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To the Ladies of the Board....To the Ladies of the Board....
Heather said: "I haven't been on it for a while, but I was heavier when I was taking it.
for what its worth.
I believe that it is one of the side effects associated with the pill. I also remember reading somewhere that if you are really heavy, it might not work as well. I'll have to see if I can't find that somewhere.."
Cupcake said: ".... Has anyone else experienced weight gain due to their birth control??? I think maybe thats the reason I can't lose. I was just wondered if this was a problem for anyone else. Thanks!"
Cupcake said: "Thanks for the insight... Its been well past 7-14 days tho. Must be its just making me hungrier so I'm eating more."
Cupcake said: "I have heard that if you are overweight the pill isn't as effective. Luckily, the pill never worked for me... I had to take 2 pills a day in order for it to work, and I'm sure I packed on some pounds in the 6 months I was taking 2 a day. Double the hormones.... I wasn't doing too good emotionally either. My dr switched me to the ring and I haven't had any problems on it so far. A little bit of weight gain, but I think the majority of mine is from my previous problems with bc pills."
helplesscase said: "Could be. I've heard of that happening."
UniqueMystique said: "I started gaining weight when I started the pill. However...I can't say that the weight gain was because of the pill. I started taking BC when I started at the University. I had been weight lifting for two years, was a size 3 and then I went off to the University and I started gaining. More likely the gain was due to eating poorly and not being able to keep up my weight lifting routine.
I'm taking Seasonale right now. I love it! One period every three months! I'm not taking it for birth control though. I'm taking it because my cycle is irregular due to the precancerous cervical stuff that I've been going through. I'm also taking it to even out my moods. When hormones are out of whack...it can make a person quite whacky! ;)"
UniqueMystique said: "Overweight? The ‘pill’ may not do its job
Oral contraceptives (and the ‘patch’) do not work as well for women with high levels of body fat. Dr. Judith Reichman has detailsBy Dr. Judith Reichman
"Today" show contributor
Updated: 12:04 p.m. ET April 19, 2005
Q: I’ve gained weight. I’ve heard that the contraceptive pill might not work as well as when I was thinner. Is there any truth to this?
A: Yes. And the heavier you are, the more likely it is that your oral contraceptive will be unreliable.
A recent study in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reported that the pill is less effective in suppressing ovulation in women whose Body Mass Index (BMI) is greater than 27.3.
The risk of pregnancy while on oral contraceptives was nearly 60 percent higher in women with a BMI of more than 27.3, as compared with their thinner cohorts, and nearly 70 percent higher in women with a BMI of more than 32. (For a woman of 5’4”, this translates into 159 pounds and 186 pounds, respectively.)
In other words, if 100 women with a BMI of more than 27.3 used the pill for a year, there would be 2 to 4 more pregnancies than if 100 thinner women did.
You can use your height and weight to calculate your BMI. Charts are available on the Internet at: [url]www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/bmi_tbl.htm[/url] or [url]www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi/calc-bmi.htm[/url] .
The reason for this ineffectiveness is quite simple: The hormones in oral contraceptives are fat-soluble and can become diluted when stored in excess fat. These hormones are then unavailable in levels high enough to signal the brain to suppress ovulation.
This dilution effect is most marked for very low-dose pills, those containing less than 25 micrograms of estrogen. (Most combined estrogen/progestin pills that are termed low-dose contain 30 to 35 micrograms of estrogen).
The contraceptive patch also is less effective in overweight women. In studies, it was only 92 percent effective in women weighing more than 198 pounds (compared to almost total effectiveness for thinner women).
So if you have gained a lot of weight — and do not plan to lose it anytime soon — you and your doctor should discuss using a different method of contraception, such as a barrier method or an intrauterine system.
There is also the possibility of taking a higher-dose pill (of which there are a few varieties available), but this must be done only on the advice of a doctor. This is because overweight people are already at higher risk for heart disease, clots and diabetes, and it may well be advisable not to take high-dose pills. What definitely should not be done is for women to take matters into their own hands and take, say, two pills instead of one.
If you know you will never want more children, tubal ligation (commonly known as “getting your tubes tied”) is an effective option (as is vasectomy for your male partner).
Dr. Reichman’s Bottom Line: Oral contraceptives perform less than perfectly if you are overweight, so consider losing weight or using other contraceptive options.
Dr. Judith Reichman, the “Today” show's medical contributor on women's health, has practiced obstetrics and gynecology for more than 20 years."
Leah20 said: "I've been doing some research on this actually. It depends what type of b/c you are on. Different methods affect you in different ways.
I am on depo provera, and most people gain about 5lbs a year being on it, some don't gain any, and some lose. I have been on it for 4 years and I have gained 25 lbs.
There is no guarantee that it is the depo except to go off of it and see if you lose the weight. I spoke with my doctor yesterday actually about this and she assured me it is very common with this drug. It doesn't actually change your metabolism, the progesterone (sp?) increases your appetite is all.
The pill is a different story, i'm not really clear on it. When I was trying to decide which method to use the pill had "weight gain" on the side affects list, tho."
spectrachic311 said: "Weight gain associated with the pill is usually temporary and is pretty much almost all water weight. I've heard people say it increases their cravings for rich foods...which also leads to weight gain :(
I am on a tri-phasic pill and haven't really had many side effects at all, since it mimics your normal hormone levels. There's one called Yasmin that supposedly helps by balancing potassium in your body.
Also...here's a little info for y'all: Birth control pills are much less effective if you are obese. The reason is that fat stores estrogen/progesterone for prolonged periods of time, so the hormones in the pill stay in your body longer than they should. This can cause your body to think it's time to ovulate and WHAM!!!! You're pregnant. So if you are obese and are on the pill, add a second form of birth control if you really don't want a baby. :)
Hope that helps :)"
theirmom said: "I work in a hospital and as a general rule most "side affects' like headache, weight gain, upset stomach are only for the first 7-14 days till your body gets use to the new drug in your system....hope that helps."
whateverhobb said: "Both me and my sister went on Depo Provera and we gained at least 30-40 pounds each on it. :mad: Needless to say I now have the IUD."