Depo ProVera birth control; hindering my weight loss?

mosertheninja
mosertheninja Posts: 92 Member
edited November 9 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been on the Depo shot for a little over 2 years. When I first started, that is when I really started my initial weight gain. I also was not as active, and being poor ate mostly a carb diet so that may have attributed as well. Depo ProVera also apparently has the ability to make me hungry all the time :-( I know that it can cause weight gain, but does it all hinder the weight LOSS? I have remained a steady 145-150 for almost two years now, but haven't really dieted or exercised as much as I should have. So I don't know if that is part of the main reason I have trouble losing the weight
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Replies

  • kaylasmomjenn
    kaylasmomjenn Posts: 5 Member
    I gained 20 lbs on depo and that was without any addition to my caloric intake.
  • JBott84
    JBott84 Posts: 268 Member
    I gained 10 lbs. when I was on the shot for about a year...I have heard the same thing with a lot of other people...Ever think about an IUD, I don't know if you have children already but, that was what I switched to and ever since I have stopped gaining, slowly very slowly lost ( I hadn't been trying to lose until now) but i would say it is definitely a factor...
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    I know a few women who gained on Depo without changing anything else. They had difficulty trying to lose the weight until they went off of it.
  • LilBee82
    LilBee82 Posts: 189 Member
    I had my registered nurse and exercise specialist tell me to STOP TAKING IT!!!!! I was gaining and wasn't losing and they said THAT was the reason and it would NOT benefit me in my weightloss.
  • mosertheninja
    mosertheninja Posts: 92 Member
    Just read this article. Tell me what you think?
    http://www.livestrong.com/article/99811-lose-weight-depo-shot/
  • rebeccawalker1982
    rebeccawalker1982 Posts: 117 Member
    I hae gained 10 lbs on it but its really is my only option so I just have to learn to work a lot harder. I cant do the IUD and I am bad at remembering to take medication (never liked taking it so its hard to remember when I have to). Therefor I am on the shot atleast for the next 3-5 yrs.....If we do not plan on anymore kids before I am 35 then there will be no more kids. I am 29 now and we have a 7 month old and I do not want to have anymore after 35.
  • TLMonroe
    TLMonroe Posts: 32 Member
    When I was on Depo I gain a ton of weight and nothing I did would make it come off. Decided an IUD was a better route for me. And finally after being off it for six month saw results.
  • chachita7
    chachita7 Posts: 996 Member
    so many moons ago - I gained 10 lbs in 2 weeks on that crap... walked away from the hospital with baby in hands and fitting into my pre baby jeans to only 2 mos gain - I said bye bye to that...
  • mosertheninja
    mosertheninja Posts: 92 Member
    Because I do not have children, the IUD is not an option for me :-(
  • KateCon912
    KateCon912 Posts: 200 Member
    I lost 5 lbs randomly the week I got the shot and I've been able to keep it off since. It's not the shot that causes the weight gain, it's the increased appetite. I control every bite I take, so I have been able to avoid cravings.
  • ttate002
    ttate002 Posts: 54
    This is why I never tried it! You have options. Talk to your doctor. The pill, which I take and love! People say they can't remember to take it, but if you put it by something really important you do everyday, at the same time, like brush your teeth, you'll never forget it. There's the patch, which I don't like the idea of. I had a friend that took it and she liked it. Then I saw on the internet some lady was warning against it. IDK! Then there's the Nuva Ring, which you insert in your vagina. Not my idea of fun, but to each her own. I've also heard that you do not necessarily have to have had children to get an implant, either in vagina or arm, but that's what they recommend. Not 100% sure on that one, but talk to your doctor because you have options. Good luck!
  • LilBee82
    LilBee82 Posts: 189 Member
    My registered nurse told me the nuva ring and IUD would be my best bet, and there are 2 kinds of IUDs. She told me Mirena was pretty safe and better then the copper.

    http://www.medicalabortion.ca/IUDs.htm
  • mkwow
    mkwow Posts: 65 Member
    I am on Depo too. I just got back on it in December. I have lost 20lbs since then. I think that if you focus on losing weight and are active, eating the right things you can lose on the shot. If you dont that is when Depo rears its ugly weight gaining head!
  • castaliavt
    castaliavt Posts: 75 Member
    I gained 30lbs while on the depo shot and I didn't have an increased caloric intake. The shot totally messed up my hormones and I also have a hard time conceiving my son. It took 18 months after I got my period back to get pregnant. Some people do just fine with it, but I gained 10lbs every three months and kept blaming myself until I finally put two and two together and realized it was the shot.
  • lukeout007
    lukeout007 Posts: 1,237 Member
    My wife gained a good amount of weight on depo...she also lost her sex drive and we had issues conceiving for nearly 2 years after she stopped.
  • nicky3279
    nicky3279 Posts: 10
    Im on Depo have been since october 2010, i have noticed that my weight has been staying the same too, i did lose some weight in the first few weeks of having it, but since then its stay around the same, never gaining, and sometimes losing the odd few pounds. Im thinking of coming off it, as i definately think that its stopping my weight loss. NEVER GET THE IMPLANT i put on three stone with that. I dont want any more children as i have four already, and was thinking of having the iud fitted.
  • katems_02
    katems_02 Posts: 3
    I HATE DEPO! I'm sooooo FRUSTRATED and just came to the conclusion last night that this is the reason that I have not lost one single pound in the last month, instead I gained (thankfully only a few pounds). I have only had 2 shots and am due next month for another which I will not be taking. Anyways, completely changed my lifestyle of eating. Rarely eat out, make prepackaged meals, eat sweets...etc. I get plenty of fruits and veggies and try to make everything at home so it's healthier. I'm not complaining because I love my change in lifestyle and dieting never works, but it's so frustrating when this shot made me gain 20 lbs in about a month. When this happened I wasn't eating as healthy BUT I was doing TurboFire EVERYDAY and absolutely nothing changed on my body. I got frustrated and quit. This January I decided to make a life style change just to be healthier overall and feel better. Been working out everyday (working my butt off at that) and eating so healthy and drinking pretty much only water. No loss what-so-ever. Finally came to the conclusion that it's this stupid, horrible shot. I will never ever promote depo because of my experience.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    Just reopening this. I am really thinking about coming off the depo. I chose this form of contraception to prevent myh servere period pain but tere has to be something out there that will stop me getting up the duff and let me lose weight. Any ideas people?

    Damn. I wish I could just have the damn lot whipped out.
  • jackieatx
    jackieatx Posts: 578 Member
    I was on implanon, which is also a progestin based bc. It is a rod implanted in your arm. I lost so much hair that I thought i was going bald, was sweaty all the time, tired, and working out but not losing weight. I had the Depo shot once before this and had similar, although not as bad, results. I was checked for hypothyroidism, wasn't the case. Had implanon removed, felt right as rain. The way my doc described it was that some of us don't react well to certain hormone based birth controls because our hormones are already wonky. Mine were both times because I got Depo right after my first child and implanon right after my second. Just because some other woman doesn't have a bad reaction doesn't matter because your hormone levels are not the same as hers. I would try low level hormone based bc like seasonique.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    I haven't heard of that one. Hmmm, will ask.

    My fella has been thinking about getting a vasectomy. Neither of us want children and never have so it makes sense.
  • HeatherRM14
    HeatherRM14 Posts: 33 Member
    You can still have an IUD even if you haven't had kids. I don't have kids and it was suggested to me by my GYN and I have a friend who doesn't have any kids and she has an IUD. If your doctor tells you that, you need a new doctor. I think it's just "easier" to put it in if you've had children before.
  • EBFNP
    EBFNP Posts: 529 Member
    You can have an IUD without kids, but there are a lot of risk for women who never been pregnant or given birth of rupture of the fallopian tube. Some Ob/GYN would do it, most will not.
  • emnk5308
    emnk5308 Posts: 736
    I've never been on birth control but I hear it all makes you gain weight.. =/ Go see your gyno, see about something that might be different.
  • Smuterella
    Smuterella Posts: 1,623 Member
    Heh, I wish it was hat easy. We don't really have "gynos" here in the same way you do in the US. We just have to speak to our GP, which is often a deflating experience. Still - I'll give it a whirl next time! Thanks!
  • MegRuthie
    MegRuthie Posts: 139 Member
    I went to my primary care physician with complaints of weight gain/trouble losing even with great diet/exercise for months, constant fatigue, weakness, aches&pains, low libido.

    She said absolutely every one of those symptoms can be attributed to the Depo. She says it also causes osteoporosis that is USUALLY reversible. I love the shot. I really wish it wasn't so bad for my body. I haven't had a period in 2 years. I don't miss the heavy bleeding or severe cramping. I am considering switching to the patch. I am just so bad at remembering the pill because my day is never the same. There's way too much variation in my timing from day to do day.

    I really wish my OB/GYN had told me about the side effects and risks involved before putting me on it.

    I don't think I could do an implant (I work in Radiology and see IUDs get stuck and painful places) or the NuvaRing (looks like a jelly bracelet!)

    I can't wait until the day I'm married and ready for kids. I won't have to deal with this crap anymore!
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
    Heh, I wish it was hat easy. We don't really have "gynos" here in the same way you do in the US. We just have to speak to our GP, which is often a deflating experience. Still - I'll give it a whirl next time! Thanks!

    I had massive weight gain on Depo, came off it, lost the weight, then started the combined pill and the weight piled back on. I've now switched to Cerazette. It's a mini-pill so you have to take it every day at a similar time but, like Depo, it has stopped my periods altogether, which is an absolute God-send.

    I'm still convinced it is affecting my weight but at least if you tried Cerazette you can come off it more easily than Depo. And my sister is also on it and is skinny as a rake, so it seems to affect everyone differently.

    I don't bother seeing my GP for contraceptives any more - I usually go and see the practice nurse or my local contraceptive clinic (they hold one at a nearby health centre in the evenings - far easier than trying to make appointments while working).

    It also sounds like the Mirena coil (IUS) could be an option for you. You can have it if you haven't had children but they are sometimes reticent as there is a very small risk of infection and infertility. It gives off a small dose of hormones - some women find it affects their weight the same as a full dose of hormones from the pill, others are fine on it.

    There's loads of info on NHS Choices: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Contraception/Pages/Introduction.aspx
  • ddelamerced
    ddelamerced Posts: 1
    How long did it take for you to start losing the weight after the shot? I ask because I am coming off of the shot. I had my last one in March and haven't lost any weight yet.
  • RuthieCass
    RuthieCass Posts: 247 Member
    The myth that birth control causes you to get fat has been around for a long time. However, studies on this relationship have shown that the hormones in BC (progestin for the DepoVera) may cause an initial gain in water retention, not fat. Since the hormones are so concentrated in the shot, this water weight might be greater in comparison to other BC.

    And I did read all the comments from women saying how it made them gain weight/ prevented them from losing weight. Unfortunately, us humans are prone to confirmation bias. I seriously doubt you can gain anything but water weight when you eat at a deficit. That said, much of our "appetite" comes from our mental perspective. If you tell yourself that product X will increase your appetite, it probably will. I've heard people swear that caffeine makes them so hungry, even though it is widely known as an appetite suppressant. So if you are convinced that this BC makes you gain weight, by all means, switch to something different.

    I personally did not want to take the shot because of the bone loss (that and not wanting to go back to the doc so frequently). I have been on the mini-pill, which has a lower dose of hormones-only progestin. Previously, I have lost weight (40 lbs) in conjunction with starting estrogen and progestin combo pills without problem. I would recommend the mini-pills, even if the problem is that you are forgetful. I have a terrible memory, but just set a daily reminder on my phone.
  • Princess_Sameen
    Princess_Sameen Posts: 284 Member
    I lost a stone when I stopped the injection! Got the coil fitted instead! never looked back
  • rachylouise87
    rachylouise87 Posts: 367 Member
    depo is evil i gained 4 stone in 1 year and have only managed to get 2 stone off. im struggling with the latter. i had the depo about 7 years ago now and it made me FAT
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