Birth control and weight gain - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Lovestorun · 08-30-2006, 01:55 PM

Good day ladies.

I am sure this question has been asked about a million times but, I can't seem to find any of the past threads. I recently started taking birth control pills and I have noticed some weight gain (about 7lbs

) I have only been one month and week now, has anyones else gained weight on them and if so how much. I really hope this is it. I have not really changed my routine as far as food and exercising goes so I can only assume they are the reason for my pants being a little tighter.

Thanks for listening.

Stacey

start8 · 08-30-2006, 02:06 PM

Birth control doesn't put on weight but it may make you retain water and it makes it seems like your always hunger so people eat more. Eating more is the cause of the weight gain. Yasmin BC is suppose to lesson the hunger issue but for me it made me feel like I could never get full.

Lovestorun · 08-30-2006, 02:12 PM

Start8- Thanks- you are totally right eating makes you gain weight not the pill itself. And now that I think of it a little more clearly I do feel hungry alot of the time lately.

nelie · 08-30-2006, 02:26 PM

I gained 10 lbs when I switched my BCP and I could not lose any weight at all, no matter what I did. It was crazy. It tok 3 months before even I could lose 1 lb. After that, I was able to lose more weight but it has been a struggle.

BlueToBlue · 08-30-2006, 06:21 PM

If you think birth control makes you gain weight, you should see what pregnancy can do to you!

But seriously, some types of birth control can make you gain weight. 20 years ago, when I first started on the pill, weight gain was pretty common. It should be much less of an issue with all the newer, low-hormone pills that are available now.

I've been on and off various versions of the pill for close to 20 years now and just recently switched to Nuvaring. I gained a lot of weight during the past 20 years and I wish I could say it was all due to the bc, but I'm sure more of it had to do with eating and not exercising. I also have managed to get down to my pre-birth control weight by watching my calorie intake and exercising, so clearly being on birth control doesn't have to be the end of the world in terms of weight loss and management.

There are lots and lots of different kinds of birth control out there, so if the version you are on isn't working for you, talk to your doctor about it. There might be a different pill you could take, or you could switch to Nuvaring (a much lower dose of hormones), or an IUD (no hormones at all).

- Barbara

drake3272004 · 08-30-2006, 09:32 PM

The way my doctor explained it to me was that the estrogen in the bc pills may make you crave carbs, so she recommended a low-estrogen pill. I've been on Lo-ovral for 3 months and in those three months, I've lost about 13-15 lbs.

KateRN · 08-31-2006, 12:05 AM

i'm glad this is being discussed. it is actually the only reason why i'm NOT on birth control - im terrified of getting heavier!

momtu2 · 08-31-2006, 08:11 AM

i only gained about 5lbs on the nuvaring. and so far i haven't had any trouble losing the weight.

galengail · 08-31-2006, 11:44 AM

I took Ortho Novem for three years. The first year I was on it, I actually lost 20 pounds. I don't give the BC credit for that, though. It was just a change in my eating habits. Of course, my eating habits returned to being very bad, and I gained that back. I'm on Seasonale right now. I started taking it a little over three months ago. I haven't noticed any difference with my weight at all. So, for me, BC hasn't effected my weight, but I do know that it is a concern for someon people.

jcatron243 · 08-31-2006, 12:01 PM

When I first went on BC I didn't notice any change, but after a year I switched brands because I kept getting headaches and second one I gained quite a bit of weight.....Now that I think back that far (Its been at least 12 years) I gained about 30 pounds but I started craving SALT SALT SALT! I found out I had an iodine deficiency since birth and the BC for some reason triggered some sort of reaction. But The weight was already on and I didn't bother trying to take it off at that time. I would say definately keep track of what you are eating, it might be more than you think, and in the meantime try and drink plenty of water, you may just be retaining water.