Birth Control and Weight Gain

Birth Control Pills and Weight Gain

In one recent survey, 50% of all women felt that birth control pills would cause unwanted weight gain. Of these women, 20% said this belief was the primary reason they would not use oral contraceptives.

However, researchers have found it difficult to prove a connection between birth control and weight gain. While many women do gain weight after starting oral contraceptives, it’s hard to tell if this weight gain is related to the use of the pill or other lifestyle factors. In addition, it is possible that women who expect to gain weight after beginning a birth control pill prescription are unconsciously changing their diet and exercise habits.

How much of a weight gain are we talking about? In most cases, women taking oral contraceptives report a weight gain of five pounds or less. Only a small percentage of women experience a weight gain of more than 10 pounds after beginning a birth control pill prescription. Generally, any weight gain or weight loss related to the use of your birth control pills is a side effect will happen within three months of beginning your prescription.

Switching Your Prescription

If you are worried about the possible link between birth control and weight gain, ask your doctor about switching your birth control pill prescription. While all pills work to prevent pregnancy, each brand has slightly different hormone levels. Therefore, the problems you experience while taking one brand of birth control pills may disappear when you begin a new prescription.

Typically, pills that contain higher doses of estrogen will be more likely to cause weight gain due to fluid retention. Studies have shown that the following birth control pill brands are least likely to cause unwanted weight gain:

• Loestrin-Fe
• Mircette
• Alesse
• Levlite
• Brevicon,
• Necon 0.5/35
• Tri-Norinyl
• Triphasil
• Ortho Cyclen
• Ortho Tri-Cyclen
• Micronor
• Nor-QD
• Ovrette

Weight Gain from Other Birth Control Methods

While most women have heard about the potential link between the birth control pill and unwanted weight gain, it may surprise you to learn that Lunelle, Depo Provera, and Norplant have also been associated with weight gain in some women. While the amount of weight gained with these birth control methods is typically less than 10 pounds, it appears that women who weigh more than 150 pounds generally gain more weight with these types of birth control than women who weigh less.

If you are considering using one of these contraceptive methods, discuss your concerns about birth control and weight gain with your healthcare provider.

Preventing Unwanted Weight Gain

In most cases, you can prevent the unwanted weight gain associated with your birth control by paying extra attention to your diet and exercise habits or simply switching to a different type of birth control.

However, if you have tried several different types of birth control methods and had no success in controlling unwanted weight gain with diet and exercise, you may want to ask your healthcare provider if insulin resistance is contributing to your problems. A simple blood test will be able to determine the presence of this condition. If you are suffering from insulin resistance, a low carbohydrate diet may be necessary to stabilize your weight.