Do most women gain weight when starting on oral contraceptives and if so how much?

For the most part, older studies using higher dose pills tend to show an average of about 5 lb weight gain using pills. One study looked at adolescents who were using DeproProvera® (DMPA) for contraception and compared them to other teens using birth control pills. They found that after one year of contraception, the average weight gain was 6.6 lbs (3.0 kg) in the adolescents using shots (DMPA) and 5.3 lbs (2.4 kg) when using oral contraceptives. More importantly, only 7% of pill users gained more than 10% of their body weight while 25% of the DepoProvera® users gained more than 10%. If you just look at the average weight gain of 6.6 lbs vs 5.3 lbs, you would conclude that DMPA had only a slightly higher weight gain than pills. The fact that these averages include 18% more woman who gained greater than 10% of body weight can be hidden by average weight changes.

Thus DepoProvera® has a greater side effect of weight gain than oral contraceptives.

In another study with a fairly high dose pill (50 mcgm) from 20 years ago, investigators found an 11.4% weight increase of over 4.4 lbs (2.0 kg) but also a 14.3% incidence of over a 4.4 lbs weight loss on the same pill. In other words there was just as much weight loss as weight gain. This finding could be interpreted as the pills cause no overall weight change in woman on the average, but an alternative explanation is that some women get nauseated from pills and have a net weight loss while the others who did not get nauseated gained a substantial amount of weight.

For more information, visit healthcentral.com

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Women often blame the birth control pill for weight gain. But studies have shown that the effect of the birth control pill on weight is small — if it exists at all.

However, the way the hormones in birth control pills act on tissues in your breasts, hips and thighs can make you feel as if you’ve gained weight. This is usually due to fluid retention and not increased body mass or fat. Estrogen in birth control pills directly affects fat (adipose) cells, making them larger, but not greater in number.

In very rare circumstances women may add muscle, which can add weight, when taking the pill. This is due to the slight male-sex-hormone effect that the pill may have on some women.

But no matter if pill-related weight gain is perceived or real, many women find this side effect undesirable. Taking pills with a low dose of estrogen may diminish these effects, but you may also experience a greater risk of spotting between periods.
For more information, visit mayoclinic.com

While the majority of women who participated in a nationwide survey of women aged 18 to 35 believe the answer to these questions is “yes,” the fact is that the answer to both of these questions is “no.” These are some of the myths that affect how millions of American women think about and use birth control pills.

“It’s very important for women to be educated about the birth control pill so that they are able to base their contraceptive decisions on facts, not myths and misinformation,” said A. George Thomas, clinical associate professor, Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York City. “After 40 years of use, we take for granted that women are fully informed about the Pill, but I find that many of my patients are not. The survey results confirm that we need to do a better job educating women.”

Survey Finding:: Sixty-one percent of women surveyed believe the Pill causes weight gain.

Fact: Not all birth control pills cause weight gain. An equal number of women tend to gain weight as lose weight while taking a birth control pill. In clinical studies of Ortho Tri-cyclen, women reported no more weight gain than women who were taking inactive pills. Women concerned about weight gain should talk with their healthcare professionals.

Survey Finding: Almost half of survey respondents believe women need to take a break from using the Pill.

Fact:: Women don’t need a break from the Pill. “Today, more women are using the Pill and staying on it longer,” said Dr. Thomas. “And, research shows that women do not need to take a break from the Pill.” Healthcare professionals can prescribe birth control pills to healthy, nonsmoking women over 40. But, how long a woman stays on the Pill is something she should discuss with her healthcare professional.

For more information, visit Womenshealth.about.com

A study featured in the May 2002 issue of the medical journal Obstetrics and Gynecology found that overweight women stand a higher chance of accidentally getting pregnant while using “the pill.”

Under normal circumstances, if birth control pills are taken as prescribed, only about 1 in 1,000 women become accidentally pregnant.* The recent research reflected in the study showed that women who weigh more than 155 pounds are 60% more likely to have their oral contraceptive fail… even if they are taking it as prescribed. The risk is highest for overweight women utilizing low-dose or very-low-dose birth control pills.

For their study, the researchers examined pregnancy rates among women aged 18-39 who use oral contraception. The findings suggest that a possible explanation for the pill’s failure to prevent pregnancy in some overweight women is due to a change in metabolic rate (caused by a higher body weight) which leads to the alteration of a hormone level that is necessary for contraception.

In light of these findings, the study’s authors advise that physicians should take women’s weight into account when suggesting oral contraceptives as a sole form of birth control.

For more information, visit weightloss.about.com

In a survey conducted during the months of November and December 2007 by The Women’s Hair Loss Project, a website uniting and empowering women around the world who suffer from hair loss, one-fifth of 517 female respondents said that they began to see signs of hair loss between the ages of 15 and 20. These results debunk the myth that women primarily suffer from hair thinning as they age. It also reaffirms scientific studies linking hair loss to the use of birth control pills.

Though surprising to most women, even The Mayo Clinic warns that birth control pill use may result in hair loss. According to The American Hair Loss Association (ALHA), all women, especially those with a family history of hair loss, should be aware of the drugs potential for exacerbating the issue, recommending the use of low-androgen index pills or another non-hormonal form of birth control.

For more information, visit womenshairlossproject.com

Using the lowest possible estrogen containing birth control pill should minimize weight gain and swelling from water retention.

Current 20 mcgm pills which are the lowest estrogen doses available are:

• Alesse®
• Levlite®
• Loestrin-Fe®
• Mircette®

If you are not taking one of the lowest dose pills, ask your physician or health care provider to switch you to one of the lowest dose pills, especially if you are having any weight gain or fluid retention symptoms.

Any weight gain after starting pills of more than 5% of body weight may be a signal of a woman’s tendency toward insulin resistance or abnormal glucose metabolism. With this amount of weight gain associated with an oral contraceptive, I would suggest the woman be evaluated for possible insulin resistance. If this condition is present, she will have to adopt a low carbohydrate diet. Simple sugars in any amount and high carbohydrate only snacks or meals will negate all other dieting efforts on a daily basis and frustrate any long term ability at weight control.

For more information, call healthcentral.com

Women who thought about contraception have always asked two questions: Do birth control make us weight gain? And which pills make us weight gain the least? Doctors have been always reporting that Birth control pills do not cause weight gain although most women have experienced such side effect. They would put on weight while on the pill, and loose it instantly once off the pill, which made them get off the pill soon after.

Many other women have been reluctant to starting the pills in the first place because of this.

New reviews have been carried out and once again doctors report that birth control pills do not make women put on weight and have acclaimed this belief as a myth.

Comparing the effects of the pills and dummy medications in a trial, “no difference was found in weight or difference in discontinuation rates due to weight gain”. It has been found in one trial though, that women may put on 4 pounds after one year’s use.

The main reasons for weight gain due to pills have been fluid retention, increase in appetite and extra fat laid down.

After further analyses, no causal link between the pills and weight gain has been found.

For more information, visit steadyhealth.com

Weight gain is a common complaint of women taking birth control pills. But research shows that most women gain little, if any weight because of the birth control pills. In general, the number of women on the pill who gain weight is equal to the number of women who lose weight. But for some women, this can be a factor in gaining weight.

The combination of hormones (estrogens and progestins) found in some birth control pills can lead to weight gain. These hormones can cause fluid retention, increased body fat, and a bigger appetite in some women. Changes in eating habits, lack of exercise, and some medical conditions can also affect body weight whether or not you take birth control pills.

Some birth control pills are less likely to cause weight gain. If you’re worried about gaining weight, remember to cut back on calories and get more exercise. Talk to your health care provider about switching to another birth control pill if you think it’s possible that your pill is causing weight gain.

For more information, visit drugstore.com

Women often blame the birth control pill for weight gain. But studies have shown that the effect of the birth control pill on weight is small — if it exists at all.

However, the way the hormones in birth control pills act on tissues in your breasts, hips and thighs can make you feel as if you’ve gained weight. This is usually due to fluid retention and not increased body mass or fat. Estrogen in birth control pills directly affects fat (adipose) cells, making them larger, but not greater in number.

In very rare circumstances women may add muscle, which can add weight, when taking the pill. This is due to the slight male-sex-hormone effect that the pill may have on some women.

But no matter if pill-related weight gain is perceived or real, many women find this side effect undesirable. Taking pills with a low dose of estrogen may diminish these effects, but you may also experience a greater risk of spotting between periods.

For more information,visit Mayoclinic.com