Birth control pills do not cause weight gain

It doesn't matter whether you gain "weight" from it or not, because weight is not the only issue. Even if you don't gain any weight, you can still become much fatter and bigger around. The pill (certain ones in particular) increases the tendency for body fat, and decreases the tendency to build muscle. Muscle weighs much more than fat, but fat is much bigger per pound. Have you ever seen 5 pounds of fat compared to 5 pounds of muscle? It would be immediately apparent to you what the problem is. 5 lbs of fat is huge compared to 5 lbs of muscle. That means that you can stay the same weight (or even lose weight) and still get much bigger, if you have lost muscle and gained body fat. This explains why these studies often say that weight gain in only the "impression" (or in the "imagination") of the women taking the pill, based on the fact that the scale says otherwise. They are insulting the intelligence of women everywhere. A woman knows when she is bigger, so she assumes she has gained. Just because the scale does not always reflect it means nothing. Most people just automatically assume that bigger equals weight gain. It doesn't.

So, the medical or scientific community is on the wrong track and are being misleading, because it's not just about weight. It's about size. I have a tendency to gain weight only slightly when on the pill, but I become much fatter, even though I'm genetically a very slender person. On the pill, I cannot control this effect. I've had my body fat measured to prove that it is much higher when on the pill, and much lower when off. And to test it further, I cut back on exercise and ate more when I was off the pill, but my body fat content and size still decreased dramatically. I become very slim off the pill, even if I eat 10 times more and exercise less. When on the pill, it makes no difference how much I do to counteract the effects, I am still much fatter.

As a person naturally slim, who maintains the fitness program of a highly trained athlete, I hate the way the pill makes my body look. My whole shape changes, and I become almost 2 clothing sizes bigger. I look blubbery, and become much fatter, even with very little weight gain. Unfortunately I am no longer going to go off of it, because I need to take it for other reasons, so I'm stuck with this problem.

This problem is even worse for the unfortunate women who gain "weight" on it, because they may be dealing with both weight gain plus a higher body fat content, which equals a huge change in the size of their bodies. Whoever does these erroneous and biased studies that focus only on weight should be ashamed. Everyone has different physiology, and will experience different effects. Trust your own experience. It is never wrong, but studies often are.

Yes birth control does work differently for people, so you can't just sit there and and blame it on the people who are taking it. Congratulations if you haven't gained much weight I'm happy for you. However it looks like a large number of us do gain weight from it. I started taking bc when I was 19, before then I had normal fluctuations in my weight. After I took the bc pills I gained a lot of weight. At 21 I stopped taking bc pills and lost 80 lbs. Coincidence? I don't think so. In fact at age 25 I started taking the bc pills again and gained weight again. The funny thing of it is that when on bc pills I always gain weight in the stomach region along with swollen ankles and feet. So in short bc pills have made me look pregnant, people have even asked me how far along I am. I don't think anything that makes your body believe you are pregnant to the point of the weight gain could be healthy. I do know that when you gain excessive weight in the stomach region alone you are at a higher risk of heart attack. So I have recently stopped taking the bc pills and went to condoms only. I'd rather have a child a little sooner than wanted than to lose my life to some artificial supposedly safe medications. I mean really look at all the law suits forming over all these medicines that we were lied to about. Dimetap is now known for causing brain problems and strokes now for heavens sake!

i took depo for about a year and a half and the shot you get every 3 months i think, i forget now cause im off it but when i first started taking it i LOST 10 pounds.. i know good for me right and you might think im lucky but the story changes after i lost the 10 pounds i kept it off for about a month then it all came back plus 10 more pounds and i didnt change anything it was weird i think the depo makes your weight rapidly change both ways haha i figured id stay on it for a little longer and maybe it would all come off again but naaaaah so today i have a gyno appt. and im trying to figure out a pill to get i wanna try yaz but i heard from a few friends and online sources that it made them emotional like crying for no reason so i have an appointment in a half hour and before i go im trying to find a pill that wont make me go crazy

When my son was born in Dec. 2007 I began to lose weight right after he was born. I was a nursing mom and 6 weeks after his birth I got the Mirena. All of the sudden I started to gain weight like a MAD woman! I had always heard that nursing moms lose weight quickly which was NOT the case for me. Here is why I blame the Mirena. I am now 26 years old. I started weight watchers 2 weeks after my son was born. Lost a TON of weight throughout the following weeks. Got the Mirena @ 6 weeks and no matter what i did I consistently gained up until this date! I actually thought it was my nursing so i stopped nursing my son @ 10 months. Here I am 14 months after my sons birth, still with Mirena and I weigh SEVERAL pounds MORE than I did when I was pregnant with my son the day of delivery! I am making an appt. today to have my Mirena removed. I am a young infertile woman using the mirena in hopes that it would help control my polycystic ovarians disease but on top of the weight gain I have not let my husband touch me in over a year, I am a complete basket case of emotions and I have a temper that I have never had before. I even took anti depressants for a short time thinking I had PPD but even the paxil wasn't the answer. I have been a loyal follower of the Weight Watchers program for several years. It helped me to lose 30 lbs after my daughters birth. I have been following program to the T for the last 14 months also introducing a regular work out. there is NO other explanation for this weight gain. What sets me apart from the rest of you is that without this Mirena I still run no risk of pregnancy. It took years of fertility treatments starting @ 21 years old for me to get pregnant with my daughter and a year longer to become pregnant with my son. I can honestly say that this Mirena has made me a a horrible wife and, that mother that no kid wants as their own... :'(

I had my Mirena IUD removed 2 days after I wrote the message above. I have to say the weight is already coming off. Removed on Thurs late afternoon. and lost 2.2 lbs by the following wed morning. I was surprised to learn my BP is through the roof but so far having it removed was the greatest decision I could have made. My friend is also considering having hers removed as she has had the same problems and is seeing my results.

I have never taken them but interesting to read all the replies here.

ok if birth control doesn't cause weight but does cause fluid retention, what can be dont for that?

I don't care what anybody says, it does make you gain weight. I see a few comments that say it is a "lifestyle" that makes you gain. Just b/c you were one of the few women who were lucky enough to not gain weight does not give you the right to assert that judgment on others. I only use over the counter BC b/c the one time I was on BC, I gained several pounds and got pregnant. It's not our "lifestyle" it is the birth control. Too many women gain. I for one am somebody who watches what I eat and exercise, no matter what, and I gained.

Sorry, I have to so disagree with you. You may be one of the exceptionally lucky ones but I DO watch what I eat and I DO exercise at least 3 times a week and walk daily and I have gained 17 lbs over the past few years. I think you were lucky and got on a pill that works with your body and you are not the NORM!!! Please don't lecture or assume that we are not eating right and what not. It has nothing to do with the option of being pregnant. I want something that works without all the sacrifice we have to make with our bodies!


quote="MarineWife02"]Okay....first of all. Birth Control does not cause weight gain! For those of you that dont know and need to obviously know. Birth Control inserts estrogen and progestin into the blood stream, and does not usually(if taken correctly) release mature eggs, which causes you not to get pregnant. It kind of tricks the body into thinking its pregnant. Therefore it increases your appetite. It is not the pills per se, but your appetite that causes weight gain. If you change your apetite to healthy foods, like fruit and vegetables than you shouldn't have a problem. BC pills have a tendency to make you crave sweet foods, where most ladies weight gain comes into play. So substitute an apple, orange or even grapes for that chocolate. It has worked for me. I have been on the pill for 4 years, (soon to go on the nuvaring, in a week) and gained maybe 5-10 lbs, it varies on what I eat. That also was from going from age 16 to 20. The developmental stage. If you ignore the cravings for chocolate, and salty things like chips, and substitute, fruit or steamed vegetables, than you will not have any weight gain.

Here's how I look at. If I did gain maybe 5-10 lbs on the BC pills or NuvaRing, I would prefer that, over 20-50lbs or more from having a child any day.

Ladies if your looking for taking a contreceptive, the pills wont hurt. If you are seriously worried about weight gain, dont take the DEPO shot. I have never taken it, but I have seen the side effects. The DEPO will almost for sure make you gain lots of weight. Stick the pill or the NuvaRing if your worried about missing a pill.
Heres a good way to remember to take your pill everyday. Put the container on top of your alarm clock. Lets say you get up at 0700 every morning for work. Have it sitting on top of your alarm so its the first thing you gran in the morning. Even if its your day off, set the alarm, take the pill and go back to sleep. That is the easiest way to take the pill at the same time every day. It has worked for me over the past 4 years and I have never had a problem.

Birth Control is a wonderful thing when compared to having to bare the responsibilities of a child!

I don't care what anyone says BC in any form causes weight gain. I have said before that I was on Depo and gained 30lbs in the 3months for the first shot, several months later I went on the pill and gained 60lbs in 2 wks! Don't tell me that's my diets fault, I could eat junk food all the time and never gain that much that fast! Later I tried Mirena and gained 40lbs in 4wks, hmmm I'm seeing a pattern here....and you are extremely mistaken to think that having a baby automatically makes you gain 20-50lbs, yes you gain while you're pregnant but after the baby's born most of it goes away as long as you watch your diet. Infact I LOST 30 pounds every time I had a baby!!





As for the water rentention, which I also have a severe issue of, I had to see my Dr and get put on a water pill. that was the only way to rid myself of the swelling. nothing over the counter works well enough. Go see your Dr.

I've been on and off the pill since eighth grade not because I was sexually active but to balance my hormones. Before going on the pill for the first time, I was 100lbs. After a few months, I had skyrocketed to 125lbs. I stopped taking the pill after a year and was back down to 105lbs throughout high school and my university life. Now I've gone back on it (taking Alesse) and have gained 10lbs in the last couple months. I eat healthy and I exercise daily but the weight won't go away. In fact, I'm gaining even more weight! I'm 5'1 and I used to be quite slim...now I'm much rounder and fuller.

I don't know what the connection is between the pill and weight gain but based on my experiences and what I read here, there is definitely a connection. If the pill tricks your body into thinking it's pregnant, isn't that weight gain? It doesn't matter how healthy you eat or how much you exercise, your body is still going to develop tissue in certain areas to accommodate for pregnancy? I hope I've got it right.

I'm going off the pill after my next period to see if I will lose the weight I've gained.

My understanding is that gaining weight on birth control is not a given and that the hormones are different from woman to woman. I have had two friends take the same BCP and one gained weight while the other stayed the same. Is that typical?

Birth control DOES cause weight gain in some cases! There is NO way around it! There are too many women that have gained weight upon taking the pill/patch/shot/ring whatever without ANY OTHER lifestyle changes. There is no other explanation. DEPO SHOT RUINED MY LIFE for a brief amount of time. I gained 70 pounds after only TWO injections and my period didn't return AT ALL until over a year later! When it did the weight fell off and I was back to normal. I started taking the pill and the weight crept back on...but not as bad as with depo shot. I eat right and exercise and cannot achieve my goals. I only start to see results when NOT on any BC at all. These are the facts and my family doctor who has taken care of me for 12 years agrees that my body DOES NOT respond well to birth control and advises that to lose the weight I want I need to be off of the pill.

There is no way to say flat out that BC doesn't cause weight gain. For some it doesn't! My sister was on the depo shot for FIVE years and was as skinny as a supermodel...she stopped the shot because her dr was afraid it would be in her system too long and was worried about her not being able to get pregnant in the near future. She was off it a month after when she'd have normally gotten the injection and got pregnant! It worked WELL with my sister but it killed me.

Everyone's body takes it differently....there is NO across the board answer. THAT IS THE FACT!

I used Loestrin24 FE for over 2 years due to endometriosis. I LOST weight! It was a struggle for me to maintain 110 lbs(I'm 5'4"), despite eating every junk food you could imagine. As a matter of fact, doctors thought I had hyper thyroidism, but it turned out that the increased thyroid hormone production was a side effect of this pill.I took it continuously(skipped placebos), and had no problems. Loved it, but had to quit using when I lost my health insurance.

I took Junel Fe for 2 months and gained 8 pounds, at a regular doctors apointment, the dr. saw the weight i put on and told me to stop as soon as this pack was done. my doctor infact told me that if there are to many hormones for your body you will gain weight!!!