HedwigStrange

First and foremost, if this topic has been discussed before, don't gnaw my head off, because I did do a search.
And the topic is.... weight gain on birth control.
Now I've tried two kinds of pills, Ovcon 35 and Yazmin (which I am currently on). Both have made me gain 10 pounds. On a gal who is only 5 ft. 1, this shows a lot. I hate it. It feels awful. And it will not go away no matter what I do. I am a runner who averages 3-4 miles a day and I run races fairly often, and I cannot get this fat to go away! I eat healthy with the exception of sweets, which I probably eat too much of, but sweets never had much effect on my weight before. Now I'm like a barrel with arms and legs.

So my question... ladies who have been on either of these and gained weight, is there a way to lose weight while on the pill, or is there a pill you switched to that did not make you gain weight?
Thanks for the advice!

Cynthetiq

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Sage

My best advice would be talk to your doctor. Different women react to birth control hormones different ways- I flipped out mentally while on the pill, but it didn't make me gain weight at all. With there being fifty bajillion different options for birth control pills these days, it's worth it to tweak things until you find one for you.

Since you say you're a runner (which means you should be burning massive calories) it sounds like your body is just reacting to the hormones in the birth control the same way your body would react if you were pregnant- holding on to some extra weight in order to provide extra nourishment for the baby.

But yeah, this is definitely an "Ask your female doctor or OBGYN" question.

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raeanna74

I've recently learned that the BC pill affects the thyroid. From what I've read, the extra estrogen - (I think it was called free estrogen without any progesterone to balance it out.) caused the thyroid problems. I did not notice a gain after starting the pill since I started it immediately AFTER having a baby and was experiencing weight loss after that. When I changed my pill from one to another with lower estrogen because the estrogen was what affected my migranes then I noticed some weight loss. I really liked seasonale because it was quite low on estrogen compared to other brands - plus it had a 3 month cycle. Talk to your Doc and see if they can't change it for you at least. There shouldn't be a big problem since there's so many different kinds of BC pills.

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snowy

I have noticed that since I switched to the ring (which has an extremely low dose of estrogen) it's been easier for me to lose weight. When I went on the Pill in the first place I gained 10 lbs and as I gained more weight in college, I found it very hard to lose even with diet changes and exercise. Now, just with diet change, I have lost 20 of the 35 pounds I've put on since coming to college.

Definitely talk to your doctor. General wisdom is, the lower dose of estrogen, the better.

As for your eating habits, I'd recommend either a) keeping a food diary or b) downloading a program that will keep track of your food intake (I recommend DietPower...comes with a 15-day free trial). Either one will give you a good idea of what you're ACTUALLY eating and how many calories are actually being consumed. Also, diversifying your workout beyond just running (strength training, yoga, sports) might help you shed some of those unwanted pounds.

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rlynnm

Been on ortho lo for half a year now, and I can't say much about the weight gain, and it seems my mood swings have tapered off (very slightly, but nonetheless lessened) but I did notice my boobs increase in size by quite a bit....Used to be a c, but a d now..not too sure if that's a good thing...someone enjoys them so hell I guess it ain't that bad..

and if I were to put weight on, the increase in melon volume might just re-proportion me hahaha.

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HedwigStrange

Forgive me Cynthetiq, I am a rookie and I didn't think to check the sexuality forum. I give my humble apologies.
Thank you everyone else for the comments.

HedwigStrange

Hrm. Well I checked the link you gave me cynthetiq, and I really didn't find what I was looking for. So, any more ideas?