How much does the birth control pill really affect your weig

ccano
ccano Posts: 149 Member
edited September 19 in Health and Weight Loss
I want to know what you guys think about this. I have been off the pill for awhile, but I would like to get back on it and into a routine of taking it before my husband comes home. I'm just worried because I see so many people complaining that the pill makes you gain weight. Even though I was on the pill before, I didn't pay attention to whether or not it was causing me to gain weight. Plus, I ate complete crap back then anyway, so if I did gain weight I could not possibly blame it on the pill. I have this theory that maybe people just like to blame the pill when they do in fact gain weight. I don't know though.

I'm also considering the shots, but I don't even know how that works or what side effects go along with that. Any info on that?

Replies

  • ccano
    ccano Posts: 149 Member
    I want to know what you guys think about this. I have been off the pill for awhile, but I would like to get back on it and into a routine of taking it before my husband comes home. I'm just worried because I see so many people complaining that the pill makes you gain weight. Even though I was on the pill before, I didn't pay attention to whether or not it was causing me to gain weight. Plus, I ate complete crap back then anyway, so if I did gain weight I could not possibly blame it on the pill. I have this theory that maybe people just like to blame the pill when they do in fact gain weight. I don't know though.

    I'm also considering the shots, but I don't even know how that works or what side effects go along with that. Any info on that?
  • LuckyLeprechaun
    LuckyLeprechaun Posts: 6,296 Member
    it is a small effect, if any. the pill affects your hormones, so the same reason you feel "munchies" during TOM, is the same reason why people may gain weight on the pill. but if you stick to your calories, do a good job, there will be no effect.
  • nightangelstars
    nightangelstars Posts: 337 Member
    Well, what I've heard is that the pill typically doesn't have a huge effect on your weight - maybe 2 or 3 pounds, but it varies between people. The Depo-Provera shot, on the other hand, affects you a great deal more and has more side effects. I think it also causes you to gain more weight, besides carrying greater risks for cardiovascular health (more risk of clots) and other things. Personally, I would stick with the pill if it worked for you before and see how it goes - you can always try something else, after all, while the shot lasts for as long as it lasts and you can't really quit halfway through that one.

    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    it is a small effect, if any. the pill affects your hormones, so the same reason you feel "munchies" during TOM, is the same reason why people may gain weight on the pill. but if you stick to your calories, do a good job, there will be no effect.

    I agree it has little effect on weight if you can control calories and munchies
  • Tailea
    Tailea Posts: 84 Member
    The pill doesn't affect weight nearly as much as it once did. I've been on it for a few years and it didn't do anything (+/-) weight wise. Back in the day, like when my mom was younger (the 60s/70s) girls would gain weight on the pill, but that doesn't happen nearly as much anymore because they have improved them.
  • jaglover04
    jaglover04 Posts: 82 Member
    I think like you when it comes to the pill, if it does make you gain i wouldn't think it to be a significant amount, but the shot i wouldn't recomend!! My sister was on it and she went up in weight and she was on weight watchers and following her plan, plus after she got off it if her cycles haven't been reguar since and she didn't even have a period for over a year when she first got off it. I just haven't heard good things about the shot!! I was on the ring and really like it, if you looking to not take a pill ever day!! Even the patch wasn't bad when i was on it i just didn't like its size and how its like a band aid so you get all the gross stuff around it and you have to leave it till its time to come off...Maybe a little more info than you were looking for but FYI. Good Luck :)
  • Chellekk
    Chellekk Posts: 421 Member
    Ditto. I've been on both and had no issues and if I did...it was my own fault. :grumble:
  • Beeks5
    Beeks5 Posts: 41
    I think as long as you keep eating healthy the pill is the way to go! I took Depo and was still quite active and still gained 20lbs in a year! It was not fun that's for sure .. I am still on the pill and have been able to lose my baby weight .. so thats my advice! Yay Pill .. Nay Depo!
  • cloding
    cloding Posts: 8
    I really cant say either, since i started the pill in college, and you know the whole freshman 15 thing! I just recently went off the pill, while at the same time joining MFP, and I lost 5 lbs in two weeks. My doctor says the reason you gain weight on the pill is because you retain more water, so keep up your water drinking, and you may be ok. DO NOT go on the shot if gaining weight is your fear. I have had more friends than I can mention go on the shot and gain 15-20 pounds in the first few months, my doctor has even confirmed this with me. I am about to start an IUD, and have heard nothing but great things about it, no weight gain, lighter period, its good for 5 years, and can come out whenever you decide you want to have children (or more children if you already have some). Hope this helps a little!
  • raelee
    raelee Posts: 10
    I have been on and off the pill 3 times since I have been married. I never noticed a weight gain during those times.
    Good luck!
  • csantos1182
    csantos1182 Posts: 117
    I had bad luck with the pill- I gained about 15 pounds even though I still counted my calories and exercised properly. Then when I got off the pill I got pregnant and gained quite a bit more:laugh: I am using Mirena right now and loving it. I think it just depends on the person. Both my sisters are on the pill and only experienced slight weight gain (about a pound or two).
  • sarabear
    sarabear Posts: 864
    :bigsmile:
    I think like you when it comes to the pill, if it does make you gain i wouldn't think it to be a significant amount, but the shot i wouldn't recomend!! My sister was on it and she went up in weight and she was on weight watchers and following her plan, plus after she got off it if her cycles haven't been reguar since and she didn't even have a period for over a year when she first got off it. I just haven't heard good things about the shot!! I was on the ring and really like it, if you looking to not take a pill ever day!! Even the patch wasn't bad when i was on it i just didn't like its size and how its like a band aid so you get all the gross stuff around it and you have to leave it till its time to come off...Maybe a little more info than you were looking for but FYI. Good Luck :)

    I agree completely! I was on Depo, and could NEVER loose, in fact I'd gain, not that I was really trying to loose, but weight came on easy. Then I switched to the patch, same issues as above, but not only that, it would stick to my clothes sometimes then when I went to the bathroom, sometimes it'd get ripped off because it was stuck to my underware!!!:grumble: :noway: !!! Now I'm on the 3 month pill Seasonique. You get your cycle every three months which is FINE WITH ME!!!:bigsmile: I have been on it for about a year and have had NO probs!
  • menjivas
    menjivas Posts: 124 Member
    I think it depends on your body and what you take. I've been on the pill since I was 18. The first pill I took was tri-cycle with heavy estrogen and I gained about seven pounds(lost it all literally a couple weeks I got off it). Now, I'm on a low dosage pill and I haven't gain any weight.
  • astarte09
    astarte09 Posts: 531 Member
    The pills nowadays really dont hurt you. I am loosing weight at a normal pace. I am on the nuvaring tho. You may want to ask your doctor which one is the best for not gaining weight.
  • heather0mc
    heather0mc Posts: 4,656 Member
    there are so many different options for the pill now - you really are at liberty to work with your doctor until you find one that works for you.
  • ccano
    ccano Posts: 149 Member
    Thanks so much for all the info, everyone. I guess it's time to make my yearly appointment then. :ohwell: Not that it's particularly enjoyable, lol. But gotta get it over with.
  • yellow_pepper
    yellow_pepper Posts: 708 Member
    there are so many different options for the pill now - you really are at liberty to work with your doctor until you find one that works for you.

    They all affect you differently... Mine actually prevents cramps and water retention, and my periods are so light I hardly notice them. But what works best for me might not work best for you.

    As for the Depo issue. Read the side effects for Depo and you'll see they sound a lot like the side effects for ... menopause. Weight gain in the abdomen, bone mass reduction, hair loss. This comes from the DepoProvera website:

    "Use of Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection may cause you to lose calcium stored in your bones. The longer you use Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection the more calcium you are likely to lose. The calcium may not return completely once you stop using Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection. You should use Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection long term (for example, more than 2 years) only if other methods of birth control are not right for you. "
  • ohthatbambi
    ohthatbambi Posts: 1,098 Member
    I have been on the same pill for 8 years...the pill didn't make me fat..not exercising and eating CRAP did. I have wondered if going off the pill would make me instantly drop 10 pounds, but my guess is NO. I don't think you will gain if you are controlling your eating and exercising!
  • rintin88
    rintin88 Posts: 30 Member
    When I first went on the pill I gained about 5lbs even though my eating and exercise habits remained the same as before I started taking it. My mother gains about the same amount every time she gets back on the pill as well. My doctor told me it was a normal side affect due to the pill and drinking more water would help to counteract it. So in my family's experience, the pill affects our weight.
  • MisoSoup79
    MisoSoup79 Posts: 517
    I never had problems on the pill.. I can't remember the name of the pill, but it was monophasic and I would take it for 9 weeks, then go off for a week to have my period.

    I tried Depo when I felt I was having trouble "remembering" to take the pill. It was the worst decision I ever made. Not only did I gain weight, but I was spotting every couple days for 9 months straight... and this is the worst part - I always spotted when I became aroused! WTF? It was horrible. I also got terrible acne all over my back and neck. The doc told me after the first 3 months that I should "normalize by the second or third shot. B.S.

    I don't recommend Depo to anyone. I've known a few ladies that only suffered weight gain and no other side effects... but the idea that a single shot affects you for 3 whole months is kind of scary. At least with the pill if you have side effects you can stop taking it right away and the hormones will clear out of your system in just a few days.
  • mommyof2kiddos
    mommyof2kiddos Posts: 36
    I'm glad you posted this as I was wondering to =)

    I can't see it having too big of an impact though..
  • Fitness_Chick
    Fitness_Chick Posts: 6,648 Member
    there are so many different options for the pill now - you really are at liberty to work with your doctor until you find one that works for you.
    Wisely put:flowerforyou: :wink:
  • duffyzmom
    duffyzmom Posts: 644 Member
    Make sure you discuss all the side effects with your doctor. I tried the Depo and had very severe depression with it. The pill never had that effect on me.
  • sassiebritches
    sassiebritches Posts: 1,861 Member
    I want to know what you guys think about this. I have been off the pill for awhile, but I would like to get back on it and into a routine of taking it before my husband comes home. I'm just worried because I see so many people complaining that the pill makes you gain weight. Even though I was on the pill before, I didn't pay attention to whether or not it was causing me to gain weight. Plus, I ate complete crap back then anyway, so if I did gain weight I could not possibly blame it on the pill. I have this theory that maybe people just like to blame the pill when they do in fact gain weight. I don't know though.

    I'm also considering the shots, but I don't even know how that works or what side effects go along with that. Any info on that?

    I personally had the depo shots and gained ALOT of weight with it. It sorta tricks your body into thinking it is pregnant, so the hunger trigger in your brain gets confused.

    I got off of the shots and can not take the pill and opted for the Mirena IUC (5 year contraception) that can be removed at any time.

    That was just my choice. I don't mind it much, very light menstrual time if one at all....I personally have not had it since July, although I do have the symptoms as usual.....check with your Gyno.......

    :flowerforyou:
  • fullofjoy720
    fullofjoy720 Posts: 161
    I never had a huge problem. I just get hungry a lot of the time near TOM
  • AmyNVegas
    AmyNVegas Posts: 2,215 Member
    Unfortunately the fact is since we all have different chemistries, both are different for everyone. I was on the pill for about 3 years and started having migraines right after TOM. Had to go off and was on nothing for a little while until depo was approved in the US. I have been on and off of DEPO since it came out. Off during financially tight times then back on when my ins. covered it finally but I was using it mainly to control hormones for migraines not to prevent pg since there was no danger of that after I divorced. I can tell you that the first time I went off I started having short term memory loss or as I like to refer to it CRS after about 6 months so I went back on a few months later and by then my ins. covered it anyway. I have no TOM when on it and never have since I started but as a larger woman I have no TOM usually anyway unless I have an extreme drop in weight or I am on the pill which seems like eons ago. If the pill works I would say stick with it because the long term with DEPO is CRS.:laugh: On the weight gain, I have never seen a big dip or gain in weight from DEPO or the pill but at my weight what's a few pounds???

    Amy:bigsmile:
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