Birth Control

I'm considering going on birth control but I've heard that not only will it make it harder to lose weight, but it sometimes makes you gain weight.

 

Any advice/personal experience?

 

(The brand is Ortho Novum 7/7/7)

I've been on birth control for about 17 years and I never gained any weight in all that time. I also just recently lost 18 lbs. in a few months.

That's a pretty strong pill. Why that one specifically?

The pill can lead to an increase in appetite, though studies show that the average weight gain is small - 2 lbs, I think? - well worth it for such a great form of pregnancy protection. It should not interfere with weight loss by calorie counting, since the gain happens through increased appetite (i.e. people ingesting more calories than they did before).

I was on the pill for 14 years and it didn't affect my weight - I was thin on it, fat on it, etc, based on my lifestyle and not the pill itself. It's a real blessing: just remember that you may need to try a few brands (give each one about 3 months) before finding the one that works best with your system (no side effects, etc), and it doesn't protect against STDs so you still need to use a condom for that. The pill plus a condom each time is called "double dutch" since it's the method of birth control that is promoted in the Netherlands - where they have the lowest STD and unplanned pregnancy rates in the world.

Thanks for the information -- that really helps.

 

And to answer your question, I'm using this brand because I'm 17 years old and on the teen plan at Planned Pregnancy and since they're willing to give me a year supply of STD tests, pills, condoms, etc. for $50, I have to just take whatever they give me.

The "increase in appetite" varies by the woman taking the pill and the pill itself. As others have said, it is not directly responsible for true weight (fat) gain (bloating does not count). A lot of women seem to use that excuse, ha, although there are a VERY SMALL percentage of women who actually experience drastic hormonal changes that can contribute to this. Very, very small percentage.

For myself, birth control REGULATED my hormones. Moodiness decreased and my increase of appetite was exactly when it should be- during the part of my cycle that burns more calories. I actually feel I should credit birth control to helping me lose weight :)

It takes a while for most women to find a pill suitable for them. I started out on the OrthroEvra patch... didn't work out well for me, made me irritable as all hell and gave me a skin reaction. I switched to Ortho Tricyclin, and am now on the lo-dosage version of that pill since my family has a history of high blood pressure. :) No complaints here :)

I'm another for whom birth control regulated hormones. In fact, I started taking it as a teen both for that and to regulate my cycle.

I asked my doctor about it when I went on BC- studies show that there is no significant effect on the pill and weight gain- in fact b/c a lot of them help with cramps, you may be likely to be more physically active throughout the cycle.

premonitions, ask them if there are other brands that you can try. And ask them what will happen if you get side effects (nausea or headaches, for example) from a certain brand - are they willing to switch them for you?

I think it's great that they are offering you low-cost birth control, but there must be some flexibility there. Which PP is it?

I've never actually put on weight from my pill, although mine is a milder one (I go crazymadness on other kinds....) it has however helped clear up my skin AND help my period cramps go from excruciating to just really painful :)

They made my boobs bigger...but I don't remember putting on any weight. Maybe that's the weight gain right there.

 

BTW, my brand is Celeste, and I think it's great. I have had no trouble with it, and I have a tendency to go mental on things that affect your hormones.

i actually LOST weight on the pill (Diane) ...about 5 ish pounds and i  never chnaged my diet or exercise routine...i highly doubt it was water weight either..im not one to retain water.
it also helped my skin and raging pms.

i also went from 147-149 ish to 118 without difficulty so the pill did not get in the way of that.

i heard good things about yaz or yasmin (dont know the diff) and im planning on switching

to all pill users: if you have no side effects on the pill you are currently on, don't switch!

There is a lot of pharmaceutical company hype about new pills. Don't believe it. Every pill works differently for every woman, and no pill is automatically better for everyone. If you find one that works, stay on it forever.

The only real difference between pills that is consistent from woman to woman, is whether they are high-dose (35 or more micrograms ethinyl estradiol, like ortho 7/7/7), medium dose (30 mcg, like my beloved Lo-Ovral) or low-dose (20 mcg, like Alesse). Each dose has a bunch of women for whom it is perfect. Normally I recommend that people start on a medium-dose pill, as the higher doses can cause more side effects and the lower doses can lead to a higher risk of breakthrough bleeding (and pregnancy!) if you miss a pill. Then you see how the person reacts (breakthrough bleeding in the absence of missed pills means you need a higher dose, whereas hormonal side effects might suggest you need a lower dose - though sometimes switching to a different kind of medium-dose can work too).

It's an art, really - matching woman to pill. So many women give up before they find their true love. ;)

Yeah, I was on 3 different brands over the past 5 years, and had to switch off about 6 months ago for medical reasons, after which I promptly gained 10 pounds even though my diet and exercise did not change. It varies alot by the individual whether they gain weight, lose weight, or nothing at all happens to their weight. Give it a try, and be sure to go back if you are unhappy with the side effects. I'm sure they'll work with you.

I have a question for pill users- I use the ring and only dabbled in the mini pills once (I have a history of migraines and didn't want the higher levels of estrogen) but am super worried about getting pregnant (in a committed relationship and totally double dutch) and just become too anxious worrying about missing a pill. Have people found pills to be better than the ring, for any reason?

Most of my friends either don't use chemical birth control or don't use the pill. Admittedly this is partly due to my pushing the ring, but I am curious to see if people have tried both and preferred the pill.

carol, the women I know who have tried both tend to prefer the ring. On the other hand, one has to be open to the idea of the ring to try the ring, if you get my drift. Personally, I always preferred pills because I worried about forgetting to change the ring (don't always look at my day planner), and I have irrational concerns about it falling out.

If you are on the ring and using a condom every time, you are double dutch and you can be quite confident about avoiding pregnancy. Switching from the ring to the pill won't add to that protection - you are already using a hormonal method plus the condom. Congrats!

#1 gi-jane May 17 2008 00:17 "The hormones in the pill can increase your appetite.  But the only way you gain weight is by eating too much. So keep control of the portions, do some exercise and you should more than offset any effects of the pill."

 It truly depends upon the woman in question. It doesn't just happen overnight by any means. As Gi-Jane was saying on the other thread about birthcontrol you gain by eating too much. So as long as you continue to have a balanced lifestyle you shouldn't have an issue. Some people are prone to experiencing more side effects in general.  I've never gained any weight in all time I've used birthcontrol either.

It can only make you hungrier. The pill doesn't literally make you gain weight though. Just keep counting your calories and you'll be fine. I'm on the pill and I don't have a problem losing.

You may be very hungry for the first week or two, the important thing to remember is that is just because of your hormones and not because of your stomach. What I did to avoid this is that I take the pill before I go to sleep, this way I feel all the side effects (including hunger) when I am asleep and not able to respond to them.