Birth control hindering weight loss?? Just started the NuvaRing...

Hey!

So last year (around September 2008) I started using the Nuva Ring because I don't get periods.  I'm 5'7, 18 years old, and I weighed 130lbs in September 2008.  Once I started using the Nuva Ring I found that I was slowly gaining weight and I was VERY bloated!!  Almost looked pregnant.... so I decided (against my gyno's orders..) to stop using the Nuva Ring, but then my gyno got mad at me and said something about infertility, bone loss, etc. so I've just started using the Nuva Ring again last month (March 2009) and now its April 2009 and I weigh 157lbs... obviously I'm not very happy and I'm working on losing weight but I wanted to know if anyone else has had problems with the Nuva Ring and weight issues?? or any other kind of birth control?? because I find that the Ring makes me more hungry than usual on some days, and on some days it suppresses my appetite, and I'm bloated again....  and last year when I first started the Nuva Ring I tried losing weight when I reached the 145lbs mark but I KEPT GAINING WEIGHT!!

sorry this is a long post but i'm SO FRUSTRATED!!  I no longer own ANY clothes that fit and I'd prefer not to have to buy new clothes to fit my new body because A. I'm unhappy at this weight and B. I have no money...

thanks for anyone who can help me!!

I'm going through the exact same thing. I have polycystic ovarian syndrome which i think is what your talking about where you dont get periods due to ovarian cysts hormone imbalance etc. I was prescribed birth control for it, a couple weeks ago i stopped the birth control because I was starting to have 2 periods a month, bleeding for like half the damn month. Anyways since i stopped using it I've been losing weight like crazy. If you do indeed have the POS ask if you can try metaformin, thats what i used before the birth control and it worked for about a year for me. (its actually a type of diabetic medication) The metaformin can also aid in weight loss.

I was on the NuvaRing for a year and I gained 30 lbs. No matter what I did I just kept gaining.  I've read that it is a really common side effect of the ring to gain weight in the stomach area - which is where I gained.

thanks for your comments guys!

but darkylinky I don't have PCOS, I've taken about every sort of test ever created to figure out why I just don't get periods but my doctors are stumped so here I am on birth control...

and anniej23 thats exactly where I gained weight too!  I now have rolls of back fat, belly fat, and love handles and I used to be the one my friends envied for having such a SLIM WAIST!!!!  I'm so incredibly frustrated, but I'm hoping that if I stick to my calorie limit (1600kcals) I'll eventually get all the weight off...

Talk to your OBGYN about switching.  I too gained weight on Nuvaring and I switched to Yaz.  I haven't gained any weight on Yaz but everyone's body is different so you may need to try a few BC before you know which one is best for you.  Usually your doctor can give you samples before a prescription so take advantage of that and try another form.

Good luck!

Being on or off hormonal birth control (the Pill, in various formulations, for over 20 years) has never made any difference either way in my weight.  I gain and lose the same, on or off.

Do you absolutely NEED to have a period?  Many OB/GYNs are now saying no.  (Your personal medical situation may vary, of course.)  You might look at the book "Take Control of Your Period" by Diana Kroi for more info.  And maybe talk to another OB/GYN for a second opinion, especially if they can't figure out why you're not menstruating in the first place.

I had a college friend who never got her period, and it turned out that she had a rare genetic condition called Turner's Syndrome.  This also made her bones denser and affected her weight.  It's a long shot, but ???

Regardless of whether your having your period is healthy or not. I had not thought that switching to the NuvaRing made any difference in my weight. 

I switched this past fall and went from about 138/140 (20 yrs. old and 5'6'') and now about 7 months later I am 152.

Thanks so much for bringing this up. I never even considered it as a reason for my weight gain. I attributed it to more calories and less exercise. 

I was on Seasonique for 2 months, thought it was the reason I was having trouble losing weight, so I stopped. In the two weeks following, I dropped 5 lbs, just peeing all the time. 

My OB/GYN also gave me a sample pack of Yaz, which I may try if I can't control my dysmenorrhea. But really, I'd just rather take the Nasproxen after that whole Seasonique ordeal. 

i have been on the Nuvaring for three months now and have still been counting my calories and have not seen any increase in weight at all.

i gained 10 lbs on birth control pills in one year doing the exact same eating and exercising as before. i hate the things. i stopped them and am now able to lose the weight. i've already lost two of hte lbs!

I was seriously about to post this exact topic. I've been on the ring since November And I don't think I've gained so much as it's really impossible for me to lose weight and my chest has grown a whole cup size. I don't know, unfortunately I'm super bad a remembering to take the pill and so this is the easiest option for me.

different hormones do different things to people's bodies. some people gain, some don't. on the nuvaring i gained a tiny bit and my chest grew. i just wasn't happy with a few things about it - now i'm looking at an iud. i also had to switch gynos because of the hassle mine was giving me... maybe you should do the same? go to one a friend recommends.

Did they ever look into why you're not getting periods?  Because simply putting you on birth control does not necessarily fix the underlying problem, but masks the symptom instead.  And the periods you get on birth control aren't even real periods, but rather withdrawl from the hormones once a month.  The idea is to "trick" the body into believing it's already pregnant so that the ovaries do not ovulate.  However, just like during pregnancy, a common side effect can be weight gain, bloating, increased breast size, etc.

Personally, if I wasn't getting periods, I'd rather know the reason behind it rather than just taking something that gives me the illusion of having periods, which let's face it, aren't fun and can be inconvenient.  Don't get me wrong, going on birth control helps a lot of women.  A friend of mine had horribly awful PMS, and the effects of it carried over into the rest of the month as well.  She went on the pill, and it effectively fixed the problem.  But all women are different, and treatments should be too.

A similar thing happened to me. I am 19 and 5'7 and a year ago I happily maintained a weight that I felt confident at. I never actually weighed myself but I think it was about 125 pounds. I went on the pill and gained about 20 pounds. When I came off it I had to work to lose the weight (am now about 128 pounds) but it did come off FAIRLY easily.

I am also not getting periods but ironically they stopped after going off the birth control. I mean, I know that the Nuva Ring is different but I thought I would let you know what happened to me.

Best of luck to you!