Talk to me about birth control ...

I have been on the pill and now have a Mirena IUD. I prefer Mirena simply because I don't have to remember to take a pill everyday, and once I got past the initial insertion process, I don't even think about it most of the time. I've lost 60 pounds with Mirena, so I would say it didn't have any effect on weight loss or gain for me, but rather it was my eating/exercise habits that did. Just my experience with it though

I was on different pills for years and was always hungry and had tons of migraines...not to mention the horrendous cramps. I went off it last September and have had a noticable different in all of the above. While not entirely sure, I feel like the BCP was making me ravenous and I had more cravings for fatty, greasy, icky foods that I now find failry repulsive.

Like you I've always had terrible trouble with my periods and I also use the pill etc as contraception.

In my 20s I gained 3 stones in six months on Depo and when I stopped it the weight started to fall off without too much trying (low carb eating seemed to work to get me back on track then).

Then I went on various combined pills and with each one my weight started to creep back up until I reached the weight I had been on while on Depo. I have absolutely no doubt that hormonal contraceptives make me gain weight (I think it's due to a different distribution of fat in the body combined with an increase in appetite).

For a while I went back to just using condoms but my periods were unbearable. I then saw a gynae consultant about my periods who offered either the Mirena coil or Cerazette.

I'm 38 and don't have children but haven't ruled out having them, so went on Cerazette. I'm struggling to lose weight on it, but it is slowly coming off, which was impossible on Depo. You have quite a narrow window in which to take it (12 hours), so I just keep it by my toothbrush to remind myself. Best of all I now have absolutely no periods, which has really set me free. My sister is on it too but she is a skinny mini, so it hasn't seemed to have affected her weight.

I notice you are in the UK... (I work in the NHS)

Best advice is not to go to your GP - check with your local primary care trust (PCT) or primary care provider (Google NHS Choices) about contraceptive clinics. The nurses have far more experience than GPs.

They will also be able to offer you proper advice about sterilisation. I was warned off Mirena by my GP as they said it could cause infections which could make me infertile. But the contraceptive nurse set the record straight and said the risk was slim and if my periods were really bad it might be a risk I would be willing to take. They might have a more balanced and up-to-date view about sterilisation too.

With Mirena it has a very low dose hormone so it may cause the problems that the pill and Depo do, but I've heard it does affect everyone differently. And if it doesn't suit you you can just get it removed (again, you can get this done for free in the UK via a contraceptive clinic, usually at your local health centre or GP practice).

Most importantly, don't give up looking for a solution! There will be something that is right for you out there.

I have the mirena iud. It was pure hell up until recently.I had it put in at the end of Dec. and have pretty much have been spotting every other day since a few weeks ago. I also had pretty bad cramps. It has just recently sorted itself out! It was driving me crazy but I like that I don't have to worry about taking pills or doing anything.

Paragard. No hormones. Last 10 years. Insurance covered 100%. Im in love with it.

I've been on Depo for 14 years...lost 80+ lbs in 2009. Gained it back, losing it again. Think it just depends on how the drugs effect you. Good luck!

The hormones in the pill made me cray cray so last September I switched to the Paragard IUD. It's hormone free and I can have it inserted for up to 10 years. My cramps were a little bit worse at first but that's all tapered off. My biggest complaint about my TOM now is that I get bloated but hey, nobody feels perfect at that time anyway. I'd make the switch again in a heartbeat.

I use spermicide foam, as hormone-based BC has way too many risks and side effects for my liking - never really had weight gain issues and I''ve prev been on Depo for 3 years (actually LOVED it till my doc told me to start taking calcium supplements due to the bone density loss that was never prev mentioned...) and at least four different pills - all of which made me emotionally crazy for a few days a month. Forget the spot bleeding, which was it's own special hell. If your bc ain't working for you, by all means talk to your GP or gyno, but my own experience is that they may just dismiss all but the worst symptoms simply cuz they are busy and your are not "actively" dying in front of them. A dietician may prove a lot more useful here...

Depo is notoriously the worst for weight gain. I'm hoping I recall correctly, but I think it was approximately 6-10% of users in clinical trials of Depo experienced weight gain.

That noted, most hormonal birth control options have a 0.1%-1% risk in clinical studies. So I'm skeptical when I hear "birth control made me gain weight", because in reality there is usually something else going on. I used to believe that Nuvaring caused me to gain weight. Looking back it was because I had just moved out on my own and my boyfriend and I used to cook and eat a TON of AMAZING (i.e. horrible for you) food. Portion control was my biggest issue, not the birth control.

I'm currently on Mirena and haven't had a problem losing weight. I chose that over Paragard because when the insert straight up says that they aren't sure how or why it works, it makes me a little uneasy. Theoretically (after doing a ton of research) they are basically very similar - Mirena and Paragard both make the uterine lining "unfavorable" for implantation, but Mirena also adds the hormonal aspect to try to prevent implantation and conception. Based on the tons of research I did (I am a nursing school student aspiring to be a midwife/OB, so my research papers have been on things like this), the lack of hormone to help prevent the pregnancy is part of the reason that Paragard has a slightly higher risk of pregnancy (primarily ectopic) than Mirena.

Also, when I hear "We throw this copper covered substance into your uterus and it somehow repels sperm but we don't know why", I just kind of find myself not liking the idea. I like to know how and why.

You can definitely try to change your birth control, but I just went to your page and checked out your food diary. You were over your calories 9 out the last 14 days. Now, I know this doesn't represent the last 5 months, but accuracy is key for success. The days that you were over put you at a maintenace level or close to gain. the days that you were under, were very close, so being accurate would be extremely important.
3500 calories equals 1 pound of fat. You have to create that deficite over the course of the week. If you go over your calories alot, that deficite from previous days or even weeks are null and void and the weight will not move or even go up.
Good luck with all you try. I am not trying to be critical, because weight loss is not easy. I am just a different set of eyes looking at the situation.