Can fat store oestrogen from contraceptives?

nicholajaneryan
nicholajaneryan Posts: 76 Member
edited November 27 in Health and Weight Loss
Wondering if anyone knows the answer to this, I've tried researching online but getting conflicted results...

Can fat release oestrogen from dieting and exercise?

Basically, I've not lost any weight for 4 weeks, but have been super careful sticking to my calorie goal and exercising lots. I weigh my food and use a pretty accurate heart rate monitor to measure calories burned.

I had the depo injection twice this year, but decided to stop taking it, so didn't have the 3rd which was due in October. Haven't had a period since.
But the past couple of weeks, I would have expected to see some weight loss, but it's remained the same, with an increase of 3 inches in my bust! Ouch! Soreness! As well as general bloating.

I'm wondering if the oestrogen from the depo shot is now being released more quickly because of the increased exercise and general "fat burning" which is causing pregnancy like symptoms and hampering with scale readings.
(I'm definitely not pregnant!)

I can't stress how strict I've been sticking to the CICO method, I may even be restricting calories too much because I nearly fainted in a shop on Wednesday :(

Replies

  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Water weight just keep going you will whoosh
  • pollypocket1021
    pollypocket1021 Posts: 533 Member
    You WERE on depo, but stopped taking it.

    You missed a couple of periods since then.

    Your breasts are swollen and tender.

    I would watch for abdominal bloating, fatigue, nausea, and increased urination as all of those things can happen when you come off of birth control and should be evaluated by a physician. If those issues persist and you suddenly notice intense abdominal/back pain every 3-4 minutes, you should go to the hospital.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    Any change in birth control can take 3 months to sort out, unfortunately. Depo can take much longer. You will still be able to lose weight, but you might not be able to tell what your water weight is doing from day to day for a while.

    Depo has more progestin than most BC, so the breast swelling is probably because of how your estrogen is going back to normal now. If you find you do need extra progesterone (like breasts swelling too often, etc), there is a bio-identical kind I take called Prometrium (Rx) that is so much better. It is not birth control, though. It's to balance those hormones if you have too much estrogen and too little progesterone naturally.
  • DeserveVictory
    DeserveVictory Posts: 133 Member
    If you're having this many problems and almost fainted... don't you think you should see a doctor?
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    Perhaps your period is about to visit you in a spectacular way.

    Are you certain you are not pregnant?
  • Mondoweft
    Mondoweft Posts: 49 Member
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    You WERE on depo, but stopped taking it.

    You missed a couple of periods since then.

    Your breasts are swollen and tender.

    I would watch for abdominal bloating, fatigue, nausea, and increased urination as all of those things can happen when you come off of birth control and should be evaluated by a physician. If those issues persist and you suddenly notice intense abdominal/back pain every 3-4 minutes, you should go to the hospital.

    I like the way you think.
  • OhReally42
    OhReally42 Posts: 138 Member
    I know it can take a while for the depo to be completely out of your system. But you might also watch your sodium intake for a possibility of water weight
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    OhReally42 wrote: »
    I know it can take a while for the depo to be completely out of your system. But you might also watch your sodium intake for a possibility of water weight

    Not likely to cause fainting and breast tenderness though.
  • hekla90
    hekla90 Posts: 595 Member
    Depo only contains progestin, so likely not to be a hormone it doesn't contain to be released from it (especially if you aren't taking it)... It can take some time to get your period after stopping depo. If you haven't been using a back up method I would start with a pregnancy test and go from there.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    You didn't get your period. Your body is adjusting to stopping the birth control. It's very common to hold on to water weight when things like this happen, masking a loss. I skipped a period in Oct. and that scale went no where for a month.
  • hekla90
    hekla90 Posts: 595 Member
    arditarose wrote: »
    You didn't get your period. Your body is adjusting to stopping the birth control. It's very common to hold on to water weight when things like this happen, masking a loss. I skipped a period in Oct. and that scale went no where for a month.

    I'm sorry but I'm dying laughing over here your wording made me envision the uterus holding onto water like a camel hump
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    hekla90 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    You didn't get your period. Your body is adjusting to stopping the birth control. It's very common to hold on to water weight when things like this happen, masking a loss. I skipped a period in Oct. and that scale went no where for a month.

    I'm sorry but I'm dying laughing over here your wording made me envision the uterus holding onto water like a camel hump

    Huh?
  • hekla90
    hekla90 Posts: 595 Member
    SLLRunner wrote: »
    hekla90 wrote: »
    arditarose wrote: »
    You didn't get your period. Your body is adjusting to stopping the birth control. It's very common to hold on to water weight when things like this happen, masking a loss. I skipped a period in Oct. and that scale went no where for a month.

    I'm sorry but I'm dying laughing over here your wording made me envision the uterus holding onto water like a camel hump

    Huh?

    She said she missed one period and held on to "water weight" for a whole month. It made me think of the uterus just chilling and holding onto water for a whole month.
  • nicholajaneryan
    nicholajaneryan Posts: 76 Member
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    You WERE on depo, but stopped taking it.

    You missed a couple of periods since then.

    Your breasts are swollen and tender.

    I would watch for abdominal bloating, fatigue, nausea, and increased urination as all of those things can happen when you come off of birth control and should be evaluated by a physician. If those issues persist and you suddenly notice intense abdominal/back pain every 3-4 minutes, you should go to the hospital.

    When I went into labour with my son I went straight to constant pain, no breaks between contractions, he was born less than 3 hours later :)
    Also, that thing you have to do to get pregnant... It's been a looooong time... Hence why I was so sure that I wasn't pregnant.

    Update: I got my period today! Harrah!

    And this week I've dropped 2lbs so I've had my whoosh :)

    Thank you all for commenting, it helped keep me sane through the stall!

  • pollypocket1021
    pollypocket1021 Posts: 533 Member
    edited December 2015
    nicholajaneryan wrote: »
    pollypocket1021 wrote: »
    You WERE on depo, but stopped taking it.

    You missed a couple of periods since then.

    Your breasts are swollen and tender.

    I would watch for abdominal bloating, fatigue, nausea, and increased urination as all of those things can happen when you come off of birth control and should be evaluated by a physician. If those issues persist and you suddenly notice intense abdominal/back pain every 3-4 minutes, you should go to the hospital.

    When I went into labour with my son I went straight to constant pain, no breaks between contractions, he was born less than 3 hours later :)
    Also, that thing you have to do to get pregnant... It's been a looooong time... Hence why I was so sure that I wasn't pregnant.

    Update: I got my period today! Harrah!

    And this week I've dropped 2lbs so I've had my whoosh :)

    Thank you all for commenting, it helped keep me sane through the stall!

    Congrats on both fronts (the loss and the period). According to studies in the US, between 97% and 99.7% of women who state there is no way they could possibly be pregnant are in fact not pregnant. Which is why it's good practice to assume all women are pregnant until proven otherwise.



  • cindytw
    cindytw Posts: 1,027 Member
    edited December 2015
    Birth control of any type has equated to total havoc on my body and I am not sure that I ever recovered. I am sure things unrelated had a part to play, but the fact is, if I never took those things I probably would not be where I am today. I gained 40# in a few months as a teenager!!!! I have had a hard time with my weight ever since and I am now 41! Yes other things come into play, but what if I never went on it to begin with? Because it was not even coming of from an 18-20 year old, active college student! I was so frustrated I decided to quit diet and exercise and I did, for years!!
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