Does the Contraceptive Pill prohibit weight loss

renee_lee88
renee_lee88 Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi Guys,

I started my MFP journey last year in October (I think) and at the time I was not on the contraceptive pill as my partner and I were taking the "Lets see what happens" theory. At christmas time is decided due to financial commitments and the want to be a healthier person to bring a person into the world, to put myself first and lose some weight so I went back on my pill. Before I started taking it I was losing the kgs/lbs really easily (obviously with excerise and healthy eating) but now that I have gone back on my pill it seems to have become a really hard task. I don't feel thinner and my scales were not very co-operative over the last few weeks.

I know the pill can make you gain weight when you first start taking it but what I want to know is.... Can it affect your weightloss?? Does it make it harder to lose weight while you are taking it. I've googled but cannot seem to find any information about the affects on trying to lose weight.???
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Replies

  • beach_chelle
    beach_chelle Posts: 221
    Being on the pill hasn't affected my weight lose. But I have been on it for sometime now. You may have to give it just a little longer. I applaude your choice to lose weight before getting pregnant it is best first choice you could make for your baby.

    Keep up the hard work and you will get there.
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    Some people on this site say it does and say that it made them gain X amount of weight(I say both excuses are bull crap, but to each their own!)

    I personally have found no problems losing weight while on the pill.. but each person is different... so for you it may be harder while for me it's easier.
  • Tara4boys
    Tara4boys Posts: 515 Member
    Nope just an excuse.
  • garnet1483
    garnet1483 Posts: 249 Member
    When I first started the pill, my doctor told me that it could possibly cause me to gain weight, if I weren't watching it, but realistically no more than about 10-15 lbs. Birth control pills are just hormone supplements, and it may take a while for your body to register the new levels, which can cause any number of small changes. And logically, if it contributes to weight gain, it's possible that if you ARE already trying to lose weight, it can slow that down. I'd give it a month or two, sticking to your weight loss plan, before worrying about it. As soon as your body gets used to the pills, it'll equalize and you should start dropping again.
  • soymilkcoffee
    soymilkcoffee Posts: 171
    Nope, it shouldn't affect your weight loss.

    I've been on the pill for a few years now. I remember when I was first put on the pill, I felt hungrier so I ate more, which, of course, caused weight gain. I can't really attribute that to the pill, though. Just keep yourself in check and follow your plan. :)
  • SexyLynettesy
    SexyLynettesy Posts: 6
    nope nope nope, the pill does not make you eat more, gain weight etc hun! you may feel a little crappy when you first take it thus the urge to comfort eat sets in but just be strong!!!
  • dixiech1ck
    dixiech1ck Posts: 769 Member
    It depends on 1. the person and their chemical make-up and also 2. the type of pill you are using and the strength of estrogen. It's important to consult your doctor. We aren't medical representatives and the only person who will know you well is your OB/GYN.
  • Missjilly1025
    Missjilly1025 Posts: 146 Member
    Nope just an excuse.

    This...sorry.
  • FionaAnne22
    FionaAnne22 Posts: 178 Member
    See I put on weight when I started taking the pill, but I'm pretty sure it was from me pigging out rather than anything hormonal lol! I'm still on it now and losing weight, it doesn't seem to be effecting my weight loss is any way :D
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    Anything that messes with your hormones can affect your weight because body fat mass and hunger signals are regulated by hormones. And all hormones work with one another to keep homeostasis in the body (harmonic balance).
  • jensensi
    jensensi Posts: 8
    I'm on depo provera (12 weekly injection) and have been for nearly 10 years. I gained most my weight as a teenager around the time I started taking it so I always wondered if coming off it might help or boost my weight loss a tiny bit? But as the others have said the worse it usually does is make you hungrier, you still have to eat the extra food to gain the weight.
  • Mollydolly10
    Mollydolly10 Posts: 431 Member
    Nope just an excuse.

    ^^^ this
  • vim_n_vigor
    vim_n_vigor Posts: 4,089 Member
    There have been some brands that I gained weight on. For the it's just and excuse and bullcrap people - I gained 35 pounds in one month on one. I didn't eat that much. The studies say that the pills don't cause weight gain or for people to hold water. That is statistically over a large group of people. If, after a few months, you are still having issues, you can ask your doctor to try a different one.
  • therealangd
    therealangd Posts: 1,861 Member
    The pill does not affect your weight. It affects your appetite. Which if you don't control your appetite, has the potential to cause weight gain. If you are counting calories you will have no problem.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    The pill never caused an issue with me when it came to weight, but it's different for everyone.

    I'm on Mirena now and it's made losing weight pretty much impossible, but most people on Mirena don't have that problem. I also regained 20 pounds of the 34 I'd lost and kept off for two years. The weight gain started the month after I got Mirena even though I was still exercising and eating very healthy.

    To say it's an excuse when someone experiences gains or trouble losing after going on hormonal contraception just because it wasn't a problem for YOU is silly. Of course it can affect weight. Maybe not for everyone and maybe not even for most. But if you're doing nothing else differently and you're gaining and/or having trouble losing, then there's a pretty good chance it's the hormones.
  • RachVR6
    RachVR6 Posts: 3,688 Member
    I can't find the link to the article I read last week, but it said that only 1 in 1000 women actually gain weight from starting birth control.
  • chugglebunny
    chugglebunny Posts: 63
    Weight gain is a possible side effect. It's hormones after all but I can't see how it would make weight loss any more difficult? Not too sure to be honest.

    For anyone who says it's an excuse is just one of the people who don't suffer from the side effects. I have been on the pill for many years and never had a single headache, my skin didn't get worse and I didn't put on weight. They are just "possible" side effects. Some people will be unlucky some won't.
  • jkuhn71
    jkuhn71 Posts: 199
    For me personally - I think it limited how much weight my body was willing to give up. Back in 2004/2005, I lost about 55 lbs and could NOT, no matter how hard I tried or what I changed up, drop below 141 pounds.

    Fast forward to spring of 2011...I'd gained back about 35 of those 55 pounds I'd lost and decided since 40 was right around the corner it was time to do something about this. Being another 6+ years older, I figured it would be HARDER to lose it this time around. Instead - I found it to be no harder at all AND I was able to get down to my goal weight of 135 (I've been maintaining in the 134-137 range for several months now).

    I joined the same gym, I'm doing the same types of exercises with the same effort, and I'm eating the same way I was when I lost weight before. So I'm older, but NOT on the pill and was able to reach a goal weight I couldn't achieve while younger and ON the pill.

    It could be a coincidence, I guess - but it was the only thing I could think of that was different this time around...
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
    I wasn't getting fit when I started the pill. I gained close to 40 pounds, but like another poster said, it was because I was eating ALL the time. The weight gain is what prompted me to get fit. I have had no issues losing weight because of the pill. BUT, it might take a bit for your body to adjust and you to start losing again..... Or it could be a coincidence. Have you been eating the same foods? Has your carb or sugar gone up? More sodium?
  • tdmcmains
    tdmcmains Posts: 227 Member
    I think it varies by person. Bodies respond differently to chemicals.
  • a_robinson86
    a_robinson86 Posts: 55 Member
    People that are really sensitive to the hormones can put weight on when they use the pill and it does actually warn on the leaflet that this CAN be a side effect of taking the pill. It depends on the person though, some people are fine and they can carry on as normal but if you're anything like me and you're sensitive to the hormones then yes you can end up gaining a lot of weight. Each time I've been on the pill I've gained weight, its not a coincidence and it's not an excuse!! My doctor and several family planning nurses that I've talked to have backed me up on it. The only thing hormonal I can tolerate now is the IUS, because the hormones are released directly to the point they're needed they don't have to travel through your bloodstream thus you won't experience any undesirable side effects.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    For me personally, it did not make a difference.

    I took oral contraceptives from the time I was 17 until I was about 20. (I primarily took them to help with acne) Then, I did not take them for about 15 years. I started taking them again when I was about 35 - this time to regulate my cycle and help with hormone levels.

    I was at my heaviest around the time I started the pill and stayed around that weight until I started MFP in April. I didn't have any trouble losing 50 pounds. I weigh the same as I did in high school again. So, no... I don't think the pill made a difference for me.

    I suppose side effects vary widely from woman to woman, and also vary with the specific pill formulation she takes.
  • Jennloella
    Jennloella Posts: 2,286 Member
    I gained weight on the pill,and during this time I was teaching a pole class, so was in the gym from 6am to 3pm. I also didn't change my eating habits....... so I stopped fooling with them a long time ago and had my husband get snipped. I have friends that are fine on them, I think everyone is different, hormones are funny things!
  • cmp04d
    cmp04d Posts: 59 Member
    I started taking the pill the same week I started MFP and it hasn't hindered my weight loss.
  • sherrillrn
    sherrillrn Posts: 12
    I was on the pill for years and off the pill for years at a time and noticed quite a difference between the two. You are definitely able to gain and lose weight both on and off the pill but added estrogen and progesterone make it HARDER to lose weight.... in my opinion

    Some very useful information off of wiki:

    Estrogen
    Increase HDL, triglyceride (bad fats)
    Decrease LDL, fat deposition (good fats)
    Salt (sodium) and water retention
    Increase cortisol, SHBG (stress hormone that causes weight retention)
    Reduce bowel motility
    Increase cholesterol in bile (causes gallstones too)
    Progesterone
    The convenient pill form of "progesterone" (not actual progesterone, but a synthetic, patented progestin), needs to be taken at unnaturally high doses; and, this can have a dramatic health impact. (weight related): increased appetite, increased fluid retention. Current research suggests that progesterone plays an important role in the signaling of insulin release and pancreatic function, and may affect the susceptibility to diabetes.

    I also read but cant find the reference that progesterone decreases your ability to build muscle mass.
    I've been reading up on hormones lately because I had a stroke this month and I'm only 34. The doctors are relating it to an estrogen based birth control pill. Not weight related but just putting it out there that it may be effective in preventing pregnancy but it can have serious consequences.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Some very useful information off of wiki:

    Estrogen
    Increase HDL, triglyceride (bad fats)
    Decrease LDL, fat deposition (good fats)

    Actually... HDL is the 'good' cholesterol and LDL is the 'bad' cholesterol. You got those backwards. :-)

    According to the American Heart Association... "The female sex hormone estrogen tends to raise HDL cholesterol, and as a rule, women have higher HDL (good) cholesterol levels than men do. Estrogen production is highest during the childbearing years. This may help explain why premenopausal women are usually protected from developing heart disease."

    Most drugs are going to have a full list of pros and cons. It's important for every woman to educate herself and discuss the pros and cons with her doctor.
  • MellowYellowGem
    MellowYellowGem Posts: 120 Member
    Hormones have a lot to answer for, and yes if they are unbalanced it could cause weight issues, give it time, then see your doc if nothing improves.
  • sherrillrn
    sherrillrn Posts: 12
    Ha yes you're right. My bad
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
    I think a lot of women use being on the pill or w/e form of birth control as an excuse why they cannot seem to lose weight. I lost 56 pounds on Yaz just as well as anyone else could have.
  • v_addison
    v_addison Posts: 114 Member


    To say it's an excuse when someone experiences gains or trouble losing after going on hormonal contraception just because it wasn't a problem for YOU is silly. Of course it can affect weight. Maybe not for everyone and maybe not even for most. But if you're doing nothing else differently and you're gaining and/or having trouble losing, then there's a pretty good chance it's the hormones.

    This!!! It is incredibly silly to think it is an excuse, when you have no idea how someone else's body will react to the hormones.

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