depo shot (of birth control in general )

missay_
missay_ Posts: 29
edited October 4 in Health and Weight Loss
hi all : )
i have been on the depo shot for about 2 years now. i am having H A R D time losing any weight. has anyone else experienced this? ( with any form of birth control? ) i am really frustrated! HELP!!

Replies

  • MrsCon40
    MrsCon40 Posts: 2,351 Member
    No - I got down to 99 pounds on Depo (I am 5'6" and was 33 years old and had already had a child).

    That's probably not the reason.
  • Apryl546
    Apryl546 Posts: 909 Member
    I know of tons of people who have problem losing weight after being on Depo.. then there are some with no problems at all.

    I'm on the pill and have had zero problem losing.
  • spammyanna
    spammyanna Posts: 871 Member
    I gained weight with the Depo shot, but haven't had issues with any other birth control.
  • tiptoeketo
    tiptoeketo Posts: 271 Member
    I tried doing the depo shot about 10 years back. I gained weight so quickly that when I bent over at work one day, my jeans ripped open.

    Not fun.

    I'd say it could be to blame for no weight loss.
  • Xtina_Beba
    Xtina_Beba Posts: 218
    Depo shot is the only birth control that is guaranteed to make you gain weight and hard to put off. Some birth controls state it causes weight gain but hardly ever happens. I'm on the patch and I didn't gain weight. Try another contraceptive.
  • Tonnina
    Tonnina Posts: 979 Member
    I gained 30lbs while on that thing and I was only on it for 9 months (3 shots) it sucked... I'm on Levora now which is a pill. I've been using it for almost 2 months now and it's not hindering anything yet. I lost while I was using Yaz back in the day... :-) I know that pill has a bad wrap though. I think that it's definitely harder to lose on birth control, but it's doable... Look at me! :-P
  • MunchkinHawk12
    MunchkinHawk12 Posts: 434 Member
    I am on the pill and about to get an IUD tomorrow (non-hormonal) to see if it helps with my weight loss battle..i work out like a fiend!!! .as for the depo..i saw my BF's sister gain a bunch of weight from it, but i am sure there are other factors in her life too causing the weight gain..talk to your dr because they may want to put you on something else! Good luck!!!
  • joyeaann
    joyeaann Posts: 39 Member
    Most birth control can cause weight gain and make it more difficult to lose weight. You can still lose but it is more difficult. Not everyone has this problem but many do.
    I was on the depo for a long time when I was younger and I do blame some of my weight gain on it (not all).
    Talk to your doctor about how to combat the effects of the BC safely and in a healthy way.

    Good Luck!
  • 21karensmith
    21karensmith Posts: 50 Member
    YES!!!! I have been on the depo (this round) for about 10mths and I actually gained 12lbs:sad: , last time I gained like 20:frown: , that is the #1 side effect, which in turn...if your not gaining it just makes it difficult to lose. I have a friend that gained almost 40lbs from the pill (not sure which one) I know a lot of it has to do with the hormone lvls in it. Talk to your dr to see about another option. Good Luck:flowerforyou:
  • mommy2818
    mommy2818 Posts: 1
    I was on Depo for almost 2 years. I gained about 30lbs, at 1st I lost weight then all of a sudden I shot up. I had a lot of ppl tell me Depo does that because its more hormones (I don't know if its true or not) But I got off becuz of side effects (weight gain, mood swings) AND losing the weight was hard but the biggest thing was changing how I ate after getting off. Before and during Depo I ate out. Now I mostly eat homemade food. Talk to your doctor and see what they recommend for you maybe a different birth control works better for you
  • lyddsmom
    lyddsmom Posts: 96
    Everyone I know who has been on the depot shot has gained weight and had a hard time getting it off. But when you go off of it, the weight comes right off. Try the Nuva Ring for your next form of bc, you don't have to remember a pill everyday and it is a low dose estrogen so you don't get the usual premenstral symptoms as with other bc pills.
  • jessmars
    jessmars Posts: 131
    i was on DEPO for like 2 years....I didn't gain weight, BUT I couldn't loose any weight either and I was playing college softball and working out close to 4hrs a day and never dropped a single pound (toned yes but pounds no)
  • luhluhlaura
    luhluhlaura Posts: 278 Member
    There is a large amount of individual variance when it comes to hormonal birth control. One woman may have a certain side effect while another may not. So you may have a hard time losing weight or may gain on Depo, but another girl might lose weight!

    Most people I've spoken to gained weight on Depo.

    I've never taken it personally, but have also had a hard time losing weight since I've been on the pill. Haven't gained, but even when I up my workouts....nothing! :(
  • fridayjustleft04
    fridayjustleft04 Posts: 851 Member
    Depo shot is the only birth control that is guaranteed to make you gain weight and hard to put off. Some birth controls state it causes weight gain but hardly ever happens. I'm on the patch and I didn't gain weight. Try another contraceptive.
    It doesn't guarantee you'll gain weight. It (as all hormonal birth controls) makes it easier to gain, but to say it guarantees it is simply untrue.
  • fit4mom
    fit4mom Posts: 1,352 Member
    I know it really messed with my mental health as well as my emoshional. I decided after 7+ years off and on that I'd give it up and let my husband worry about it. It is tiring to be on any hormones and yes it made it impossible to lose weight. Not my favorite form of BC. I am more whole since I got off it.
  • becschneider
    becschneider Posts: 36
    I gained 40 kilos while on the contraceptive pill, i'm off now - i really wish it was as easy to lose the weight than it was putting it on!! :sad: It was crazy it only happened within a couple of months of me going on the pill - a specialist said that i am one of the unlucky ones that will gain weight on any hormonal contraceptives. My health got so bad too because no matter how much i exercised or dieted nothing came off, only on and my cholestorol and insulin resistance went through the roof.
  • killerqueen17
    killerqueen17 Posts: 536 Member
    I'm on BC and I'm losing, but VERY slowly... And I've always been a person who could drop weight easily. I was on Nuvaring for a year, then switched to LoEstrin and been on that for about 6 months... Haven't noticed an improvement with the weight loss issue. It's much harder than it has been in the past... I feel like my "natural weight" has increased or something.
  • misspositivity
    misspositivity Posts: 1
    i've recently takin my self off the depo shot for this reason,i guesseveryones different but i certainly couldn't lose weight on it:0)
  • Shanz78
    Shanz78 Posts: 143 Member
    I was on depo 4 years ago for about a year. I gained 40 lbs in the first 3 months! I am losing weight but not more than 1 lb a week but eventually i will reach my goal!
  • kfitz10103
    kfitz10103 Posts: 354
    I have been on Depo since December and I started losing in January. I have now lost almost 58 lbs and I am still on the depo. I am on the higher dosage too. That doesn't mean it can't be happening to you though. I would talk to your doctor.
  • Crawflowr
    Crawflowr Posts: 106 Member
    I've been on depo for several years now and had a mirena coil for 10 years before that and my weight slowly climbed. However since I've started logging what I eat and exercising a bit more and sticking to my net calories as recommended by MFP I have lost weight nearly exactly as predicted actually a little faster ( 1.3 lb per week rather than the predicted 1.1 lb). It is therefore hard to blame the depo for my weight gain I was just eating a bit too much and exercising a bit too little.
  • ninjapixie87
    ninjapixie87 Posts: 124 Member
    Before I started taking birth control, I was about 100lbs (I'm only 5'1"). I started on the pill (tried a few at first, ended up taking LoEstrin for most of the time) and gained aver 30lbs in about 3.5 years. Since then, I've switched to NuvaRing (beginning of the year) and managed to stop the weight gain. The weight came on so easily, and it's been hard to take it off. But I can't blame all the weight gain on the birth control, and not losing it is probably mostly my fault for not trying hard enough.

    Honestly, I haven't heard anything good about the depo shot. It's common to have bad/strong side effects, but then again it's the only thing that works for some people. You just have to find what works best for you.
  • STARSHINE1975
    STARSHINE1975 Posts: 168 Member
    Took BCP for 15 years no problem losing/maintaining weight. Been on Depo for 3 years and still no problem losing maintaining weight.

    I personally think it changes your hormones and therefore you crave more. People used to try and tell me that Depo was why my daughter was gaining so much weight. But in reality, it was what she was eating and the fact she wasn't moving. Once she started paying attention to those 2 things, the weight came off easily.
  • Xtina_Beba
    Xtina_Beba Posts: 218
    Depo shot is the only birth control that is guaranteed to make you gain weight and hard to put off. Some birth controls state it causes weight gain but hardly ever happens. I'm on the patch and I didn't gain weight. Try another contraceptive.
    It doesn't guarantee you'll gain weight. It (as all hormonal birth controls) makes it easier to gain, but to say it guarantees it is simply untrue.

    I used the wrong wording...
    Either way Depo is the contraceptive that has the most "EFFECT" on weight gain. I've read the statistics and have done my research. There are some lucky women who've been on Depo or are on Depo and didn't gain/lose weight.
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