Birth Control and Weight Loss??

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  • choppie70
    choppie70 Posts: 544 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Birth control will not cause you to gain weight. It can increase your appetite or cause a bit of water retention , but it will not make you gain fat. You gain fat by eating more calories than you are burning.

    I have been on Seasonique for a few years. I have lost 33 lbs since late June. I also gained 22 lbs while I was on it. But that was all me eating way to much as I was dealing with 3 deaths in 4 months and health issues due to hydronephrosis.
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,765 Member
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    miarail wrote: »
    misskarne wrote: »
    Sorry, but I just don't get this. Not wanting to start a clearly needed medication just because it might "cause" you to gain weight is just so freaking dumb.

    I gained weight after I started birth control. But I can tell you right now it was because I enjoyed stuffing far too much food into my gob and had nothing to do with the pill. And I'd rather retain a few extra kilos of water than suffer from the agonising cramps every month.

    I wouldn't be taking it for contraceptive reasons, I'm not sexually active. I do have bad skin and a very irregular period, which is why I've been thinking about going on it, so i guess I'm just weighing whats more important and just doing a trial and error of what works and doesn't work. You had a larger appetite, which one were you on?
    Thanks

    I take Levelen, and I don't take it for contraceptive reasons either. (Nor has it done anything for my acne.) The reason I take it is so that I can be a functional human being during my period, instead of just an agonised ball of cramps barely able to move or focus on anything beyond pain. On my doctor's advice I only have three-four periods a year by using the pill to skip them.

    But I can tell you now, my weight gain had nothing to do with it. I was already gaining weight before I started the pill. Why? Because I was still eating like a teenager even when I no longer was one, and moving even less. I was relishing having money of my own and the freedom of the university cafeteria, and I was lazy - it was particularly around the time I gave up playing cricket.

    And honestly, even if the doctor had told me I'd guarantee gain weight on it - I was in so much pain every month that I would not have cared. I couldn't go to school, work, anything. Exercising made it worse. Eating made it worse. Not eating made it worse. Moving beyond that curled up ball on the couch and my hot water bottle made it worse. My life would come grinding to a halt for six days every month. It could not go on like that. A few kilos of water retention is a tiny price to pay for being an actually functional human being.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
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    I take it for my skin (adult onset acne) and painful periods. I was taken off it briefly and the skin problems came back worse than ever so the pros outweigh the cons.

    I'm on Marvelon in the UK, may be called something else elsewhere.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,089 Member
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    PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »
    It can cause water weight gain, which is just a fluxuation, and can cause some people to have more of an appetite, but it doesn't MAKE you gain fat, nor will it stop you from losing.

    This
  • myssjaxson
    myssjaxson Posts: 89 Member
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    There is no scientific or proven reason as to why contraceptives would cause weight gain. Though if it makes you more emotional which it can, and if you're an emotional eater, that could contribute. I'm on BC pills, have been for 3 months (I have endometriosis), its continuous (I never take a sugar pill). At first I was moody and ate more, I gained maybe 5lbs but I lost it back pretty quick (without trying). After 3-4 weeks I was not PMS-y anymore lol.

    Although I've bled every day since taking it and that's exactly why I started taking it (so I wouldn't bleed, when my uterus contracts the endo tissue grows more, its already in my stomach), so I'll probably be getting the implant soon.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
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    I've been on birth control the whole time I've been losing the 65 lbs I've lost. Take the pill and count your calories. The weight will come off just fine.
  • HardcoreP0rk
    HardcoreP0rk Posts: 936 Member
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    miarail wrote: »
    I want to start going on birth controll but I hear horrible stories about people gaining weight or how hard it is to lose those stingy pounds. (sorry for the personal info, but I need advice). I have a super irregular period, i get it like every 6 months, so I am thinking i might go on birth control to regulate my hormones. Do you think it might hurt me from losing the weight i want? I was thinking that it might help, since i have wacky hormones, but Im just afriad Ill gain even more weight! ahh if anyone has any stories or advice for all those ladies out there, that would be much appreciated!! xoxo

    I've never had a problem with weight gain on bc of any form. I have heard that taking an implant or IUD carries less of a risk of weight gain than oral contraceptives, but you should research and speak with your doctor to find what best suits you.
  • Pookylou
    Pookylou Posts: 988 Member
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    I went on the pill for my skin & cramps as a teenager (Nowhere near sexually active :D ) & it really helped, didn't make me gain weight at all (it was called Brevinor - I think!).

    I now have the implant, on my 4th one, & I love it! No periods, no cramps or mood swings, & no babies! I'd have a chat with your GP about your options, especially as you're looking for hormonal help, as it were.
  • kadybug97
    kadybug97 Posts: 33 Member
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    I started going on the pill 2 years ago. I gained 20 pounds and that's why I'm using this app - to try to get my old body back! When my doctor prescribed me the pill, she said weight gain is a common side effect and that I should start eating healthier and exercising. I was like pshhhh that's a rumor, cause like you I've heard it before. Before I know it, I gained 10 pounds, then 15, and then recently weighed myself to find out it was 20. Just eat healthier and exercise and you'll be fine. I don't necessarily blame my weight gain on the pill, because as you get older your metabolism slows down. Plus, I used to be able to eat whatever and not exercise and be able to maintain my 130lb physique. So weight gain isn't just from the pill, other factors may cause you to think its the pill. Just listen to your doc when she says start eating healthier and exercising, so you don't end up in the same boat as me:)
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
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    A low dose pill should not be a major problem for most people, however, yes, there are medical reasons that estrogen promotes weight gain. Fifty years ago, the dose of estrogen in the pill was a lot higher, and weight gain was a fairly common side effect.
  • kadybug97
    kadybug97 Posts: 33 Member
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    Oh and I never regret going on the pill. The benefits of it make the risk of weight gain worth it. I never stopped the pill even when I thought it was the reason I was gaining weight

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