Ladies! Scared of birth control?!

depends on the type of birth control
Suggest talking to your primary care provider about your concerns

Another MFP just posted the same concern. This is what I replied:

From what I have read weight gain happens for four reasons with birth control. Water retention, increased appetite, increased estrogen, and insulin resistance. As long as you are following a specific caloric diet then the increased appetite reason will only be a nuisance, as opposed to a cause for weight gain (because you will control your urges and not indulge ). Increase your water intake for the first couple of months to help your kidneys out with the water factor. Ask your doctor for a bc with low estrogen. Lastly, if you still end up gaining a few pounds then you may be one of the few that is susceptible to insulin resistance. In this case you would want to adopt a low carb diet if those few pounds are truly a bother. Good luck!!

No probs here.........I did switch to a low hormone one and it has not caused a single issue.

Research has shown that certain types do gain weight. I was on Depo and RETAINED WATER like crazy!!! It was horrible. Since then, it's been a year, and I've been on two different types of pills. The latest one I'm on I enjoy much better.

I was afraid of the same thing when I had my son a year ago. But my doctor recommended Implanon (a small, matchstick sized rod they insert into your arm). It is good for 3 years of BC and I have had ZERO side effects from it (other than not having a period, which is awesome!!) So I highly recommend it! You can find out a lot more about it on their website (implanon.com).

I must add too that I have heard horror stories of weight gain from the BC shots/injections. And also, my doctor's office (which has 5 OBGYNs) will not administer the Mirena because their patients have had so many negative side effects from it (one being weight gain).

iv had this problems with 4 different pills that iv tried and tested and the first one was a mini pill and i lost weight on it, but it also made me mental and an emotional wreck and angry and all sorts! so i came off that, then went onto 3 other ones and slowly found my boobs got bigger, as did my apetite and then my waistline and *kitten* caught up.

Im a huge fan on the pill, i like that i can be in control of it, so i went back to my docs and was given a new pill which is meant to have zero side affects, its pricey because in the uk we dont have to pay for oral contraception but this one isnt free but i have not had any more weight gain and im not craving and im not emotional and i feel normal again. and im slowly on the way to losing the weight i gained. I dont blame the pill for my weight gain because i blame the fact that i moved in with my boyfriend and i just ate alot but the previous ones certainly gave me an apetite.

i think you need to experience a few different ones before you find the right one for you )

when i was on BC i felt that i didn't gain any weight. i was on the generic version of Ortho tri Cyclen. but now i am over 35 and a smoker so i cannot be on bc. but the Mirena is great for BC i hear and u can leave it in for up to 5 years! there is no weight issues as a side effect there.

Mirena is a fabulous alternative, it has only local hormones so there is no systemic response.
If you can have a baby, you can use the IUD.
Its also easy to manage, it gets put in and you can basically not worry about it until its time to come out...

Well almost 10 yrs ago I took bc for only 6 months, and it was enough to messed up my hormones and eventually my weight problems started to float. So as for me goes I'll never do it again! It may work different from person to person but it still have risks even if they you no..

I've been on the pill off and on for 10 yrs. I've also had 2 children. The only time I ever really notice weight gain is when I start taking it again after being off for a while, most likely due to water retention and the flucuation in hormones but it went away. I believe it also may be related to other factors such as whether or not you smoke. However, everyone is different. I would just monitor the weight closely and keep doing what you're doing.

Regardless of what other people say do not eat less. Your body needs nutrients to give you the energy to burn calories.

Birth control tends to lead to weight gain, but not cause it. It can increase your appetite - the increase in calories is what causes the weight gain, not the birth control itself.

I'm on the pill and lost 50lbs.

On the low hormone did you have a lot of trouble with bleeding? (sorry, I know that's gross). I was only off AF for five days a month for the 6 months I was on it! It was awful!

It depends on the person I guess, I bleed like crazy on a high dose estrogen pill and have a lot of breakthrough bleeding but since my doctor switched me to Loestrin 24 ( which has the minimum 20mg of estrogen) my problems have cleared up and I don't even have a period at all anymore

Quitting smoking slightly decreases metabolism. Still worth quitting. While another child isn't ANYTHING like smoking, sometimes you have to forgo a little to do what is best for you. If you aren't looking to have another baby immediately, do what is necessary. Work harder on the weight loss. You can do it

I lost 35 pounds and have been taking BC for 15 years. Hasn't been an issue for me. I take Ortho Tri Cyclen

I was going to try the IUD - the non-hormonal ones. I could never use pills because of emotional side effects.

You know what REALLY causes a lot of weight gain? PREGNANCY.

Mirena is the best thing to happen for women's health since birth control was invented. It has essentially no side effects, very little, if any systemic hormone uptake, is easily removed to allow pregnancy, does NOT suppress ovulation (so no waiting period when you're ready to get pregnant), does NOT cause weight gain (because it only effects the uterus), and is a long-term method. Can there be issues with how it's put in, or with migration once it is in? Yes. But these are not common compared the the number of women who successfully use it.

I saw a post where a bunch of Ob gyns don't prescribe Mirena due to "problems", but DO use "Implanon". That's silly (and very, very unusual...the Mirena is LOVED by the vast majority of Ob/Gyns). The two devices use the exact same hormone, but the IUD lasts longer....and doesn't require using a SCAPEL to remove it (the implanon does....). Implanons get encapsulated in people's arms (just like the Mirena can imbed itself in the uterus) and often need to be surgically removed. Implanon is actually being replaced by a smaller unit called "Nexplanon" but the issues are the same.

edit for typos