Estrogen/Birth Control Pills/Weight Loss Hell!

[kudostojen]

I've kept up with this forum because i felt i was going through the same thing. I wasn't gaining weight but i was having a hard time losing it. I then took a hard look at when i started the pill (during my cycle) and my diet.

My problem, IMO, (yes, this is without any science to back it up) is, i started the pill in between my cycle. Now all of us ladies know that we only take the hormones for 21 days (this is most birth control pills) and the other 7 are either missing or sugar pills. So when i started taking the pill in the middle of my cycle, i had a period in the middle of those 21 days and another at the end of the 21 days (= 2 periods in 4 weeks ). This went on for 3 months. On top of that, my breasts were extremely sore ALL the time and my cravings for food were insane. So, did the pill directly contribute to me NOT losing weight? No, but wanting to stuff my face everyday can assist in weight gain.

I've recently went off the pill (just this week and my boobs feel better already ) to allow my body to regulate itself. I will start again soon but only when cycle has regulated itself. We'll see how that goes.

Just my experience

[samcanadian]

Wow, I gave up on this thread too quick. Thanks for everyone's replies! Ill cut and paste everyone's experiences into an email for her to read, as most of what you're all saying goes over my head anyway.

Thanks again with the input, this is GREATLY appreciated! Ill work my way through the thread with reps.

[momwithmuscle]

I found that any birth control pill gave me pretty heavy water retention and a 5 lb weight gain right off the bat. I tried about 10 different kinds as I have fibroids and the Pill would really help with the side effects of those.

I also tried the Nuvaring and gained 10 lbs, so I asked the Dr. to take it out.

Also the hormones made my depression worse, so I'm hormone-free now

[MissJuliaLove]

Gosh, the things women go through!

My menstrual cycle has never been normal, and losing weight is extremely difficult for me (I'm not on any birth control)! I wonder if abnormal menstrual cycle has anything to do with the fact that losing weight is not easy?

I'm scared to go on any type of birth control, in fear of gaining weight and not being able to lose it!

[jalapenocheese]

I was on the pill (Mercilon) two years ago and never had any issues with weight gain even though i ate unhealthily, did zero weight lifting although played lots of badminton. Unfortunately I developed post-pill amenorrhea and have noticed that it's a lot difficult to lose weight, which is kind of depressing/annoying, but I am still marching on!

[kudostojen]

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/res...ch-review.html

[swindled]

The reality about birth control pills is that it can cause you to gain weight or to stop losing weight if the hormone balance is incorrect for your body.

Most doctors prescribe birth controls without actually running your individual hormone levels to see which birth control better matches with the hormone levels you naturally have. Its a one size fits all solution that isn't really one size fits all.

Some women will see significant weight gain while on the pill because of the high levels of estrogen or progesterone which will add on to the hormone levels naturally occurring in your body. While, other women, such as myself, actually may need the birth control pill to balance out a hormonal deficiency. I have an endocrine disorder known as PCOS, which deals predominantly with a hormonal imbalance (insulin resistance is a part of it, so being on bc and eating whatever you want won't help you lose weight...duh). I have high levels of testosterone and low levels of progesterone, and for years I used a progesterone only birth control without knowing about my hormone levels. I never had issues with my weight until I was 18 and stopped using birth control (also lost track of my eating habits, though I was still training for Nationals in kayaking). Though at the time I didn't know why, my weight constantly went up and down (I was also on and off other birth controls during this time) until I was 24 when I lost a lot of weight, was eating great and exercising all the time. Suddenly my period stopped, and within a month my acne came back and I started to gain weight with no drop in my exercise regime and no change to my eating habits. I was diagnosed then with PCOS, and once I went back on a progesterone only birth control everything went right back to me losing weight, etc.

Birth control can be beneficial in helping someone lose weight, if the hormone balance is correct. Otherwise it can definitely cause you to gain it if it is incorrect.

[bubblegumkitty]

The reality about birth control pills is that it can cause you to gain weight or to stop losing weight if the hormone balance is incorrect for your body.

Most doctors prescribe birth controls without actually running your individual hormone levels to see which birth control better matches with the hormone levels you naturally have. Its a one size fits all solution that isn't really one size fits all.

Some women will see significant weight gain while on the pill because of the high levels of estrogen or progesterone which will add on to the hormone levels naturally occurring in your body. While, other women, such as myself, actually may need the birth control pill to balance out a hormonal deficiency. I have an endocrine disorder known as PCOS, which deals predominantly with a hormonal imbalance (insulin resistance is a part of it, so being on bc and eating whatever you want won't help you lose weight...duh). I have high levels of testosterone and low levels of progesterone, and for years I used a progesterone only birth control without knowing about my hormone levels. I never had issues with my weight until I was 18 and stopped using birth control (also lost track of my eating habits, though I was still training for Nationals in kayaking). Though at the time I didn't know why, my weight constantly went up and down (I was also on and off other birth controls during this time) until I was 24 when I lost a lot of weight, was eating great and exercising all the time. Suddenly my period stopped, and within a month my acne came back and I started to gain weight with no drop in my exercise regime and no change to my eating habits. I was diagnosed then with PCOS, and once I went back on a progesterone only birth control everything went right back to me losing weight, etc.

Birth control can be beneficial in helping someone lose weight, if the hormone balance is correct. Otherwise it can definitely cause you to gain it if it is incorrect.

I never thought of getting my hormone levels checked! If I got it done now while having the mirena do you think it could tell if things were out of whack even without them having anything to compare it to pre mirena? As in...would it give insight as to whether or not the mirena was causing my hormone levels to be messed up enough to cause me to hold onto weight.

[swindled]

I never thought of getting my hormone levels checked! If I got it done now while having the mirena do you think it could tell if things were out of whack even without them having anything to compare it to pre mirena? As in...would it give insight as to whether or not the mirena was causing my hormone levels to be messed up enough to cause me to hold onto weight.

It could give insight even if you don't have your hormone levels pre-mirena, since your hormone levels should show if one hormone is too high.

From what I remember Mirena is a low dose progesterone hormone, even with low doses birth control can cause side effects and its always worth checking in on your side effects on a particular birth control. If the side effects out-weigh the benefits for you, it may be worth it to switch, though with an IUD I know its a heck of a lot more difficult to do so.

[eglionz]

I was on Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo for about 6 months. I went from 112 to 117 on the scale. Nothing changed. I eat the same meals every day and continued to work out the same amount of time and with the same intensity. I was happy to come off it because I looked softer (although the increased libido, clear skin and bigger boobies were nice). Within two weeks I was back down to 112, so I assume it was water weight. My estrogen levels are naturally very low so I wasn't really surprised that I had some extreme reactions to even a low dose pill. I mean srsly, my skin was sooo clear and I gained almost a cup size (that also went bye bye almost immediately after quitting).

When you are starting birth control I feel its very important to train and eat exactly the same. That way you don't have to play guessing games. If that particular pill is leading to weight gain/water retention then try another one.

[bettynugs]

I've been waiting a long time for a discussion on this topic...and I'd really love to blame it all on "the pill" because that would sure make things easier for me...however, I'm honestly not so sure the pill is the culprit. Here is why...
I've been on the pill since I'm 17 and am now 40. Went off a few times and got ovarian cysts that were painful, so doc said I need to stay on until menopause. Went off only once, long term, to get pregnant and have my daughter...who is now 11. Went right back on after having her. from about age 25 -30, I was starting to pack on the weight, and I know it was from eating junk, working nightshift etc, but I have always worked out, both aerobically an anaerobically. So at my heaviest, I weighed 165 lbs at 5'7", and had a nice layer of fat on me, which I maintained for 5 years,even with exercise. At age 30, I met the original Hydroxycut (and boy do I miss him) and by taking only 1 pill per day ( when you could take up to 6!) and drastically reducing my junk intake and food cravings, going off the nightshift, and maintaining my workout routine, I lost 40 lbs in about 6 months time...all while still on the pill. I kept this weight off for about 5 years, without much effort, and no more Hydroxycut since it was banned, and now 10 years later, I'm weighing 150lbs. I try to cut calories, I eat clean and I work out, and nothing comes off the scale for me now. I suppose that I'm not being as strict and consistant with my diet, cause I will dine out, or eat the occasional cookie, but for the most part, I eat a great diet and workout more than most people, mainly aerobically, and no weight will budge from the scale. I would love to blame "the pill" for this road block, but I seriously think it's all about calories in, and calories out. I do think that the pill keeps about 2 to 5 lbs of water weight on you, due the estrogen, but it also keeps your hormones at a consistent level so that excess weight gain doesn't occur, as does when approaching menopause, due to estrogen loss as we age. If a woman on the pill went without any food for a month, and she didn't lose weight, then she'd have a case...but we all lose weight when we stop eating so much...simple as that!

I would say that the pill works differently for everyone, and I have many friends who gained a ton of weight on bc and some (lucky ladies) who just got bigger boobs and nicer skin. I was on birth control throughout high school (orthotricyclin-lo) and went off it my first year in college. It might have been the new life style, or not eating moms cooking, but I lost 15 pounds int he first semester when most people gain that much. I never went back on them because I got skinnier, lighter periods, and was just generally less bitchy.

I know a few people who have to be on bc because of ovarian cysts, and I actually had a pretty large ovarian cyst removed about a year ago, when I was 10 weeks pregnant. Cysts generally occur when there is a change in ovulation so being on regular bc helps prevent that. I did a ton of research before my surgery though, and found that there are more ovarian cysts found in women (and especially young women) today than ever before. One theory behind this is due to hormones in commercially processed meat and dairy, although I found little evidence that could support such a claim, it wouldn't surprise me one bit.

I think hormones like progesterone etc. can cause some women to gain weight, but probably not significantly.

I am currently breast-feeding, which means I've got a natural dosage of those birth control-like hormones goin' on all the time. And it's interesting because, at first I lost a ton of weight from nursing and training again, but now I have this pooch that wont go away, where before I used to be able to do like ten sit ups and have a flat belly. And I'm willing to bet once I get my period again, the pooch will go away.... but who knows, maybe my hormones are changed forever, or maybe it's just from all those moments of weakness in my 3rd trimester (ben and jerrys...)

[ilsev]

Believe it or not, I think it is absolutely true based on a personal experience I am going through RIGHT NOW. I started the transformation contest here on BB.com and was finding it difficult to lose any fat about halfway through the competition. It was becoming quite frustrating because I was doing 30 minutes of cardio twice a day, and extensive weight training routine a-la body by design, and eating clean, clean, clean.

I literally gave up due to frustration TWICE and this second time around there was a clear difference. I stopped using my birth control pills. Not intentionally, but I literally couldn't get them on time (there is a specified window you have to take them in). AND GUESS WHAT?

Fat is dropping like crazy, and this is with limited cardio, I haven't weight trained in 2 weeks, the only supplements I've been on for the past 2 weeks are BCAA's and Xenadrine (which I'd been taking for the past month and a half... and guess what, now it's WORKING!). I've been eating horribly.... excess meat, hamburgers, french fries, an amazing amount of bacon, fruit, pastries, wine, vodka, you name it, I eat it. I may not be excess in calories, and I don't overdo the carbs, but I've been LOSING FAT.

It is the craziest thing I've ever experienced. I'm not as hungry, which could account to why I'm able to keep a significant calorie count on bad foods, but seriously, I think the birth control pills have all the blame. I'm thinner and thinner every day with minimal effort.

I might not get back on them until I get to my goal body fat percentage. Obviously this will take a little more effort than I'm doing now, but I'm kind of enjoying this experiment

I'm SO glad that I found this forum, beacause for the last THREE months I have been eating CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN and working out like crazy! I have a nutritionist whom have won several competitions and I speak to a professional bodybuilder and both of them give me guidance on training and nutrition... BUT, I have not drop 1 pound in the last three months. I have even cut out carbs, except for sweet potatoe, squash oats and cauliflower. No sugar, no bread, no caffeine, hardly any milk (200ml per day fat free)... I promise you, I'm eating clean! So after reading this, I've come to realise that the BC is only explanation for not losing weight. I've done blood tests and I even have a food journal. Well, I even phoned my doctor and he thinks the reason could be the BCP. I'm stopping IMMEDIATELY! I really hope this will mean that I will lose weight. I'm not fat, but need to lose those last 5% body fat to reach my goal.

[kurohoshi]

So is it true that it hurts weight loss or is it not true? The copper IUD scares me.. isn't it expensive? And, the website says that it's mainly for people who have already been through one pregnancy... and it's only 90% effective. Suggestions?

[gwnorth]

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/res...ch-review.html

Very interesting article. Thanks for that.

We all know that hormone levels have an affect on fat storage patterns and appetite, so I find it hard to believe that all bc options would have a neutral impact on all women. After all, difficulty losing weight is one of the side effects of PCOS which when treated with hormones, helps to regulate the menstrual cycle, balance hormone levels, and leads to improved weight loss.

It's also well known that as we approach menopause and estrogen/progesterone levels start to decrease there is a tendency towards middle age spread.

Another impact that these hormones have is on insulin resistance which can also lead to fat gain/retention.

The study that was posted by Lexinak (which by the way was just one study and not replicated), did not mention which forms of bc were used except to say oral, and that they were weight adjusted. The other thing that the article said was that the reason they chose the monkeys was because it was easier to control food intake. Well that doesn't address the possibility that the use of bc affects appetite -> weight increase.

There are many formulations out there and I'm inclined to agree with Swindled that each individual's experience is going to be determined by the exact formulation they take and their own individual hormone levels, all variables that were not controlled for in the above mentioned study.

Personally, I was on bc for nearly 20 years (except to have 2 kids) and didn't find it had any impact on my ability to lose weight. Whether it had an impact on my appetite thus leading me to want to eat more, I can't say, but I didn't feel any different when I went on them or when I went off.

[euco09]

A couple of years ago I gained about 15 pounds for no reason even though I was training 6 days a week and often twice a day. I was SURE it was the pill (Yasmin) I was taking and so I stopped taking it and changed to the pill I was taking before Yasmin (Impanon). I was still not losing weight and I was 100% def eating way below maintenance as well as an insane amount of training (mostly intense cardio). I have had many people not believe that you can gain weight eating at a defecit but I know that this can happen and hopefully this might help someone.

Anyway it ended up that I had a messed up metabolism and I needed to stop training so much and eat MORE!! So everyone is different but that's my story. Don't nesessarily blame the pill because it could be a build up of a number of things going on in your body over months/ years and it seems like the pill is the obvious culprit but I really don't think in most cases that it is to blame for weight gain.

[Shorty95]

Read: Any scientific evidence I don't want to hear must be industry-funded propaganda.

You're being silly. However, if you can show me where the study errs, I'll gladly let you choose the fork I use to eat my words.

I was only on birth control (microgestin) for a few months and I didn't notice any difference in my weight. I had to stop taking it due to some other health complications that the pill caused. I really do not think that for the majority of women that birth control should cause weight gain (unless maybe a pound or two of extra water). Diet and exercise is all it takes. Easier said than done but you know

[bellamorena]

I've been on a bunch of diff pills, what I found was, on Ocella I gained 15 pounds, on Necon I gained 5 pounds and the one I'm taking now I didnt put on any weight. Maybe just coincidence since I'm used to the estrogen effects by now

[terracotta]

Actually, even if oral contraceptives do not cause weight/fat/water gain in the general group of women, it is possible for an individual of that group to see a gain.

Be careful of committing an ecological fallacy

An ecological fallacy (or ecological inference fallacy, also referred to as the fallacy of division[1][2][3][4][5]) is a logical fallacy in the interpretation of statistical data in an ecological study, whereby inferences about the nature of individuals are based solely upon aggregate statistics collected for the group to which those individuals belong. In epidemiology, the ecological fallacy is committed when a correlation observed at the population level is assumed to apply at the individual level.[6] This fallacy assumes that individual members of a group have the average characteristics of the group at large. However, statistics that accurately describe group characteristics do not necessarily apply to individuals within that group. For a mathematical explanation of this see how variability of individuals is much greater than the variability of their mean.

It is correct to say
" You should not expect weight/water/fat gains from taking birth control pills."

It is incorrect to say
"It is impossible to have weight/water/fat gains from taking birth control pills."

[lSOFit]

Ive been on The pill for over 4 years and ever since ive been training to compete ive wondered if birth control could've been reponsible for holding onto maybe 3 pounds that i just couldn't lose. I decided to take a couple months off and it didnt seem to do anything at all. So lucky for me, birth control does not cause me to hold any extra weight.

[wakechica]

I found a website that details all the various pills you can get and the amounts of each hormone they contain. It can take a few months to get used to a new pill, you see so many women trying a new pill and dismissing it after one or 2 months (POP are the worst offenders). Just give your body time! Any extra hormone you plug in your body isn't instant. If you do have problem with weight gain, it's worth trying a low estrogen pill. And I wouldn't recommend Yasmin/Yaz to anyone. It's linked to all sorts of other illnesses.

[savaglauren]

I have to agree with some of the above posters about looking at scientific evidence and not just personal stories. While individuals do react differently to all medications, there is only so many links to symptoms that a person can make within reason. The chances are pretty good that there may be other issues at play for her not losing weight. It could be diet, intensity of workouts (unless she's logging her macros, workouts etc, she may not be getting enough/getting too much of foods), thyroid, familial impacts, stress, etc. Remember, fat cells produce estrogen, estrogen doesn't produce fat. Estrogen itself from birth day control wouldn't increase fat. Looking at progesterone (oral contraceptives often have a combo of pro and est), it is also stored in the fat; however, doesn't produce fat either. In fact low levels of progesterone is linked to weight gain. If someone is taking oral contraceptives, it is not likely that they will be deficient in progesterone. It may be worth talking to her doctor to see if perhaps she does have a deficiency and needs to go on a different type of pill. Then again, there could be many reasons why she's not losing weight.

Doing a basic search of scientific literature out there, these are some of the things I found (since I can't post links):

"Conclusions: The use of low-dose OC (EE2 plus gestodene) was not associated with overall impact on weight, body composition, or fat distribution." - OC = oral contraceptives

"There was no significant difference between the oral contraceptive group and control group in initial weight and weight after one year of use."

"The results suggest that for many young women who use oral contraceptive pills there is no greater risk of weight gain than for other sexually active young females."

[MT-mtn_girl]

Interesting read!
My dr put me on the depo shot 8 weeks ago due to terrible bleeding that lead to anemia along with cramps so severe that I was bed ridden with a heating pad for days. I have endometriosis and the idea behind the depo was to stop my periods entirely.
Well, it worked. I've been period free since the shot. I've actually lost 3lbs since my first shot. One could argue that my diet and training have been much easier to maintain without feeling like t-total crap 7-10 days every month. I have only felt a slight amount of bloating last month when I would normaly have had my period. I just kept pushing water and my bloat feelings went away within days.

Ithink it's about finding what works for you and what side effects you're wiling to accept for your own body. Also I think it's about being 100% honest with yourself about your eating and training habits when looking at the sides of any medication.

[theflamingo]

This is my first post here, and despite my better judgement I've decided to comment. I am not a body builder, quite far from it. I am what you might call "super-sized." Before I got married and started taking the pill, I had lost almost 40lbs. My weight loss slowed from the initial 20lbs in the first month to 10lbs a month, and then 4lbs for a couple months. Then I started taking BC.

Now keep in mind that I need to lose more weight than most of you weigh. I'm not proud of that, by all means. But I do run into a lot of people who assume its as simple as just eating less and exercising. The first month when I lost a crazy 20lbs, I was eating 1,500 calories a day and doing dance dance revolution for at least an hour through, sometimes 2 hours, no breaks. Yes, I lost the weight, but it was not something that could prolong for continued weight loss. I eventually gave up and started eating more end exercising less. Once I started taking the pill I didn't lose anything. Four years later I have gained back all of that weight I lost. However, I am not blaming the pill for my weight gain. I gave up and stopped watching as closely. It is very easy for me to gain weight. Seemingly overnight after a day of bad food choices I seem to gain 5lbs and then it doesn't come off again.

However, several times in the past four years I HAVE been watching what I eat (right now is one of those times) logging calories, exercising daily... And all that happens is the same 5lbs goes up and down. To me that means all I'm losing is water weight, which comes right back. I am beginning to suspect that the reason I can't lose ANYTHING is because of my birth control. At my weight, even a small effort should be enough to start some progress, and I have been regularly walking 2 miles a day, reducing my calories, putting in better foods. Again, I am not perfect, I know that. But I am not like you guys where your bodies are so precise and you only have a small amount of body fat.

So yeah, I've had some serious weight gains over the years so I'm not about to blame the for pill for that, but I think I might test this theory and stop taking the pill completely for awhile and see what happens. I may need to accept that maybe I just need to work even harder to lose weight... But that's not to say that it's not incredibly frustrating to see your efforts run you around in circles... And yet people still judge you because you are so overweight. I'm sure some of you may be thinking that right now, and I don't even want to say how much I weigh, but I wear a size 22/24 in clothes so I'm sure that will give you some idea.

[danibug23]

I'm on the pill and not really had any problem gaining or loosing weight. my friend started doing the shot and that was a different story she gained weight like crazy with the shots and it got so bad that she decided to get off of it but had a really hard time loosing all that weight its been a year after and she's still no where near the size she was. i forgot what the shots are called though which i knew.

[LoveTap]

This thread just highlights individual differences, and I'm sorry but I don't think men have any qualification to comment. Studied or not. I do believe that the pill has some influence on weight gain and retention just ask any women who had been pregnant, the pill or some of them, mimic the bodies state of ingestation. Genetics plays a huge role but any hormonal synthetic or not, that is introduced to the body that electively communicates a signal that ignites changes has metabolic influence. Trial and error is the methodology, unfortunately the guidelines only apply to control and test groups. Eyes on the prize ladies

[malamujer]

I took the pill for 8 years before I got off it to get pregnant. While I took the pill I was at my lowest weight ever. If I gained a couple of pounds I had no problem losing it. After I had my babies I slowly started to gain weight. Nothing drastic a few pounds over years and I wasn't taking the pill anymore. I think I started to gain weight because of aging.

[megdaig]

I thought the pill was causing me to gain weight back in college...but then I realized that it was primarily because I had stopped working out...what it did do though was make me a lunatic biatch.

I was (and still am) on the pill during my entire cut where I was able to get to sub 10% BF...guess I'm just one of the lucky ones.

Even if the pill does jack with hormones that may cause water retention and weight gain, I'd think you would still be able to overcome the adverse metabolic effects though you may just have to work harder at it....

[hellokatie1618]

I'm 20 now and I've been on birth control for four years. I'm on the generic for yasmin, (not YAZ) called Ocella. In high school I was naturally just thin and I lost weight. But I mean.... you lose weight easily when you're younger. It wasn't until I got to college when I realized that my body didn't respond to my exercising and eating (subpar) as much as when I was in high school. When I was in high school and on the pill I didn't exercise my ass off or anything and I stayed thin. I've never been big enough to the point where I've ever had to lose more than 8 pounds. My freshman year of college I gained eight pounds. And usually in high school it would have taken me two weeks to get it off. This time it took me 3 months. I really cleaned up my act, worked out harder, ate a lot better. I've been maintaining my workout regimen and I'm fine. I'm gaining lean muscle weight and I look great. I think people fail to realize that their metabolism WILL change when they get older. My boyfriend who used to be a college track star and football star got injured, and has been trying to lose weight, and it's super hard for him now. It used to take him merely a month to get in shape if he got even a little chubby. Now it's taking him forever because really we're not as young as we used to be. When you get older, your body gets more complicated. Women react differently yes, but whenever I talk to a friend who has "gained weight" on the pill, I see how they eat and what they THINK are healthy foods are in all actuality not. I give them a good kick in the ass with their food and they're able to lose it. They thought muffins and bagels were healthy. They're great fuel sources (not the muffin) but only for people who know how to control themselves to be honest.

[MexaHime]

i fell on this forum through a google search. i was looking to see if my sugar cravings were related to my Birth Control


Long Story short: I fully believe that birth control affects cravings and i feel like i have "proof" my proof is below through all my personal experience.



I have been off of birth control for the second time in a year and a some. Since Aug 2008 i was on the Mierena, ( the matchstick in the arm) in Aug 2011 i was off. i noticed something by october...... i couldnt eat candy anymore.... now if you had known me about 4 months prior you would know a coke float for me HAD to have chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and whip cream.... and i could go back for seconds.... now, that is A LOT of sugar. i loved sweets. i could eat them ( and i did) and gained about 20lbs in 3 years.

So come October 2011 Halloween!! i couldnt finish my sucker without wanting to puke.... (wth!!??) i thought maybe this was due to stress because of the divorce/child custody ordeal i was going through that started in July ( i thought everything was finally cathcing up to me). In January 2012, i decided it was best to get Back onto birth control, since... well, being single at the time, you know. lol. so i didnt really realized my sugar cravings slowly creeping up on me... until now. I stopped taking Birth Control in early November, now towards the middle of December.... i had some christmas holiday goodies..... and i want to puke.... again. i've also realized i dont "want" soda anymore. and some juices are WAY too sweet.

[poshhunny]

I always teetered back & forth with "Does BC affect weight?" I've been on it for a good 13 years with a few month break due to orthopedic surgery...then I went on NuvaRing & really had no issues with it...convenient, no major side effects, periods were regular & cramps were decreased...I was diagnosed with PCOS 2 years ago after stopping the ring..so I went back on it & was fine...approaching 30, I decided maybe should stop hormonal BC for good...so I went off NuvaRing in May...i got a period in June & another 50 days later in July...so I am ovulating, which is often a problem when stopping BC & all my tests have shown that my PCOS is reversed!!!...however, I am not losing weight like I thought, if anything I feel more bloated more often & like I may have even put on a few lbs..even if it's just 2-3, I notice it...the other major issue is my fiance & I are now having a pretty crappy sex life....I may just go back on NuvaRing..I have to make an appt w/my gyno & discuss but it may be a good option...my fiance & I are not interested in having kids in the near future, if even at all.