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Posts: 5,737
11/22/09 10:06 A

certain types of birth control have been linked to weight gain [depo]. certain people have special reactions with certain things in certain pills. those are special cases.
other than those, i don't think there is a correlation, and science seems to agree. there isn't a direct link.
but what about all the women complaining about how birth control made them gain weight? 1. since gaining weight is a negative side affect only the people who have the problem are going to complain about it. so the people who lose weight and maintain weight have no incentive to go spreading that info everywhere, so you are going to see a skewed representation of people finding a scapegoat for their gains.
i always remember the girls that lived across the hall from me in college. they bitched almost incessantly about how fat their birth control was making them. they didn't think it had anything to do with the one or two starbucks drinks they had a day [yes with whipped topping and sprinkles]. or the fact that they ate whole pizzas by themselves at least once a week. generally after they went out binge drinking [at least five a night] at least three nights a week. it wasn't that they spent all afternoon munching chips straight out of the bags or that everything they ate from the cafeteria was breaded and fried and frequently sitting in a pool of grease.
i think many people are a bit blind to the hard things they have to change and quick to jump on anything they can to explain it away. because each one of those habits could be worked in, but all of them together aren't a recipe for healthy living or maintaining one's weight.

Posts: 182
11/22/09 12:35 A

I gained about 5 pounds when I started birth control, but I think that it was more due to the fact that I was expecting to gain weight because of the BC and so I wasn't paying as much attention to what I was eating. I've been on it for about 5 years now, and I'm thinner than I was when I started it...but my boobs are bigger :)

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Posts: 939
11/21/09 11:43 P

I've been on birth control for a little over a year, and so far no significant changes in my weight...

Posts: 144
11/21/09 11:24 P

I just stopped birth control this week. I would always tell my boyfriend I was normal before I met him because I get mood swings and overreact. I tend to be overly sensitive or moody. I think it's because when I met him, I started birth control and I think maybe that's where the mood swings come from. I also hope I will be able to lose a few lbs by not being on it. My friend said she's not on it because she gained weight when she started it and her and her boyfriend decided it was better if she wasn't on it. I freaked out when she told me because I would rather be fat than pregnant (I'm not ready for kids) but on the other hand, I would rather be normal than btchy (which I know I am- my patience is non-existent and even the smallest things seem to get to me).

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Posts: 4,093
11/21/09 3:10 A

I used to think it did. Like you, I got on birth control right about when I got married. Then I promptly began gaining weight. It seemed natural to blame it on the birth control. Looking back, though, I don't think that's what it was at all. As much as I thought my eating and exercise habits hadn't changed significantly, they had. I was far more likely to have a drink with dinner or make and indulgent meal when I had a husband to share them with. And I had a pretty good excuse for not heading out the door to get a run in... staying home with the husband was much more fun. And I was walking less too (before, I'd been prone to be out and about much more often). Sure enough, once the husband and I decided to work on getting healthier together (working out together, eating healthier, and being accountable to each other), the weight came off. I'm now maintaining at a weight that's lower than what I weighed when I got on birth control, no problem. Now, my chest getting bigger due to birth control... that did stick around, hehe.

That weight gain could be from the birth control... but it also could be from lifestyle changes associated with settling into married life. I'd explore both options and not just automatically assume it's the birth control. =D

Edited by: BRAVE_NEW_ME at: 11/21/2009 (03:11)

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Posts: 780
11/20/09 11:07 P

When I was on Depo-Provera (injections every 3 months) I gained LOTS of weight. Once I got off the Depo shots, I dropped some of it. The rest stuck around because of my bad habits.

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11/20/09 10:02 P

I was on a shot of Depo Provera for close to 5 years and for the first time in my life actually lost weight, never did the BCP deal .. and now well am in medical menopause there's no issues to worry about.

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Posts: 414
11/20/09 9:08 P

Yes, definitely. Experiment with different formulas if you will, but there are a lot of good non-hormonal options too. I wish I had never tried hormonal BC.

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Posts: 353
11/20/09 8:34 P

I had bad weight gain (and also mood swings!) on the first type of birth control I was ever put on. I stopped taking it (relationship ended), and when I went to a new doctor to go back on it, she told me the kind I had been on previously was actually known for the exact side effects I'd experienced (first doctor never even mentioned it! Needless to say, I'd never go back to him again). If you think the weight gain is related to the birth control, and/or if you're experiencing any other changes, you should definitely talk to your doctor. There are lots of different types of birth control out there, and your doctor should be more than able to help you find one that won't affect your weight!

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11/20/09 8:02 P

It depends on the type. When I first went on it, I put on 20 lbs in two months. It came off and that was the only time I have had that much gain. I'll know next month how much it affects as I am permanently going off.

Posts: 11,342
11/20/09 3:33 P

Some do, but the doctor stated to return to him if I had any problems. I changed birth control several times and my weight settled down again..
Since those days I have had my tubes done, and life is peachy..

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Posts: 2
11/20/09 3:11 P

do you think birth control really affects your weight? When I started taking it when I first got married (1 1/2 years ago) within a couple months I had gained about 20 lbs. I don't know how that happened since I didn't change my diet or anything!(except for getting married) Just kept doing what I had been doing in the past, but gained quite a bit of weight. I asked my Dr. when she first started me on it if it would affect my weight and she said that it shouldn't. Hummmm.....

Anyone else have this problem?