no more birth control

[corzzx]

After reading about how birth control can severly affect some people's body composition, i've decided to not have the depo provera injection again, as I 100% feel that it is the reason why I have gone through so many different diet variations, training variations etc over the past few years and not changed a single bit.
So I'll let you know how this goes, I know that some women will be interested in the results.

I honestly feel that I have tried my hardest and have been so dedicated to weightlifting and diet. Everybody always says that they don't know anyone else who eats as well as I do or exercises as much as I do, people even come to me for advise when they want to loose weight.

Its extremely frustrating when you try so hard but don't see results, I hope that coming off birth control will be the right thing.

I've gained great strength and muscle but have not lost a single pound of fat, I've even gained some weight.

Anybody have any experience with this?
Wish me luck

[corzzx]

I am currently 113lb, 5"0/5"1. That may seem like not a lot of weight but take my height into account. I wish to gain more muscle weight and loose 2 inches from my weight and thighs.
Waist = 30inches
Each thigh = 21inches

(before people say about how I dont need to loose weight, I'm not specifically trying to loose weight, I want an athletic muscular body, abs showing, etc..)

This is the kinda thing I'm going for, I've gained good muscle but cant cut off the fat so that it shows. (the pictures on my bodyspace arent too recent, so no recent pics of my muscle growth)

[Emma-Leigh]

A few issues:

1. Depo prevera should come with a big-arse warning on the injection saying: IF YOU VALUE YOUR BONES, BODY, AND SANITY - RUN NOW --> AS FAST AS YOU CAN!! It really is the spawn of the devil that stuff...

Other forms of birth control - not so much. These are actually fine for most. And the research has shown that they do little to effect composition directly. Depending on the individual, they WILL, however, have varying degrees of impact on things like appetite, and energy levels... and so some females find it harder to eat well and exercise while on them. So - it is NOT the birth control that is at fault in regards to 'weight gain', because if exercise and diet are maintained at pre-conception levels you will NOT 'gain fat'. It is just a matter of sticking to your guns with things 'get tougher' (note: higher doses of progesterone WILL/ CAN also cause water some water weight... but will not, once again, lead to composition changes).


2. Sometimes 'eating the best' and 'doing the most exercise' isn't going to 'get you the best results. It is about working SMARTER not 'HARDER'....


3. At only 115 and 5'1 I doubt you have 'a lot of fat to lose'.... And, even if this IS the case (and you DO have a lot of 'fat' on your muscles), although you don't want to hear it... if you DO try to strip, you'll soon find you will not have a lot of muscle mass underneath and you'll end up looking 'weedy and weak'.

Unfortunately - if you want to LOOK like you have muscle - you have to put up with a weight that reflects that muscle... Most competitiors who are 5'1 dial in at around 110-115# - so their OFF SEASON weight can be up to 120-125#. This means that, at the same weight as you are at the moment - they are already 'stripped off'....


As such - My advice to you would be to re-evaluate your current position and consider trying to gain a little muscl muscle first (just eat well, train well, and rest well). That way you will have something to look at once you 'remove the fat' you are so concerned about.

[zakkala]

Will be interested to see how you get on - I've been on depo for about 8 years now without any problems but have read about some bad experiences.

[ChicagoChef]

Came off the pill in July after being on it for ten years and feel MUCH better.

Libido is up, strength is up quite a bit, moods are better... I can go on and on.

IUD, FTW!

[imperfectly_lou]

Emma-Leigh beat me to it. Depo provera is bad bad news..... particularly for your bone density.

Different people react to things in different ways. I was on the Pill for nearly 10 years and as an ecto, I always had a hard time gaining muscle anyway, so I was amazed at the amount of muscle I was able to gain when I switched to the Mirena IUD. Obviously my body didn't like that extra oestrogen. Having said that, many women have no problems whatsoever with the Pill. It all depends on what works for you.

[JVo]

I've always been on the pill ever since I started lifting so I can't say anything about whether it affects that....but I know that for me personally being on the pill means not having menstrual pain. Even if going off the pill actually meant putting on more muscle or losing fat or water weight, I'm not sure whether it would be worth it.....

[corzzx]

It's a hard decision, not having periods is great. But then being on depo has left me with no sex drive whatsoever. I dont know what to do :/

[Emma-Leigh]

It's a hard decision, not having periods is great. But then being on depo has left me with no sex drive whatsoever. I dont know what to do :/

Get off depo.
Honest to goodness....

Oestrogen is not the issue when it comes to body composition (unless in mega-high doses)... but it is the progesterone that is the devil hormone (makes you hungry, bloated and icky)...

If you don't want to have periods - you can always take the pill and skip the sugar tablets. As long as you find the right one you don't spot. Or look into the Mirena (although some places don't like using it in people who have not had babies yet - because it is hard to put in)...

But stay AWAY from the depo (especially because you'd be at risk of low bone density as it is)!

[zakkala]

Oestrogen is not the issue when it comes to body composition (unless in mega-high doses)... but it is the progesterone that is the devil hormone (makes you hungry, bloated and icky)...

That's interesting - and something I'll bear in mind. I've been toying with coming of depo for a few years as I've been on it so long even though I have no proglems (although bone density is fine - confirmed by DEXA scan a few weeks ago) but I can't decide what to go with instead. I hated having to remember to take the pill, but the concept of the IUD makes me shudder!

[corzzx]

Get off depo.
Honest to goodness....

Oestrogen is not the issue when it comes to body composition (unless in mega-high doses)... but it is the progesterone that is the devil hormone (makes you hungry, bloated and icky)...

If you don't want to have periods - you can always take the pill and skip the sugar tablets. As long as you find the right one you don't spot. Or look into the Mirena (although some places don't like using it in people who have not had babies yet - because it is hard to put in)...

But stay AWAY from the depo (especially because you'd be at risk of low bone density as it is)!

I've never used the pill so I dont know what it means to skip the sugar tablets. Care to explain?
Thanks

[imperfectly_lou]

^^^^ In a package of pills, there are 21 "active" tablets containing hormones and 7 placebo/sugar pills. When you take those placebos, your body is no longer receiving the hormones so you bleed. But if you take 21 active tablets, toss the sugar pills and start a new pack straight away, you have no break and therefore, no bleeding. I used to do this for 3-4 months straight. There is even a pill designed for this purpose now in the US called Seasonale.

[merse]

Hey im am totally in the same boat as you. ive been on the pill for years now, and i too am struggling to get results even though i work out hard. (altho there are probably more factors influencing it other than the pill) but ive just stopped the pill last week as i was reading up on the one im on and lots of people have weight issues, sex drive issues and mood issues. so i figure ill give it a go and see how i go. dont know how long ill last as im not a fan of condoms or periods, but will be interested to see how you go also.

[jmccarthey]

I've been on the pill for about 9 years. I really don't know what effects it had on my weight, moods, etc... I really don't remember any noticable side effects and after this much time I think my body is used to it. Some times I wonder if it would be easier to lose weight if I wasn't on the pill, but I'd rather not find out how hard pregnancy weight is to lose...even though my husband is anxious to find out....haha! He really wants to start a family, but I'm not up for all of that just yet.

[DumbMick317]

If you review my previous posts I had a terrible experience with Depo, and it even pushed me into menopause at 26 years old and started making my bones weak to the point where I got a stress fracture in my foot! My dr has put me on Karivia, the generic form of miricette to make me get my periods back. it is a low-dose, only 15mg...but I have gained about 10 lbs of water/fluid retention in my butt, boobs, thighs, and waist. I look totally bloated, even my boyfriend says so. I've been on Karivia for about 5 weeks...

my question as to do with fluid retention...does your body balance itself out and will I lose all the water weight? I'm not sure how long I have to be on these pills, but I don't want to be and am looking to get off of them asap. Once I get off of them will I lose all the water weight?

sucks because I weight train and run 45 minutes a day and eat 1500 cals...high protein, clean..unprocessed foods and I am not losing ANY inches. None whatsoever and I have been doing this routine daily for the 5 weeks I've been on the low-estrogen BC.

Advice?

[rubes00]

I've heard a lot of athletes swear that the BC was keeping that last couple percentages of BF on them! Then once they dropped the BC it just started coming off. I was on the pill for like 7+ yrs and just recently got off of it about a month ago. I haven't noticed any miracle weight loss since. I've also been following a strict eating and training plan since then so I wouldn't be able to credit the removal of BC if I did suddenly drop the BF. I do know that I feel much better so far.... screw hormones

[corzzx]

I just realised that I CANNOT remember when I last had the injection, I seriously don't remember if it was a month ago or two months ago or even 3 months ago, so I'll have to phone the nurse tomorrow to find out, so I can start making note of progress.

Hey im am totally in the same boat as you. ive been on the pill for years now, and i too am struggling to get results even though i work out hard. (altho there are probably more factors influencing it other than the pill) but ive just stopped the pill last week as i was reading up on the one im on and lots of people have weight issues, sex drive issues and mood issues. so i figure ill give it a go and see how i go. dont know how long ill last as im not a fan of condoms or periods, but will be interested to see how you go also.

What birth control are you using?

[LindaMT]

I went off the pill when I was 31.

Went to a hormone doctor a year ago to find out why I was such an emotional train wreck. One of the questions she asked me was I ever on birth control and for how long. I told her I was on birth control from age 18 (periods were all irregular) until age 31. Apparently, birth control stays in your body until the day you die - no matter how long you've been on it!! UGH!! She recommended that I take Milk Thistle in order to detox the liver, because that's where birth control stays.

After reading about how birth control can severly affect some people's body composition, i've decided to not have the depo provera injection again, as I 100% feel that it is the reason why I have gone through so many different diet variations, training variations etc over the past few years and not changed a single bit.
So I'll let you know how this goes, I know that some women will be interested in the results.

I honestly feel that I have tried my hardest and have been so dedicated to weightlifting and diet. Everybody always says that they don't know anyone else who eats as well as I do or exercises as much as I do, people even come to me for advise when they want to loose weight.

Its extremely frustrating when you try so hard but don't see results, I hope that coming off birth control will be the right thing.

I've gained great strength and muscle but have not lost a single pound of fat, I've even gained some weight.

Anybody have any experience with this?
Wish me luck

[darkangel]

I'm at that point where I'm ready for a permanent solution to the BC problem. I asked my husband to have the snip, snip, but he's been putting it off, understandably.

At a recent visit to the gyn., I ran across a permanent, non-hormonal solution for women I'd never heard of before. I have yet to do any research on it regarding safety - I assume it's a fairly new procedure - but it looks like it might be an option for me. Thought I'd share:

http://www.essure.com/

[Rainessa]

Another birth control option is the nuvo ring. Ive been using it for a couple years now and really like it.

I really do not have the option of not taking birth control short of possibly a hysterectomy. Ive been taking birth control since I was 12. I would skip several months and then have a period that would not end...first time it happened I was on my period for *6 weeks* until we used the pill to stop it. The 6 weeks part was due to my family not really talking about that sort of thing and with 3 "women" in the house plus an aunt always around, my grandmother just assumed the contents of the garbage can was from all of us taking turns. Every time I have tried to go off birth control to see if things have settled, I always go into the same pattern. But downside, birth control pills increased the frequency of my migraines.

In the last few years my doctor tried me on the patch which I stopped using before the warnings came out thankfully, I just didnt like the way it would shift around slightly and get the dirty outline. Last tried, and I love, is the nuvo ring. You stick the ring in for 3 weeks, remove it for the week of your cycle, then stick a new one in for the next 3 weeks. Steady release of hormones in lower doses. One of the theories for the migraines was the high and lows constantly from having to digest the pills. Never tried the depo shot, with the pill if it makes you sick, you can just stop taking it, I was terrified that I would have a reaction to the shot and be stuck with it for however long it lasts. Now with the ring, the only migraines I get anymore are from obvious triggers like being forced to breath in cigarrette smoke or from getting dehydrated.

[merse]

well ive been off it for 1 and a bit weeks, so nothing really to report, except that im not a fan of condoms, which may make me go back on it. but im giving it a month or 2 to see if anything changes.
i have been reading a bit on forums here and there about the effect of bc on breast cancer. does anyone know anything about this? my mum had breast cancer and i dont want to put myself at any more risk if i can hekp it

[Tishalicious]

The Depo shots and all the pills made me a little nutty, didn't help depression, and just didn't make the PMS any easier.

I've been off it for about 10 years now and for the last 2 years have had The Stick (Implanon http://www.plannedparenthood.org/hea...lanon-4243.htm)

Its a different hormone to the pills and the shot.

One downside is that it needs to go into the fat on the inside of your upper arm... and while I'm losing fat I can sorta see it sometimes. I'll live with it for another year and then get a new one.

[corzzx]

I found out that I just missed the next injection date, so no going back now. I'm already feeling the cramps etc, forgot how much I loved not having these pains.
I cannot wait until I see differences in my sex drive, I have the libido of an asexual 100 year old women right now.

[zakkala]

I've jumped on the band wagon too - kind of. Have been to docs and decided not to have next depo - going back on a low dose combined pill instead. Will see how that goes; and it's a lot easier to stop a pill than something that's in your system for 3 months so if I decide to drop hormones completely, it'll be easier.

[imperfectly_lou]

I found out that I just missed the next injection date, so no going back now. I'm already feeling the cramps etc, forgot how much I loved not having these pains.
I cannot wait until I see differences in my sex drive, I have the libido of an asexual 100 year old women right now.

I noticed a bit of different in my libido. I am also on anti-depressants which also affect your libido but it has definitely improved since going off the Pill.

Are you cramping already or is your period actually due?

[zakkala]

Re Depo Provera - did some further reading round last night out of curiousity and was rather alarmed to find the following:

1) It's also used to treat a number of cancers
2) It's given to people who have lost weight on cancer to stimulate their appetite

and my personal favourite....

3) It is used to chemically castrate sex offenders!

Good grief!

I know the dosage won't be the same, but still - I think we may have an answer to the weight gain / lack of sex drive concerns.....!

[corzzx]

I noticed a bit of different in my libido. I am also on anti-depressants which also affect your libido but it has definitely improved since going off the Pill.

Are you cramping already or is your period actually due?

I think my period is due. When you have the depo injection you have it when your period would be, as I just missed the next injection that means it should be around this time.

[Emma-Leigh]

I'm at that point where I'm ready for a permanent solution to the BC problem. I asked my husband to have the snip, snip, but he's been putting it off, understandably.

At a recent visit to the gyn., I ran across a permanent, non-hormonal solution for women I'd never heard of before. I have yet to do any research on it regarding safety - I assume it's a fairly new procedure - but it looks like it might be an option for me. Thought I'd share:

http://www.essure.com/

True - this is non-hormonal... It is essentially another form of 'tubal ligation' - a procedure where they place an implant into the tubes that go from your ovaries to your uterus to stop the sperm from reaching the egg and the egg from getting into the uterus (which will therefore prevent fertilisation and implantation).

Although a good option for some... for others not so much -
1. it is perminant. It will scar your fallopian tubes and prevent eggs from EVER getting through. Hence - if you plan on having kids in the future, it is obviously a 'no go'. This also means a lot of doc's will not perform the procedure on a woman who has not had any kiddies yet... because even if they say they 'do not want kids' - it is hard to 'go back' if they change their minds...
2. It will not effect periods in any way.... so you will still get monthly bleeds/ cramping/ pain. Thus, if you take birth control to control these things, it will not have an impact.
3. It IS a 'minor surgical procedure' and there are always risks in that (bleeding/ infection etc)... Also - it is relatively expensive because of this... So if you are looking for something 'cheap' then it is probably not for you either.

So I would still probably consider many of the hormonal therapies over this option...

[spartan09]

I wish I could go off the pill. I've been on it since i was 17 (22 now) and I tried quitting for a few months but my periods are just too painful without it :-(

I really would like to see if being off the pill would help increase my muscle growth. I'm an ecto so I don't worry about fat so much, but would like to see more lean mass