Does the Contraceptive Pill prohibit weight loss

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  • a_robinson86
    a_robinson86 Posts: 55 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    I started taking the pill the same week I started MFP and it hasn't hindered my weight loss.
  • sherrillrn
    sherrillrn Posts: 12
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    Ha yes you're right. My bad
  • purpleipod
    purpleipod Posts: 1,147 Member
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    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
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    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.
  • Lollliiipopzzzz
    Lollliiipopzzzz Posts: 53
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    Yasmin made me lose weight. Loestrin 24 made me gain weight.
  • andreacord
    andreacord Posts: 928
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    I was on tri-cyclen and looking back it could have been my food choices as well, I was always under goal and exercising like a freak and it was super hard to lose weight but I WAS eating a lot of carbs.. I immediately lost 3 lbs 2 weeks after coming off of it though.
  • live4turns
    live4turns Posts: 314 Member
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    did you hear...Pfizer is in big trouble.
  • sonyachan
    sonyachan Posts: 518 Member
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    Usually only that initial water weight gain, then you should be able to continue loosing. As a Women's Health provider, I would recommend you give it another month. If you are still not losing even though you are eating well and exercising, then you might need a different type of pill (a different progesterone), so contact your provider about switching. Good luck!
  • bms34b
    bms34b Posts: 401 Member
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    I can't speak for all types of contraceptive pills, but I'm on a generic of Loestrin FE (microgestin to be exact) and I've noticed absolutely no effect on my weight.
  • zasiiniya
    zasiiniya Posts: 100 Member
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    I've been on since June and I began losing weight in December. It hasn't affected it and I didn't gain much weight when I went on it - less than 5 lb for sure, because I didn't notice any.
  • G30Grrl
    G30Grrl Posts: 377 Member
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    I just lost 21 pounds in under 4 months while on the pill. I did, however, read an article about studies indicating that taking the pill may interfere with the bodies ability to build muscle. I will be speaking to my doctor about this.
  • xdaysbingefree
    xdaysbingefree Posts: 98 Member
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    The pill can cause water retention, but the only way that you will gain weight is if you eat more. Even if losing weight is more difficult (i don't know whether it is or isn't), that's a small problem compared to an unplanned pregnancy. priorities!!
  • NaiaNZ
    NaiaNZ Posts: 72 Member
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    The pill, in my opinion doesn't prohibit weight loss, nor will it make you gain weight. But I guess it all depends on the individual. The hormones can affect women in different ways.
    It definately gives me more of a sugar craving! It's just learning to make healthy choices, even when you're craving certain things, as hard as that may be!

    But NOT taking the pill and getting pregnant will make you gain weight!
  • LeonaB17
    LeonaB17 Posts: 304
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    It never hindered my weight loss. Sometimes I'd be a little hungrier before my period while on the pill.. but that can happen to any woman on the pill or not.

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