SO I for a long time decided to not use Birth control since one of the side affects is weight gain- But after talking to my doctor he recommended I try YAZ it supposedly can help with weight loss as it has a diuretic in it.. My question is what type of birth controls have you tried and what has the affect been as far as weight gain or loss? has any one tried YAZ? did it help with your weight loss?

I've been on a few bcp's... and, seriously, they're as variable as diets! One may do wonderful things for one person, and TERRIBLE things for another...

lol get ready for my mini-novel of bcp's lol it kind of reads like "if you give a mouse a cookie.."

I started (and am back on) the patch: I lost 30lbs while on it 5 years ago, and am glad to be back on it now.
I used the ring, which was fine, but it made me feel super bloated and constipated ALL the time...
So I moved to FemCon (FE) the "iron" pill-- which gave me TERRIBLE side affects-- mostly just making me sensitive.. everywhere.
Then I went to a "generic" pill that had the same sorts of hormones as the patch, but that sucked...
So I tried the chewable pill (I'm not much of a pill swallower anyway), and I was told that I was "PMSing 3 weeks out of the month, and Bi-Polar 'that week'" (bad news!)
Lastly I tried YAZ, and it was fine... but (and not sure if this is related..) I grew an enormous ovarian cyst while on it (like bigger than a basket ball) and am currently recovering from surgery. My aunt (who, coincidentally was on YAZ at the same time) was hospitalized for blood clots (again, coincidentally, the same day I went in for surgery) -- So my family is kinda Anti-Yaz.
Gotta stress, though--this is one FAMILY's experience-- this doesn't mean that this will happen to you!!!

So now I'm back on the patch

Anyhoo-- beyond my long-winded story about bcp's-- normally people don't find that they gain more than 5lbs of "water weight" when they start a new bcp-- and if you diet and exercise, it goes away pretty fast!
I don't know that any bcp's "help" with weight loss... but-- I guess it's more of a matter of "which hinders the loss the least"... And, again, it's going to depend on you: Because your hormones are different from mine (etc etc)

If you're not wanting to take bcp's because of weight gain, a tried and true birth control is condoms! And there are other non-hormonal methods like diaphragms, and IUD's.

I have been on numerous different kinds of BCP's. I can't find one that is a good balance for me. Even my doctor who thinks that I do have PMDD prescribed Yaz and that was terrible. It did control my hormones slightly, but it did nothing to help with acne or the fact that my period now lasted the entire month. I have been on low dose pills, ones with iron, yaz, and variations on those and none of it made me gain or lose weight. I wouldn't set your hopes too high that the Yaz will help you lose weight. It's not meant for that and if anything the diuretic will make you lose water weight and thats it. I would read up on Yaz before going on it solely for that purpose

I've been on a few BCPs and overall, I believe they have helped my weight loss but I have PCOS. I've been on Yaz and a few others but only one made me gain weight and it was very stubborn weight too, I think it was called Levelin.

I'm actually thinking of getting off BCPs to see what might happen and get an IUD instead. I'm a bit scared though that I'll gain weight.

I'm on a generic version of Yasmin, and it hasn't affected my weight at all. I'm losing at the same rate now as I was before I started taking it.

By the way, diuretics won't have any impact on your body fat. I'm not sure why your doctor would recommend it as a weight loss supplement.

One of the reasons there are so many different bcp on the market is because all of our bodies react differently. Personally, I can't take them. Any kind with progesterone in it turns me into the moodiest woman you have ever met. I mean, as in homicidal (yeah, it's that bad.)

Several others that I've tried aggravated my eczema, so I decided to ditch them all together. Let me tell you, being extra itchy is no fun!

As far as weight loss is concerned, I was on Orthocyclin when I lost most of my weight and it didn't effect my weight loss one way or the other. So, I'm sure there is something out there that shouldn't affect you in that way. Sometimes you just have to experiment.

I was on alesse for a year and I never noticed anything different but then again I didn't pay much attention to my weight back then. Now I'm on Yasmin because alesse went off the market for a while. I didn't notice any changes and I don't think it has inhibited my weight loss.

I used to think my bcp were stopping me from losing weight but I discovered recently they weren't, it was me! lol. I've never had weight gain from starting them, and I've stopped and started quite a few times. The only side effect I have is mood swings :/

I have serious PMDD and am just a hormonal nightmare without bc. 9 day periods on 25 day cycle, severe cramping, mood swings, and nightmare cravings. Standard birth control helped a great deal, but the placebo week was still pretty intense (hubby called me werewolf, because I would get so crazy hungry and want carbs and red meat). Now I stack my bc to eliminate periods most months (sort of a poor woman's Seasonique) and it has made weight loss much easier.

The bad news is that you'll probably have to try BC to know how it affects you, because side-effects are very different from one person to another.

As far as I'm concerned:
- I used to be on Diane 35. No negative side-effects. Actually, it solved all the issues I had with my period, including mood swings, physical weakness and cravings. No weight gain at all.
- Last summer, I had to switch to Microval (progestogen-only pill) due to my doc discovering I have Factor V Leiden. So far, no weight gain either, still no mood swings, and still no cravings (it helps that I haven't had my period in five months, I guess).

For other pills, I can't tell, and I probably never will, since I can't go back to them.

I remember reading somewhere that in many cases, weight gain was more thee result of women eating differently due to the hormonal change, and not a mandatory side-effect in itself. But I can't remember where it was, and I'm not 100% sure it's based on a real study.

i am a huge advocate of depo-provera or an IUD (IUD-only if you have had kids). you dont have to remember to take any pills. they all can cause weight gain initially- i think i put on 10 lbs when i first started but i wasnt eating well or working out. I've been on for almost a year and a half and have NO PERIODS! AT ALL! No cramps, bloating, PMS... (this doesnt happen for everyone)

IUDs are also a great and convenient choice. They typically dont cause too much weight gain (the copper cross version is a nonhormonal product). however, most ob-gyns wont put one in if you havent had kids. having seen them put in, i wouldnt want one if a kid hasn't come out of there- ouch

I, too, have been on various forms of bc... I think a lot of it is in the mind... go on yaz with the attitude that it will be the best weight loss program ever and you might see great results... think of it as a diet pill everyday! Best of luck .

About the IUDs... one woman in eight in Europe has one and I doubt all those women have had children - I think they are more painful if you haven't had children, but I think you can get one.

You can get IUDs if you haven't had kids. I haven't had kids (no IUD yet but thinking about it) and I know others who do have IUDs and haven't had kids.

When I got out of surgery, they offered to insert an IUD (as if I needed MORE trauma down THERE!!) Anyhoo-- I haven't had kids yet. But what they were saying is that 80% of OBGYN's at my hospital had them-- Kinda sold me on it-- til I read the hormonal one can cause ovarian cysts.. lol *sigh*