Birth control and weight gain - myth?

The bar is the implant that goes in your arm, right? I've never used it, but I've had friends who used it and all experienced pretty significant weight gain (10 or more pounds). I think that individual sensitivity to hormonal changes is really different, and not all women will experience the same side effects.

Just realised you're talking specifically about the implant. I only know one woman who has used it and kept it in (I know a few people that it caused constant spotting in so they had it removed as soon as they could), and she has actually slowly lost weight over the last year. Very small sample size though, of course.

Lots of women believe this but as far as I am aware no properly conducted clinical trials have ever shown it to be true.

I went on the birth control pill at 16 due to endometriosis...
And I weighed maybe 98 pounds soaking wet back then.
Within the next 6 months I gained about 10 pounds. Over the course of the next couple of years I struggled to keep my weight the same.
Then the winter after I graduated I was switched to a different pill that affected my body horribly, I was depressed, hungry, and tired all the time. Over the next 6 months I gained another 20 or so pounds.
I don't believe it was only the birth control that caused my weight gain, but I do believe that it probably aided in my weight gain.

The reality is (or the reality as based on poorly conducted studies) that there is a correlation between certain forms of BC and weight gain. However, the caveat here to look for is this; the weight gain, if due to hormonal changes, should actually stop within the first month of the 'new' hormonal balancing. And what we eat, has a hell of a lot more to do with weight gain than either hormones or BC.

If you switch (to any new medication really) watch your calories carefully and you should not see weight gain (beyond water weight, which again, would leave within that first month).

I have friends who have made the BC adding weight claim many a time, but the reality is, we all started taking BC at a time where our bodies were in big fluctuation based on puberty. I put on about 15lbs the year I went on BC (I was 13 and had some significant issues with cysts) that was however also the year that my boobs went from a A cup to a D and my hips began to fill out, so chances are, even without BC, I would've put on that 15lbs. I switched briefly to NuvoRing (sp?) in University which created some interesting bedroom issues, but no weight gain. Switched from that to taking pills consecutively in three month periods (medically advised, again because of the cysts) and gained maybe 3lbs? I also redeveloped a love for McDonalds that month, so I'm more blaming that on my own poor food choices.

So the reality, is it a factor? Sure. Is it one completely out of your control? (With the exception of a bit of water weight initially) No.

I think for me it comes down to this; if you get new BC and suddenly you're a lot hungrier than usual, but you know your TDEE is typically a certain number, continue to eat at a deficit, and magically, you will lose weight. If you're hungry so you add an extra 500 cals per day and don't notice, and your TDEE is only 400 cals higher than what you're eating, of course you're going to see weight gain over time.

Make good choices, my BC switching friends.

RayneScar wrote: »

It really sucks being a woman sometimes hahaha!
I wanted to get the coil but the doctor won't let me. She said first of all that it would be harder since I'd never had kids - fair enough. Then she said that the coil may affect my fertility long-term so she couldn't give it to me.
The problem is, I don't want to have kids. I have never wanted to have children. I explained this and she said I may change my mind.
I don't know why doctors can't accept that some women are simply not maternal. The reason I want birth control is so I don't get pregnant. In my case, that's a permanent decision.
Thanks for your input guys, it's interesting. I think the hormonal changes may cause the weight gain.

Just to add, I do think it's unreasonable that your doctor is overruling your wishes on the presumption that you may later change your mind about children - especially given that the coil is not an extreme or permanent solution.

The most recent studies seem to suggest that correct use of IUDs doesn't have an impact on fertility. I say 'correct' because there is a risk that if you get an infection (which usually occurs within 2-3 weeks of insertion and impacts under 1 in 100 women) then this might cause damage if untreated - but that's why they now do post-insertion check-ups to prevent this.

I have three sisters, all of whom were on birth control at some point. Of the three only one didn't gain weight (at the time she was very strict with her diet, though). The other two gained a substantial amount of weight primarily because it increased their appetite. My younger sister gained over 20 lbs in a few months the first time she started taking them because of that. The weight fell right off when she stopped.

When I got the depo shot I gained like 40 lbs in just a few months, plus I turned into a crazy person. My moods were all over the place, it was scary not feeling like myself, just horrible. I did two rounds of it then stopped and went back to pills, and everything went back to normal.

From what I've heard from doctors and friends is that the increase in hormones that prevent you from being pregnant also sometimes causes you to gain/lose weight. When I first went on the pill, I lost weight. But when my insurance got messed up and went off of it for a couple months and back on it but a different brand, I gained weight. I just went off of them, and I can already tell I am losing weight again.

RayneScar wrote: »

It really sucks being a woman sometimes hahaha!
I wanted to get the coil but the doctor won't let me. She said first of all that it would be harder since I'd never had kids - fair enough. Then she said that the coil may affect my fertility long-term so she couldn't give it to me.
The problem is, I don't want to have kids. I have never wanted to have children. I explained this and she said I may change my mind.
I don't know why doctors can't accept that some women are simply not maternal. The reason I want birth control is so I don't get pregnant. In my case, that's a permanent decision.
Thanks for your input guys, it's interesting. I think the hormonal changes may cause the weight gain.

To be honest, I would find a new doctor if that is a route you are serious about perusing. I had to go through three doctors until I found one that would let me get the Mirena. Best decision ever btw. I also never want kids, but at 21 there is no way I would find a doctor willing to sterilize me so an IUD is the next best thing. It's also completely false that you have to have had children first. I don't have any and my doc was more than happy to let me try Mirena once I found the right one. The only reason they say that is because once you've had kids, it can make insertion a little easier. There are meds that can be prescribed to soften the cervix now and mine did a paracervical block so all I felt was a good cramp and it was over. Honestly just do your research and find a new doc because the old school ones aren't experienced enough with them so they find reasons not to do them.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3079533/

DPMA (depo) has been shown to cause a steady increase in blood glucose and insulin levels for the first 18 months of use. I experienced this as "insulin resistance" that resulted in headaches if I ate too much sugar at once and flat out bitchiness if I didn't eat OFTEN. Both of these things started happening pretty much instantly with the first shot, and having to pick between killing all my friends and going over on calories, I ended up over-eating a bit until the stupid thing wore off. I was NOT a fan and only got one.

You CAN control your weight with CICO on birth control, but they DO have a measurable effect on your blood chemistry that may cause you to want/need to eat more often to keep your blood sugar balanced. So, it's a myth that you WILL gain weight, but it may be difficult not to if you have a particularly strong reaction.

I can't say I've had the experience of weight gain solely due to birth control. I've been on several types of pill, the ring, and, now, the Mirena IUD.

Though several of the pills coincide with me gaining weight, it was less to do with them specifically and my own eating. They effected me poorly emotionally and I chose to binge eat.

I've lost weight with them though. It's all about choice. (At least, it has been for me.)

Birth control *kitten* up ur body in the long run.

20Grit wrote: »

also - why do people think the chemical hormones in BC can make you feel hungrier but they can't make you gain weight....makes no sense, It messes with your hormones, of course it can make you gain or loose for that matter, everyone is different. Just like any other pill you take, you may or may not have side effects.

Because fat is energy and that energy doesn't just come from thin air. It's called physics.