For Women: Did you gain or lose Weight after going off BC?

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teach0605
teach0605 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have heard so many contradicting messages about BC. I have decided to go off Yasmin after 5 years. Any adverse side effects for those who have gone off birth control?

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  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 997 Member
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    I gained a lot. Like, 30-50 lb.

    Oh, but I got pregnant pretty quick both times I went off BC. ;) Pregnancy aside, no magic either direction.
  • stacief82
    stacief82 Posts: 109 Member
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    Birth control alone never had an impact on my weight. I have gained 30lbs while on it and I have also lost weight while on it, which leads me to the conclusion that it isn't the pill, it is the fact that I am eating too many calories!

    What I do notice, is that I have more exaggerated PMS symptoms while off the pill, which include more bloating/water retention leading up to my TOM. So just expect that weight fluctuations could be a little more pronounced, but as far as weightloss goes, I lose the expected amount for the deficit I chose whether I am on BC or not.
  • whatlunasaid
    whatlunasaid Posts: 173 Member
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    I lost weight coming off the combination pill. For me, I think it increased cravings. There's no magic to it-- just made it harder for me to make CICO work. Everybody is different, and the different methods will affect us differently.
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
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    It had zero effect on my weight, except that I fluctuated more each month the 1-2 days of ovulation. The first time I went off of it after being on it for over a decade, it took 4 cycles to get pregnant. My other two kids were conceived within a month of stopping the pill.
  • KosmosKitten
    KosmosKitten Posts: 10,476 Member
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    I was on Yasmin for years, too! I had no problems while on it (that I recall) and it seemed like while I was on it, I had more control over my appetite than once I went off. I gained a bit of weight once I stopped taking any (after having been on various forms for seven years).

    However, I think the weight gain I experienced was probably more related to my appetite increasing than the birth control itself. I've also had an IUD and experienced no side effects (until I had to have it removed because it was trying to become "one" with me, lol).
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    edited May 2017
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    annacole94 wrote: »
    I gained a lot. Like, 30-50 lb.

    Oh, but I got pregnant pretty quick both times I went off BC. ;)

    This was going to be my answer. :smiley:

    But I have found it easier to lose weight when not taking birth control. The pill made me superhungry all the time.
  • megomerrett
    megomerrett Posts: 442 Member
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    I gained the last two times I stopped taking Yasmin... because I got pregnant both times. I'm on the Minerva iud now and prefer it massively. Hardly ever have periods. Don't have to go to the GP surgery for pill checks. No side effects.

    When I first started on the pill I was in uni and I got fat because I ate like a pig and drank like a fish. Not because of the pill.
  • MeredithDeVoe1
    MeredithDeVoe1 Posts: 67 Member
    edited May 2017
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    I was using low-dose bc in lieu of hrt, which is unavailable where I live in West Africa, for 5 years. I stopped last summer because I experienced a spike in migraines, and was hoping it would help.

    I didn't lose weight until I decided to rejoin MFP in December and started exercising harder than before. Since December I've lost 15 lbs.

    Conclusion: weight loss or gain is due to exercise and eating right- or not. :)

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