Ladies: Your birth control is making you fat!

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crjugrl
crjugrl Posts: 172
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But don't rule it out.

I have been busting my butt for the last 6 months doing Zumba, the 30 Day Shred, Turbo Jam-- you name it-- 4-6 days a week. I zig-zagged my calories, drank my water and kept my sodium intake below 1500. And guess what?

I haven't lost an ounce.

Naturally, I was completely devastated. So for the last month or so I've dropped all exercise and I've been back to my old eating habits (keeping sensible portions in mind, but not tracking calories) and I've continued to maintain. Much less work, and just as little progress.

I made an appointment with my doctor and expressed my concerns. She checked my thyroid and interviewed me pretty thoroughly. My thyroid was fine and everything else seemed to check out (getting enough sleep, eating properly, etc.), until we finally got to the topic of birth control. Since starting birth control pills (Levora), I have been extremely emotional (and I have never been an emotional person), it KILLED my libido (tmi) :tongue:, and I've gained 15 pounds.

She gave me the spiel about how birth control pills only cause some women to gain weight, but only about 5 pounds. She said that the depo shot may cause about a 15 pound weight gain, but since that is a different form of birth control, that didn't apply to me. I didn't buy it. I have never been a compulsive eater. I've always been about 15-20 pounds over weight, but never has my weight ever sky rocketed like that in as little as 5 months. So she switched my pill to Gianvi, the generic form of Yaz.

Let me start by saying that this pill has awful reviews, and I'm hoping that I never experience half of the side effects that some people have stated they have experienced. But I've just finished my first full month of taking these pills and sticking with my normal eating habits and no exercise, and guess what? My appetite isn't half of what it used to be, the libido is back, and I'm down 3 pounds.

So if you're weight isn't budging and you're giving it all you've got, consider switching up your contraception.

Just my two cents :drinker:
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Replies

  • TinaS88
    TinaS88 Posts: 817 Member
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    Well you also have to be careful WHAT you eat, more than just how much... doesn't matter if you are under your calories if you are eating all crap.

    Never heard about the pill causing weight gain, but I know my mom used depo and gained a ton of weight while on it.

    Mirena here... no worries in that area. :P

    Oh, also... are you checking your inches? The scale can be evil sometimes.. you can loose inches without the scale actually really moving.
  • mpmama2re
    mpmama2re Posts: 212 Member
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    it also depends on what type of pill you are taking. different pills different levels of hormones. I can lose weight fine on the
    one I am taking right now. maybe switch?
  • miss_ally08
    miss_ally08 Posts: 167 Member
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    I take Ortho-Tri-Cyclen & I've been on it for almost 7 years now & it never made me gain weight. The only thing I heard that makes you gain is depo for some reason, lol.

    But, I'm glad you went to the doctor to try to figure it out. Maybe you just hit some type of plateau or are just really stressed? Stress makes you gain weight :(
  • MelissaCagle
    MelissaCagle Posts: 52 Member
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    Do you know anything about the Mirena? That's what I have.
  • tbrown1025
    tbrown1025 Posts: 165
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    Yes, the pill can make you gain weight. As with ANY hormone therapy, it can make your internal hormones "wonky," and hormones control SO SO much more than we know. Hormones regulate metabolism, energy levels, libido, fat storage, everything. Synthetic hormones can and often do confuse your natural hormone balance, and likely for the worse. :/
  • Pangui
    Pangui Posts: 373 Member
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    Sorry to read about your difficulties. I take the same pill and I guess I must be lucky. I notice no side effects and it has made my life livable again (due to it's regulation of my cycle). I think it has saved me from needing a hysterectomy, so I am willing to put up with a lot for that benefit alone.
  • bookyeti
    bookyeti Posts: 544 Member
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    It has been proven that birth control pills, in general, increase insulin resistance - a physiological condition where the natural hormone insulin becomes less effective at lowering blood sugars. The resulting increase in blood glucose may raise levels outside the normal range and cause adverse health effects, depending on dietary conditions...including weight gain.

    For many women who don't struggle with insulin/sugar problems, the pill won't make a huge dent in this area... but if you are someone who does have insulin resistance, type II diabetes, and/or PCOS, it will cause a lot more problems than it will solve.
  • carmcd
    carmcd Posts: 115
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    I am on yaz too, have been for over a year...never had a problem with the awful side effects people say (knock on wood!) and also have been able to lose (and gain, thought it was my fault haha) too! Heard that it varies person to person and pill brand to pill brand!
  • rosalee87
    rosalee87 Posts: 221 Member
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    I take Ortho-Tri-Cyclen & I've been on it for almost 7 years now & it never made me gain weight. The only thing I heard that makes you gain is depo for some reason, lol.

    But, I'm glad you went to the doctor to try to figure it out. Maybe you just hit some type of plateau or are just really stressed? Stress makes you gain weight :(


    I'm also on Ortho-Tri-Cyclen; I gained weight only 'cus I never cared about how much or what I ate but now that I'm trying to lose weight it's allowing me to.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
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    I had one brand of pill that made me stark raving mad. I only took that one month. The side effects might have been temporary, but I didn't want to risk another month of that hell.

    Knowing what I know now, it had me in a 24/7 anxiety attack. Road rage level anxiety, all the time. I still believe that it was one of the triggers for my TMJ problems.

    Different people react differently to the same things. I did great on the antidepressant Lexapro, but I know people who felt like they were in a daze on it. The muscle relaxant Flexeril worked well for me; Soma didn't do a thing.. But I know people who were looped out of their mind on Soma. We're all unique.
  • ajfranzen77
    ajfranzen77 Posts: 118
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    Careful with Yaz! My friend just found out she is pregnant after a year of being on YAZ!!! No missed pills, no antibiotics were taken while on it either!
  • crjugrl
    crjugrl Posts: 172
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    Well you also have to be careful WHAT you eat, more than just how much... doesn't matter if you are under your calories if you are eating all crap.

    Never heard about the pill causing weight gain, but I know my mom used depo and gained a ton of weight while on it.

    Mirena here... no worries in that area. :P

    Oh, also... are you checking your inches? The scale can be evil sometimes.. you can loose inches without the scale actually really moving.

    The type of food I was eating is actually one of the things I discussed with my doctor. I did goood :smile:. I'm not entirely comfortable with the idea of Mirena yet, but maybe someday I'll warm up to it lol. And I did lose 1.5 inches. Not enough for 6 months worth of my best effort, in my opinion.

    To everyone else, I'm super jealous that your contraception didn't make you gain weight! I'm just happy that my new one isn't making me gain any more, and that it's also allowing me to lose!! It definitely does vary person to person and brand to brand, as another poster said. The "ingredients" effect everyone differently. It's just good to keep in mind for those who may not realize that this may be the reason they're not losing :flowerforyou:
  • WalkingGirl1985
    WalkingGirl1985 Posts: 2,047 Member
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    I'm on depo now..and I've been losing while on it for the most part. Sometimes i feel more cranky, emotional, in the mood to eat so much, but not often. So hey, whatever works! :bigsmile:
  • miss_ally08
    miss_ally08 Posts: 167 Member
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    I take Ortho-Tri-Cyclen & I've been on it for almost 7 years now & it never made me gain weight. The only thing I heard that makes you gain is depo for some reason, lol.

    But, I'm glad you went to the doctor to try to figure it out. Maybe you just hit some type of plateau or are just really stressed? Stress makes you gain weight :(


    I'm also on Ortho-Tri-Cyclen; I gained weight only 'cus I never cared about how much or what I ate but now that I'm trying to lose weight it's allowing me to.

    I love it, lol. :) I'm sure you will lose weight though!! How much do you have to go?
  • saadler
    saadler Posts: 116
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    I know that for some people birth control can make your weight skyrocket. For me, it was the opposite. When I first went on it a couple years ago for PCOS, I was constantly starving. But what I soon realized was that even though I was eating a ton, I wasn't gaining anything. Lucky for me, my appetite went back down before I started gaining anything.
  • Rebeloo24
    Rebeloo24 Posts: 6
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    I've been on just about every low dose b/c and even tried depo. Every time I gain about 20+lbs, and when I stop I drop it right off. But I assume it mostly because of my hypo thyroid and being sensitive to to hormones.
    I have a joke that they call it birth control cuz it makes me fat and crazy and no one wants to deal with a fat crazy chick anyways lol
  • crjugrl
    crjugrl Posts: 172
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    I've been on just about every low dose b/c and even tried depo. Every time I gain about 20+lbs, and when I stop I drop it right off. But I assume it mostly because of my hypo thyroid and being sensitive to to hormones.
    I have a joke that they call it birth control cuz it makes me fat and crazy and no one wants to deal with a fat crazy chick anyways lol

    bahahaha!! I just love the irony of it killing my libido. Extra protection! lol!
  • Rebeloo24
    Rebeloo24 Posts: 6
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    That too. I hate the lows of pms and fighting wanting to over eat, but the highs while ovulating and not having much of an appetite, and feeling like I'm in "heat" is kinda fun. Plus having the desire makes for some extra cardio activities :wink: lol
    It's a give and take.
  • hush7hush
    hush7hush Posts: 2,273 Member
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    This is why I LOVE MY MIRENA! <3
  • crjugrl
    crjugrl Posts: 172
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    That too. I hate the lows of pms and fighting wanting to over eat, but the highs while ovulating and not having much of an appetite, and feeling like I'm in "heat" is kinda fun. Plus having the desire makes for some extra cardio activities :wink: lol
    It's a give and take.

    AGREED! :laugh:

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