really sad because these past two years being period free were fantastic :/ she recommended I try the Implanon method. A little bar will sit in my arm for three years, and again may also leave me free of periods.

So, my questions, 1. Have any of you managed to lose weight after going off the depo?

2. Did anyone gain weight on the Implanon, or did it make weight loss difficult?

I'm 5'6. I don't want to be stuck at 206 pounds any longer! Thank you for reading (:
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Replies

  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    I have never been on either of these. I have family and friends who have been of the depo and gained a LOT of weight and their doctors told them that it can take a year or two after not taking the depo shot to start losing some of the weight.friends and family told me it was awful trying to even lose 5 lbs even after stopping it.I would look into the side effects of the birth control(the implanon) and see if its for you. if it were me I would probably go with a hormone free type of birth control but thats me.Any birth control can have weight gain as a side effect (most that have hormones in them).Everyone is different ,talk to your Dr about any concerns you may have
  • lobbylobster
    lobbylobster Posts: 33 Member
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    I've got something like the Implanon, and gained 15kg in the first year. That said, it hasn't made weight loss harder - I've lost 10kg in two months, although the loss is starting to slow. I think if you're logging all your foods etc, the implanon shouldn't cause a gain, and shouldn't hinder loss.
  • tegantheaverage
    tegantheaverage Posts: 142 Member
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    I don't know the answer to this, as I'm about to have the Implanon inserted. But, my understanding is that, unlike the Depo, the implant stops working almost immediately after it's removed. So, if you found that it made you gain, you could have it removed and go back to normal pretty quckly.
  • PinkNinjaLaura
    PinkNinjaLaura Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I lost all my weight while on the depo shot so I didn't have any adverse weight issues from it.
  • WildOkapi
    WildOkapi Posts: 81
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    I started Depo Provera back in March 2013 and didn't gain any weight. I started my weight loss journey in May of this year and have lost 47 pounds by a combination of intermittent fasting, calorie reduction and exercise. Birth control does not cause weight gain; overeating one's calorie needs does. Depo Provera may make you feel as if you're hungry, but if you're accurately counting calories and are at/under your daily goal and/or exercising you should be losing weight.
  • TheLadyBane
    TheLadyBane Posts: 299 Member
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    I am on depo and have lost over 100 lbs and am still losing. I have heard about increased appetite, weight gain, and difficulty losing weight while on depo but thankfully I have had no issues.
  • Telsera
    Telsera Posts: 19 Member
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    I have a nexplanon and I've been steadily losing weight while on it (about 1.3 lbs a week for the last 6 weeks and yes I weigh and log everything). I have had it over a little year and a half and it doesn't seem to be hindering my weight loss efforts. I didn't put on a ton of weight from it either. I gained a little (<10 lbs) but I'm pretty sure it was the long hours at work and fast food like twice a day that is responsible.

    I was lucky enough to get zero periods until about a month ago when I got like all the periods for a month and then it seems to be fine again and has gone back to no periods :)

    If you're nervous about getting the implant put in, they numb your arm up so well you don't feel anything and you just wear a bandage for a day and then you're 100% free to resume life as normal. Not bad at all. If you hate needles you probably shouldn't watch them put it in though ;)

    I hope it works for you. Good luck!
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
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    I've been on Depo for a year now, and while it increased my appetite a bit, I was still able to lose weight while taking it. :)
  • MississippiMama87
    MississippiMama87 Posts: 204 Member
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    I've had Implanon for about a year now. While my periods are sporadic and just generally suck *kitten*, I've been able to lose weight. If you look up the studies, the average weight gain for someone on Implanon with no specific diet or exercise regiment is only something like 2 pounds in five years.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,074 Member
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    I've been on Depo since 2011, and am transitioning to a new method after my final shot in October. I've lost consistently on Depo, and maintained when I wanted to. Any birth control that messes with your hormones puts you at risk for weight gain due to increased appetite. The method itself is not the cause of weight gain.
  • VelveteenArabian
    VelveteenArabian Posts: 758 Member
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    I don't have implanon but I do have an aversion to having a period. If you can be responsible enough to take a pill every day, ask about switching to Amethyst. It's year round birth control. No periods, no PMS.
  • kikontx
    kikontx Posts: 92 Member
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    I have been on depo provera for about 10 years and I've never thought that my weight gain was caused by it. Nor did I have any problems losing weight because of it.

    I know everyone is different but for me it was not a factor with my weight issues.
  • steff274
    steff274 Posts: 227 Member
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    Implanon increases appetite I gained weight on it only because of what I ate!! I also lost weight on it too though ;) am on depo atm I might have to change it has anyone else experienced night sweats on depo?
  • elinegri
    elinegri Posts: 18 Member
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    I've been on Implanon for 6 months now, and I've actually lost weight. I wouldn't say this weight loss is associated with the Implanon, but I found no side effects except for the irregular menstruation. However, it does vary from person to person.
  • aethre
    aethre Posts: 150 Member
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    Nexplanon for four years. I did put on weight slowly after getting it but that's definitely more to do with lifestyle change (partner moving in!) than anything to do with the contraception. The weight is coming off slowly now. I have very light periods and then a longer, heavier one every 6-10 months. I just had one of the longer ones and lost 5lbs during the course of it, weight loss had been very slow up to that point. It could be coincidence or it could be a hormonal thing.
  • Maquillage_
    Maquillage_ Posts: 194 Member
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    I'm on Depo and have been for about 2 years. It didn't make me gain any weight at all, and in fact when I first went on it was about the same time I started taking real steps to lose weight. I've lost over 30lbs and am still losing.

    It did in fact increase my appetite, which is probably what happened you too since a drug can't just make fat appear out of nowhere. When I first got it I just had to watch what I was eating and my potion sizes. Snacking was a big thing and I really had to avoid it. But once it settled I didn't notice the appetite increase and just went along with my weight loss. It's the same every time I get it, for a few days I feel like snacking or maybe having an extra portion, but I just have to tell myself no.

    I think you just need to be aware of little changes like wanting an extra serving of desert or a little more snacking. If you're more aware of this then you can avoid it.

    I read up about all the side effects before I went on it and my doctor explained to me that most of the women who he gives the injection to have gained quite a bit of weight. So he made me really aware of this and so I noticed when my appetite was increasing and did my best to avoid the extra food cravings and hunger that I know my body didn't need, it was just a side effect.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I am currently on Depo and have been for over a year....pre this round with depo I used Mirena for 7 years and pre mirena used depo for 8 years....

    note ticker...

    BC does not make one gain weight....it can increase appetite and it can make you retain water but if you eat at a deficit you will lose and if you eat at maitenance you will maintain...
  • OKfarmgal
    OKfarmgal Posts: 160 Member
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    My soon to be daughter-in-law is on Depo and she has been steadily gaining weight even though she exercises and eats very clean. Also she has been extremely moody the last few months on it. I think it is the change in hormones that makes her that way.
  • Maquillage_
    Maquillage_ Posts: 194 Member
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    I am currently on Depo and have been for over a year....pre this round with depo I used Mirena for 7 years and pre mirena used depo for 8 years....

    note ticker...

    BC does not make one gain weight....it can increase appetite and it can make you retain water but if you eat at a deficit you will lose and if you eat at maitenance you will maintain...

    Exactly what I was trying to say! Medication does not magically make someone gain weight, it can only cause water retention (which goes away!) and an increase in appetite, which can be controlled, which we have proved by both losing weight while on depo.
  • givemewillpower
    givemewillpower Posts: 17
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    Not weight related but implanon made me CRAZY! Like seriously to the point where it ended the relationship I was in. I would strongly advise anyone considering it to go for something else. It works for some people but you never know how it's going to be with you.

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