Birth Control does not make you gain weight new research say

Replies

  • luv2ash
    luv2ash Posts: 1,903 Member
    Yea, I've known that for a long time as I used to work wth a gynecologist and we would hear all day long that people blamed their weight gain on those pills even though we told them the pill does not cause you to gain weight. The only thing that caused those gals to gain weight was whatever they put in their mouths :)
  • Plumpqt
    Plumpqt Posts: 156
    thanks!
    its funny you post this today because i was afriad i would gain weight because my doc just upped my pill to higher hormone level.
  • Erindipitous
    Erindipitous Posts: 1,234 Member
    The only reason we may see "weight gain" would be some water retention related to the hormones. I never believed in birth control causing weight gain, and I'm glad the research has been done to falsify the myth. Thank you for sharing this!
  • Purple_Orchid_87
    Purple_Orchid_87 Posts: 517 Member
    The Implanon implant changes your horemones, which in turn can increase your appetite.
    Have not tried any other form of contraception so cannot comment on those.

    Weight loss has a high chance of changing your horemones as fat stores them, as your body breaks down stored fat, those horemones are released into your system
  • NightOwl1
    NightOwl1 Posts: 881 Member
    It's good to see this. I'm definitely going to bookmark this thread. I know a lot of woman who won't use birth control because they think it will make them gain weight. I'll be sure to pass this around.
  • cl2k4
    cl2k4 Posts: 6 Member
    YEAH RIGHT. This is why every time I've gone on the pill (3 different times, 3 different pills) I have gained over 20 pounds in SIX WEEKS? Eating 1500 calories a day and working out? Yeah... No evidence of weight gain. They just don't want to say "some women gain weight, excessively, and we don't know who, so come try our pills" because nobody would.
  • Jawwdan
    Jawwdan Posts: 19
    This is conflicting news for me. I've been to a lot of doctors, about fivei n total who had to take me off the Injection because it was causing me to gain weight rapdily. This was due to it affecting my thyroid. Also because i had borderline PCOS (poly-cystic ovary syndrome) Sorry if that spelt wrong lol!! Anyway, as soon as i came off it, my desire for food lessened, and i dropped 1 stone within the first 4 weeks without trying to.Maybe its a different case for the pill, but I think anyone who gains weight rapidly should go to their doctor and get blood tests etc like i had to. :)
  • mynameiscarrie
    mynameiscarrie Posts: 963 Member
    This is conflicting news for me. I've been to a lot of doctors, about fivei n total who had to take me off the Injection because it was causing me to gain weight rapdily. This was due to it affecting my thyroid. Also because i had borderline PCOS (poly-cystic ovary syndrome) Sorry if that spelt wrong lol!! Anyway, as soon as i came off it, my desire for food lessened, and i dropped 1 stone within the first 4 weeks without trying to.Maybe its a different case for the pill, but I think anyone who gains weight rapidly should go to their doctor and get blood tests etc like i had to. :)

    That's probably a personal thing. I'm sure some people gain weight but it is because the hormone levels are affecting something it usually doesn't causing the weight gain. For you, it was your thyroid. I gained weight after I started taking it, but there were a lot of other factors involved (i was in rehab for an eating disorder and gaining weight anyways). I stopped taking it and gained even more weight so I don't think the pill had anything to do with it. I was just lazy and I ate everything lol. I'm on it again now (have been for over a year) and it doesnt affect my weight loss or gain at all. I asked my doctor about it when I got a new BC medication and she told me the same thing.

    So long story short, Birth control doesn't directly cause weight loss. lol :)
  • Jawwdan
    Jawwdan Posts: 19
    Yes it was my thyroid, but I'm saying that it was affected WHEN i started taking it- not before i did. :)

    I'm saying that i believe it can lead to weight gain as it affects everyone differently. My thyroid being the problem is irrelevent (without sounding rude) because if i never took the birth control in the first place, i wouldn't of gained the weight. Does that make sense??? :)

    This is why i said anyone who has concerns to go and see their GP.
  • Jawwdan
    Jawwdan Posts: 19
    Ohh an i know it doesn't cause weight loss, but for me my thyroid returned to normal when i stopped taking it- causing me to lose weight :)
  • indigoeyes
    indigoeyes Posts: 18 Member
    Straight from the article:

    "The research was funded by the Society for Family Planning."
  • mynameiscarrie
    mynameiscarrie Posts: 963 Member
    Yes it was my thyroid, but I'm saying that it was affected WHEN i started taking it- not before i did. :)

    I'm saying that i believe it can lead to weight gain as it affects everyone differently. My thyroid being the problem is irrelevent (without sounding rude) because if i never took the birth control in the first place, i wouldn't of gained the weight. Does that make sense??? :)

    This is why i said anyone who has concerns to go and see their GP.

    oh, i know! I was reiterating what you said. You were right to get it looked at because it's not the BC directly. I was agreeing with you :) the BC caused problems with your thyroid which is why you gained, but the BC itself didn't cause weight gain. I totally understand :) For other people the BC might trigger something else.
  • ImperfektAngel
    ImperfektAngel Posts: 811 Member
    it may not be the cause of weight gain, I can agree with that but I'm sure that it does something to our bodies that makes us more hungry! we then eat more and gain weight just like with PMS
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    Hm. When I was on the pill ( different kinds and different doses) I gained weight. They would take me off the pill and within a week, my weight would go back to normal. So, they would put me back on the pill and BOOM! the weight came back. They had me journal my food and NOTHING changed food-wise between being on it and not being on it. So, I don't know that I believe this. Perhaps it WAS water retention, but it did make me gain.
  • mericksmom
    mericksmom Posts: 222 Member
    If I am correct about the whole BC it is that BC confuses the female body into thinking it is pregnant 'in a way" because we are confusing the female organ so it doesnt release the egg...in which then we hold onto water and may tend to eat more to help the baby grow and such....So yes it can cause weight gain.

    I dont know so much on the pill....I got pregnant anytime I took it, on how much weight you can gain on it but I took depo and I gained weight as well as fell into a depression. Then after wards after taken off depo I had hormone issues the drs couldnt figure out which lead me back on BC and it led to more depression and almost took me to the loonie home.... JMO BC can be great but I do think DRS need to do more testing before putting a woman on any BC because each woman is different and BC in different levels can cause major health issues down the road.
  • CrimsonWife
    CrimsonWife Posts: 56
    I really think it depends on the particular formulation. I haven't taken hormonal contraception in years but back when I did, I had problems with one particular type of pill causing weight gain and irritability.
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
    I lost 50 lbs while on the pill so I dont believe it causes weight gain either.
  • liberty741
    liberty741 Posts: 122 Member
    Thank you for sharing this news with us. I always love to read about news in w omen's health care. However, we need to be very careful about how easily we believe these so called "studies" and look at who funds them and the organization's agenda. That being said, I don't believe that the pill is a DIRECT cause of weight gain but I certainly believe that for SOME people it can be an INDIRECT cause. That is because it does affect your hormones, which can change your appetite, and it also can cause water retention. But the pharmaceutical companies would never advertise this freely, so don't expect your physicians or anyone to blatantly tell you it could cause weight gain.
  • Lisa__Michelle
    Lisa__Michelle Posts: 845 Member
    I am in college and I am taking a sex class this semester. On the day we talked about birth control, my professor said the same thing. A nurse came in and they were saying that you cannot gain weight from being on birth control.
  • flutterqueen04
    flutterqueen04 Posts: 278
    When I was on the pill - several forms for short periods of time - I didn't gain weight. But the birth control shot I gained an average of 5lbs per shot! And NO I wasn't one of those girls that ate and ate and ate and didn't exercise then couldn't figure out how I got so fat, so please don't assume that. I would try like crazy to lose and towards the end of each dose I'd get a pound or two off but then I would just gain it all back with the next dose. It does change your appetite and make you more hungry but I tried to to fight it. After about a year and a half I got off it and within months of being off of it I started to lose and keep losing weight. So I am sorry but at least with the shot I know it aided in my weight gain, I don't care what anyone says.

    I think it really boils down to everyone's body type and how their bodies react to them. I don't think they are made with the intent to cause weight gain but its one of those pesky side effects that do affect some. Just like with ANY medication there is always side effects. So yes, it may say "they don't cause weight gain" but it can still be in the fine print that if your body conditions are "right" it can occur. Does that make sense? I think its up to each of us to see what works for us personally :)
  • donicagalek
    donicagalek Posts: 526
    Changes in hormones are what tell out bodies that we need to change our calorie intake for specific reasons (to regenerate uterine lining, to grow a fetus, etc). From what I've read, the caloric intake isn't too great (anywhere from 100-300 calories) but it is needed. The pill itself is calorie free, so they can legally claim that they don't cause weight gain. It is, however, a play on words and those studies are probably in some form sponsored by the drug companies.

    ***Note: Some women don't gain weight during pregnancy, either (beyond the weight of the baby itself). Some women *lose* weight during pregnancy. So it would make sense that some women don't gain on BC. But our bodies are normally programmed to be triggered by these hormones to take in mildly greater calories.
  • donicagalek
    donicagalek Posts: 526
    Now, what would be *really* interesting would be to study hormonal birth controls that are three weeks on and one week off versus hormonals like Mirena/Depo/Seasonique that don't give you a monthly break.

    Does the consistent stream of hormones make your body react more like a pregnancy? Conversely, does your body react to the 3 weeks on 1 week off like you are miscarrying every month?

    I always had bad reactions to hormonal birth controls and have never taken one for longer than a month or two before going numb in my extremities. I'm a copper IUD girl. :-D
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