Battling side effects
Blshumway2010
Posts: 131 Member
My husband and I have three kids. He wants no more and I (at least for a while) want no more either. So after our youngest was born I had an IUD placed so that I knew I would not forget a pill or anything like that. One of the biggest side effects of the IUD is weight gain (I have gone up almost 30). Sometimes it seems like no matter how much I work out and how few calories I eat or the healthy choices I make my weight just continues to go up. Does anyone know what you can do to battle the side effects of birth control.
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Replies
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Get a digital food scale and weigh all solid foods. Use a measuring cup or spoon to measure all liquids. Log them all and count your calories. When you log calories, use nutrition info from labels that you have in hand or info that matches the USDA database, which is available for free online. Set your calorie goal on MFP for a loss of 1 pound per week. Eat to that goal. If you are not physically active, you can remain sedentary and lose weight. However, if you are interested in becoming a healthier individual rather than just a thinner individual, I suggest getting up and moving more often. If you do decide to exercise, log it in MFP. Eat your exercise calories, or at least a portion of them, in order to continue to fuel your more active lifestyle. Since the calorie deficit you need to lose weight is figured into your base calories, you will still lose weight if you use reasonable exercise calorie estimates.7
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DIM will help with hormone balancing.0
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The side effect isn't weight gain, it is possibly an increase in appetite which in turn causes you to eat more and gain weight. So the blame here lies with what is going in your mouth. Get accurate with your logging and intake and you will lose weight.16
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If I may ask, did your doctor tell you that it would specifically cause weight gain? I had a similar question before I started the pill, and the consensus was that it doesn't cause weight gain in a vacuum -- but it does increase cravings and moodiness. I've been on birth control (granted a different style) for two years now and it hasn't had any impact on my weight, outside of my own food choices.
Like, @jemhh says, the first thing to do it make sure your logging is tightened up; it's not just that you're making healthy choices, but that you're eating less than your body burns in a day. If you're not already weighing your food on a scale, start doing that. Set up an activity level and your goal in MFP, and double-check database entries to make sure they're accurate. You might also consider talking to your doctor if you're worried. You might also consider a non-hormonal birth control; if you both know you're done having children, a vasectomy is a simpler form of birth control that doesn't place any extra stress on your hormones or body.3 -
If I may ask, did your doctor tell you that it would specifically cause weight gain? I had a similar question before I started the pill, and the consensus was that it doesn't cause weight gain in a vacuum -- but it does increase cravings and moodiness. I've been on birth control (granted a different style) for two years now and it hasn't had any impact on my weight, outside of my own food choices.
Like, @jemhh says, the first thing to do it make sure your logging is tightened up; it's not just that you're making healthy choices, but that you're eating less than your body burns in a day. If you're not already weighing your food on a scale, start doing that. Set up an activity level and your goal in MFP, and double-check database entries to make sure they're accurate. You might also consider talking to your doctor if you're worried. You might also consider a non-hormonal birth control; if you both know you're done having children, a vasectomy is a simpler form of birth control that doesn't place any extra stress on your hormones or body.
Ya, my fiance got a vasectomy and we couldn't be happier.
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The Paragard IUD is an alternative as well. I'm not really sure why women choose Mirena over Paragard, considering that Paragard is non-hormonal. Is it the cost?1
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Get it taken out if you're questioning if it's causing you issues. There are other methods with different hormones that your body might react to better. I had mine out a few months ago and I dropped over 7 lbs in the first week, my hair started feeling thicker again (hair loss can be a side effect) and my mind just felt less foggy. It takes like 6 months to fully leave your system though. Through my research at the time they say something like 10% of women experience those negative side effects and you might be part of that small percentage. I only wish I would have had it taken out sooner.3
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Thanks to you all. I do already measure my food and log everything I eat and I log most activity. Hard to log what I walk at work because it is so busy I can track it all while I am there. My doctor specifically said that weight gain was a side effect that hit many women. I cut out a few thinks like pop and such after it was placed and started eating more fruits and vegetables and less "junk" food. With in the first week of having the IUD placed I gained 10 pounds. Gain has been slow ever since no matter what I try. I am considering having it taken out because I am having some other issues that caused some one to ask if I had one said they had the same things just trying to work out what I want to go on instead. Dont want to do the vasectomy because I would like more kids eventually I think or would at least like the option.1
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VintageFeline wrote: »The side effect isn't weight gain, it is possibly an increase in appetite which in turn causes you to eat more and gain weight. So the blame here lies with what is going in your mouth. Get accurate with your logging and intake and you will lose weight.
I do log accurately and most days have fewer calories in than out on MFP.0 -
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If I may ask, did your doctor tell you that it would specifically cause weight gain? I had a similar question before I started the pill, and the consensus was that it doesn't cause weight gain in a vacuum -- but it does increase cravings and moodiness. I've been on birth control (granted a different style) for two years now and it hasn't had any impact on my weight, outside of my own food choices.
Like, @jemhh says, the first thing to do it make sure your logging is tightened up; it's not just that you're making healthy choices, but that you're eating less than your body burns in a day. If you're not already weighing your food on a scale, start doing that. Set up an activity level and your goal in MFP, and double-check database entries to make sure they're accurate. You might also consider talking to your doctor if you're worried. You might also consider a non-hormonal birth control; if you both know you're done having children, a vasectomy is a simpler form of birth control that doesn't place any extra stress on your hormones or body.
The doc did specifically say weight gain was a side effect for many women.0 -
tcunbeliever wrote: »DIM will help with hormone balancing.
DIM?0 -
The Paragard IUD is an alternative as well. I'm not really sure why women choose Mirena over Paragard, considering that Paragard is non-hormonal. Is it the cost?
I personally needed the hormones. My doctor observed me over producing a lining, causing bleeding for months at a time. She advised me to stay with progesterone to keep the lining from growing too thick. There are cases for hormonal birth control, not every option is right for every woman.0 -
bchrispell wrote: »If I may ask, did your doctor tell you that it would specifically cause weight gain? I had a similar question before I started the pill, and the consensus was that it doesn't cause weight gain in a vacuum -- but it does increase cravings and moodiness. I've been on birth control (granted a different style) for two years now and it hasn't had any impact on my weight, outside of my own food choices.
Like, @jemhh says, the first thing to do it make sure your logging is tightened up; it's not just that you're making healthy choices, but that you're eating less than your body burns in a day. If you're not already weighing your food on a scale, start doing that. Set up an activity level and your goal in MFP, and double-check database entries to make sure they're accurate. You might also consider talking to your doctor if you're worried. You might also consider a non-hormonal birth control; if you both know you're done having children, a vasectomy is a simpler form of birth control that doesn't place any extra stress on your hormones or body.
The doc did specifically say weight gain was a side effect for many women.
You just have to wonder, if every woman who loses weight "easily" on birth control, how much of the gain in the first place is because you mentally expect to gain weight? If you think it's inevitable, did you work to prevent it? Likely not.
Not that I'm saying it's all your fault, but I am one who believes in mind over matter. I thought for a long time I could blame my weight gain on Zoloft. But looking back it wasn't the case. I ate too much. Now I'm eating less. Gaining weight is within your control. Get accurate with your logging and stick to a calorie goal. Stick with it long enough and prove to yourself it's YOU making the choice to lose or gain, not your IUD.4 -
bchrispell wrote: »Thanks to you all. I do already measure my food and log everything I eat and I log most activity. Hard to log what I walk at work because it is so busy I can track it all while I am there. My doctor specifically said that weight gain was a side effect that hit many women. I cut out a few thinks like pop and such after it was placed and started eating more fruits and vegetables and less "junk" food. With in the first week of having the IUD placed I gained 10 pounds. Gain has been slow ever since no matter what I try. I am considering having it taken out because I am having some other issues that caused some one to ask if I had one said they had the same things just trying to work out what I want to go on instead. Dont want to do the vasectomy because I would like more kids eventually I think or would at least like the option.
Did you eat 24500 calories over your "maintenance calories" that week? Are you sure the weight gained is "fat gain" and not water weight and bloating due to the influx of hormones.. moreover progesterone and effects on leptin and ghrelin to have gained any "fat" that week? this is not real weight but the body adusting or trying to adjust to hormonal changes due to the IUD..
Now any subsequent fat gains after that first week are due to the effects it has on the hungry hormones causing you to eat more.
I would get off this and perhaps find a non hormonal birth control or work closely with your doctor and find out the best avenue to understand the effects this has on your body and any weight gain and see if there is something else to try out instead.1 -
Weight gain cannot occur in a vacuum. The doctor stating weight gain as a side effect is a simplistic way of saying, increased appetite = weight gain. The only way physiologically and scientifically for one to gain weight is to eat more than their body requires.
The initial weight of 10lbs was more than likely water, hormone changes easily cause water retention.
What are your stats? How do you measure your portions? Cups and spoons, eyeball or scales and measures? How long have you been tracking? Do you track every single thing you eat and how long have you been consistently doing this? What is your activity level set to and your loss goal?3 -
VintageFeline wrote: »Weight gain cannot occur in a vacuum. The doctor stating weight gain as a side effect is a simplistic way of saying, increased appetite = weight gain. The only way physiologically and scientifically for one to gain weight is to eat more than their body requires.
The initial weight of 10lbs was more than likely water, hormone changes easily cause water retention.
What are your stats? How do you measure your portions? Cups and spoons, eyeball or scales and measures? How long have you been tracking? Do you track every single thing you eat and how long have you been consistently doing this? What is your activity level set to and your loss goal?
These are all very pertinent questions.
I'd bet activity level is the culprit, if you're consistently under and you're using a scale and don't skip any item that you eat and drink. I had mine set too high for something like three months, and it was frustrating to see my weight stagnate while I felt like I was at the right calorie level. Once I made some changes, my weight started moving again.
Best of luck making a decision regarding future birth control. It can be a really hard thing to make decisions about.0 -
I've been really successful on MFP - I've lost 141 pounds & counting. I have to take thyroid meds because I had thyroid cancer & had my thyroid removed. I have thyroid bloodwork at least every 8 weeks, so that we can make dose changes as I lose weight.
A few months back, I started having abnormal uterine bleeding. Lots of tests, etc. So about 2.5 weeks ago, my GYN had me go on BC pills so we could do another test at a very particular part of my cycle. Within a few days, I started to feel a familiar & dreaded increasingly cruddy feeling. (It took several years to find the right dose of thyroid meds for me.) My PCP ran my thyroid bloodwork early, and even though I had only been taking BC pills for 1.5 weeks, there were dramatic changes in my thyroid numbers.
My endocrinologist says that BC pills affect how your body processes inactive thyroid hormone to active thyroid hormone in your liver. There's also another thing with a binding protein. Women with a well functioning thyroid just compensate & the theory is they end up with their normal levels. I can't because I don't have about thyroid any more.
The symptoms women often describe from taking BC pills - difficulty losing weight, weight gain, hair loss/thinning & mental fogginess - those are among the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism. Since thyroid issues are more common in women than men anyway, it makes me wonder if the women who struggle with taking BC pills are unmasking some thyroid issues.
I don't know if there's any research about this. But I do have personal bloodwork that shows changes I find hard to believe. I can't wait to get done with this pack of pills, get my GYN test, and never, ever go on BC pills again. My hubby had a vasectomy years ago. So much of a better option!
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Also, how much have you lost in what time period? How long since you last saw a loss? How often do you weigh yourself? Are you tracking any other progress, measurements for example?0
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bchrispell wrote: »Thanks to you all. I do already measure my food and log everything I eat and I log most activity. Hard to log what I walk at work because it is so busy I can track it all while I am there. My doctor specifically said that weight gain was a side effect that hit many women. I cut out a few thinks like pop and such after it was placed and started eating more fruits and vegetables and less "junk" food. With in the first week of having the IUD placed I gained 10 pounds. Gain has been slow ever since no matter what I try. I am considering having it taken out because I am having some other issues that caused some one to ask if I had one said they had the same things just trying to work out what I want to go on instead. Dont want to do the vasectomy because I would like more kids eventually I think or would at least like the option.
Did you eat 24500 calories over your "maintenance calories" that week? Are you sure the weight gained is "fat gain" and not water weight and bloating due to the influx of hormones.. moreover progesterone and effects on leptin and ghrelin to have gained any "fat" that week? this is not real weight but the body adusting or trying to adjust to hormonal changes due to the IUD..
Now any subsequent fat gains after that first week are due to the effects it has on the hungry hormones causing you to eat more.
I would get off this and perhaps find a non hormonal birth control or work closely with your doctor and find out the best avenue to understand the effects this has on your body and any weight gain and see if there is something else to try out instead.
It may have been water I am not sure. I did not know that the hormone change from birth control could cause that.0 -
VintageFeline wrote: »Weight gain cannot occur in a vacuum. The doctor stating weight gain as a side effect is a simplistic way of saying, increased appetite = weight gain. The only way physiologically and scientifically for one to gain weight is to eat more than their body requires.
The initial weight of 10lbs was more than likely water, hormone changes easily cause water retention.
What are your stats? How do you measure your portions? Cups and spoons, eyeball or scales and measures? How long have you been tracking? Do you track every single thing you eat and how long have you been consistently doing this? What is your activity level set to and your loss goal?
I am 5'7" 318 lbs. I measure my portions with a scale as well as measuring cups and spoons. I am not sure how long I have been tracking. I was keeping a food journal for a while and writing down everything for a while when I went with out internet have been back on MFP for a while. I track everything I eat (I have even gone as far as to grab my husbands phone to get online when I had a piece of gum in the car so I could put it in). Again I am not sure exactly how long I have been doing it but it has been a while. My weight loss goal is set to 2 pounds a week and my activity level is set to sedentary. I try to stay active when at home and between customers at work but work does involve a lot of sitting as do the many trips in the car to take my oldest to the doctor all the time.0 -
Can_Do_Gal wrote: »I've been really successful on MFP - I've lost 141 pounds & counting. I have to take thyroid meds because I had thyroid cancer & had my thyroid removed. I have thyroid bloodwork at least every 8 weeks, so that we can make dose changes as I lose weight.
A few months back, I started having abnormal uterine bleeding. Lots of tests, etc. So about 2.5 weeks ago, my GYN had me go on BC pills so we could do another test at a very particular part of my cycle. Within a few days, I started to feel a familiar & dreaded increasingly cruddy feeling. (It took several years to find the right dose of thyroid meds for me.) My PCP ran my thyroid bloodwork early, and even though I had only been taking BC pills for 1.5 weeks, there were dramatic changes in my thyroid numbers.
My endocrinologist says that BC pills affect how your body processes inactive thyroid hormone to active thyroid hormone in your liver. There's also another thing with a binding protein. Women with a well functioning thyroid just compensate & the theory is they end up with their normal levels. I can't because I don't have about thyroid any more.
The symptoms women often describe from taking BC pills - difficulty losing weight, weight gain, hair loss/thinning & mental fogginess - those are among the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism. Since thyroid issues are more common in women than men anyway, it makes me wonder if the women who struggle with taking BC pills are unmasking some thyroid issues.
I don't know if there's any research about this. But I do have personal bloodwork that shows changes I find hard to believe. I can't wait to get done with this pack of pills, get my GYN test, and never, ever go on BC pills again. My hubby had a vasectomy years ago. So much of a better option!
Sorry about all you have had to go through. My doctor wanted to do a thyroid test but it has not been scheduled yet.1 -
VintageFeline wrote: »Also, how much have you lost in what time period? How long since you last saw a loss? How often do you weigh yourself? Are you tracking any other progress, measurements for example?
When I initially started on MFP I lost almost 30 pounds, then I stopped when I was pregnant because I moved and had no internet for a few months and I have not seen a loss since prepregnancy. I weigh my self once a week and either stay the same or go up about a pound. I am not tracking any other progress because I have never done my measurements and am not sure how.
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I recommend if you are done having children that your husband get a vasectomy. No hormones for you, no hormones for him. Tell him it's great for your sex life - absolutely no fear of pregnancy. (After he's passed the all clear, no swimmers test.)0
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The Paragard IUD is an alternative as well. I'm not really sure why women choose Mirena over Paragard, considering that Paragard is non-hormonal. Is it the cost?I personally needed the hormones. My doctor observed me over producing a lining, causing bleeding for months at a time. She advised me to stay with progesterone to keep the lining from growing too thick. There are cases for hormonal birth control, not every option is right for every woman.
Another option for progesterone is Prometrium, an FDA approved bio-identical progesterone that comes in pill form.1 -
i went on b/c only one time in my life and i gained RAPIDLY and ALOT. it was NOT due to overeating as i kept the same routine of food intake and exercise. hormones can be tricky little things! i would suggest trying something w/o hormones like an IUD w/o hormones or something surgical if you are ready for permanent b/c. unfortunately for me, until i got off b/c, i was heavy. i lost all my weight as soon as i went off.
**this was over 20 years ago, so not recently**0 -
bchrispell wrote: »Dont want to do the vasectomy because I would like more kids eventually I think or would at least like the option.
Vasectomies can be reversed.
But check out this book: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/taking-charge-of-your-fertility-20th-anniversary-edition-toni-weschler/1119908785
I'd post the Amazon link, but my Mom uses my account sometimes and I don't want her getting the wrong idea from my browsing history. Charting may be a better way for you to go.
Reading this I sound kinda hippy, but whatever.2 -
bchrispell wrote: »Dont want to do the vasectomy because I would like more kids eventually I think or would at least like the option.
Vasectomies can be reversed.
ooooo i have to disagree. once a man has a vasect, his sperm count decreases over time. if it's reversed later, he could have a zero (or close to) count. i would NEVER consider any surgical methods "REVERSABLE"
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Agreed with this. Increased appetite is the side effect which causes weight gain. Consuming more fuel than you body needs to maintain its current weight is the only way to gain weight.VintageFeline wrote: »The side effect isn't weight gain, it is possibly an increase in appetite which in turn causes you to eat more and gain weight. So the blame here lies with what is going in your mouth. Get accurate with your logging and intake and you will lose weight.
Yeah, but do you weigh all solid and semi solid foods in grams on a food scale? Measuring and weighing foods yield very different calorie counts.bchrispell wrote: »Thanks to you all. I do already measure my food and log everything I eat and I log most activity. Hard to log what I walk at work because it is so busy I can track it all while I am there. My doctor specifically said that weight gain was a side effect that hit many women. I cut out a few thinks like pop and such after it was placed and started eating more fruits and vegetables and less "junk" food. With in the first week of having the IUD placed I gained 10 pounds. Gain has been slow ever since no matter what I try. I am considering having it taken out because I am having some other issues that caused some one to ask if I had one said they had the same things just trying to work out what I want to go on instead. Dont want to do the vasectomy because I would like more kids eventually I think or would at least like the option.
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cerise_noir wrote: »
Yeah, but do you weigh all solid and semi solid foods in grams on a food scale? Measuring and weighing foods yield very different calorie counts.
i agree with measuring in grams on a scale, instead of "cups" or "fluid ounces."
my scale measures out to 1.11 grams (as an example) so i can get very accurate as compared to a measuring cup, which may or may not be an ACTUAL cup.
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