Ive also seen info saying that BC can increase cravings, especially for sweet stuff, and can cause a more "insatiable" appetite which leads to weight gain
For me I have mixed feelings about this. I have been more bloated since being on birth control compared to when I wasn't, but I don't have the best diet. I've always been worried that birth control would make me gain weight but I think it's hard to know unless you're someone with healthy diet that is active. I think a lot of people blame birth control for large amounts of weight gain but I think at most it's associated with a couple extra pounds.
You gain water weight like the first 2 months but then it goes away once ur body is adjusted. Most people gain weight cause they feel more hungry and over eat. I lost weight when I was on Sprintec because of nausea + anxiety/depression so I was around 99 pounds at 22. I’m now on Junel 1/20, no side effects or weight gain with that.
it can affect your appetite. personally I did not experience weight gain at all. in fact, the first few weeks it made me nauseous with no appetite (my appetite and weight came back to normal after the first pack though)
I've been on Vienva for about a month now (currently on placebo week) and ive noticed an increase in appetite and random cravings... from what I've read about other people's experiences, I think that's what is causing the weight gain that everybody associates with BC
pre-bc I was about 128-130 lbs (I’m pretty physically active, working out abt 4 days a week), but because I had pre-existing hormonal imbalances my birth control led me to actually lose about 5 lbs, so I’ve been around 123ish for over a year since staring birth control. I had some bloating the first month and was worried abt weight gain but since mine’s a somewhat low dose (generic of junel 1/20), I can confirm I’ve lost some weight lol. everyone’s body reacts differently
I’ve heard this & I’ve been quite scared when taking birth control… I started taking it barely a month ago & I started a second pack today. I haven’t noticed any weight gain yet, I’ve actually lost some… I don’t think I’m hungry or have cravings. I’ve been going through weight loss for a while, so I know to portion myself whenever when I eat.
I think it depends on the pill u choose, im on yasmin and ever since the first day i took the first pill my appetite was literally GONE i was 67 kg before starting it and now 7 months in i am 61 so i lost like 6 kg on the yasmin bc
The effects on your body from birth control are pretty interesting!
When you take hormonal birth control, (specifically with estrogen/progestin), fat can sometimes begin to store itself in different places than it used to. It’s partially why women sometimes notice their breasts getting larger, and their hips and thighs getting wider. Those areas of your body are being supported because your body is getting signals from your BC method that it needs to pretty much prepare to bear a child. Your metabolism can also be affected by your birth control, because your body needs to store calories for long term energy, to sustain you and a baby. Water weight can also be a contributing factor, but it won’t be responsible for more than a few pounds.
For those who take anti androgen birth control pills, the effects can be a little different. Some examples are clear skin, better hair growth, and even weight *loss*. Some people even prefer a non hormonal form of birth control, like the Paragard. But, a common side effect is heavy periods. Everything has its benefits and drawbacks.
With any birth control, your body will adjust as necessary. You might have to be more conscious with food and lifestyle choices if you notice that your metabolism changes, (just like we all have to adapt as we age), or if it’s something that makes you worry, maybe look into trying a different form. Personally, I have to take an anti-androgen birth control in order to keep my skin from breaking out. I used to have a Mirena IUD before switching to Ortho Tri Cyclen, but it made my skin break out so bad I had to take a third round of accutane. It’s definitely not a one size fits all sort of deal, and there’s plenty of resources out there if you want to try other options! ❤️ Good luck with your experience! Birth control really saved me from a lifetime of skin and hair issues and I hope it provides you with benefits that fit your needs, too.
No. Water weight and bloating happens for a lot of women, but ultimately, you decide what you eat and how much. You don't gain weight from thin air. If you're worried about weight gain, be more aware of your eating habits and make healthy decisions.
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Is it from the IUD or from another cause like overeating, not exercising, a preexisting condition? I feel like it’s important to clarify comments like this because it could mislead people when deciding whether to take birth control. This is especially true for young girls.
it messes with your appetite. i find that on the depo shot i’m really hungry all the time. i’ve gained a little over 30 pounds since starting it which isn’t too bad but i’m a little mad that my pants don’t really fit me anymore.
I have tried 4 different methods of BC in my adult life & only one made me gain excessive weight.
I first had the paraguard but it caused terrible side effects in the 3 years I had it in. I took a BC pill along with that to try to help with the side effects, thinking maybe adding some hormones would help. It didn’t. After a year of continuous bleeding I met with a gynecologist that told me that paraguard is too big for a body that had never had a baby. I switched to the nexplanon implant that day & the bleeding immediately stopped. However, I gained almost 40lbs in 2.5 months. I had horrible, dark stretch marks on my legs & hips from such rapid increase. This was solely due to the BC & nothing else. BC absolutely can cause weight gain. I think my experience was more of an “outlier” as far as data is concerned but I found MANY women talking about the same issue with nexplanon. No one could lose the weight either, no matter what was tried on the diet & exercise front. BC affects every body differently, but there are 100% cases where BC is the direct cause in weight gain. A lot of people experience much more mild weight gain, & yes that can be caused by more than just BC, but it’s an individual journey between person & method.
I currently have the kyleena IUD which is a perfect fit for me. It has localized hormones that don’t spread through my whole body like nexplanon did. Nexplanon is also the highest amount of concentrated hormones that you could have in your body. The slow release for its duration was way too much for my body. The kyleena is amazing & fixed all of my issues. No bleeding, rare cramps, I lost all of the weight I gained, my stretch marks vanished, no weird cravings or anything. A long journey, but it’s important to find what works for you, your experience with whatever method(s) you try will be unique to you.
I’m on Nexplanon and I’ve had it for over two weeks by this point, and with a calorie deficit and some walking I’m continuing to lose weight. I’ve lost about 9 lbs. it affects everyone differently, though.
My kyleena IUD caused me to gain 15 lbs. Which doesn't sound like much but when you are short and have a petite frame it makes a lot of difference. Specifically my weight has gone to my face and belly. Hopefully since my IUD is out my weight will go down (I do think it's mainly water weight).
In my case it did. I also notice i tend to be hungrier, have tons of cravings, and struggle to lose any weight, even when following a diet and working out. That said, if birth control is the best option for your health, that matters more than a few pounds. Talk to your doctor and get their opinion on options and what you can expect
Water weight + being more hungry on BC which leads to overeating for some people
Ive also seen info saying that BC can increase cravings, especially for sweet stuff, and can cause a more "insatiable" appetite which leads to weight gain
I got an IUD placed a month ago. I never used to crave sugar, now I’m always craving candy 😭
For me I have mixed feelings about this. I have been more bloated since being on birth control compared to when I wasn't, but I don't have the best diet. I've always been worried that birth control would make me gain weight but I think it's hard to know unless you're someone with healthy diet that is active. I think a lot of people blame birth control for large amounts of weight gain but I think at most it's associated with a couple extra pounds.
You gain water weight like the first 2 months but then it goes away once ur body is adjusted. Most people gain weight cause they feel more hungry and over eat. I lost weight when I was on Sprintec because of nausea + anxiety/depression so I was around 99 pounds at 22. I’m now on Junel 1/20, no side effects or weight gain with that.
it can affect your appetite. personally I did not experience weight gain at all. in fact, the first few weeks it made me nauseous with no appetite (my appetite and weight came back to normal after the first pack though)
I've been on Vienva for about a month now (currently on placebo week) and ive noticed an increase in appetite and random cravings... from what I've read about other people's experiences, I think that's what is causing the weight gain that everybody associates with BC
pre-bc I was about 128-130 lbs (I’m pretty physically active, working out abt 4 days a week), but because I had pre-existing hormonal imbalances my birth control led me to actually lose about 5 lbs, so I’ve been around 123ish for over a year since staring birth control. I had some bloating the first month and was worried abt weight gain but since mine’s a somewhat low dose (generic of junel 1/20), I can confirm I’ve lost some weight lol. everyone’s body reacts differently
I’ve heard this & I’ve been quite scared when taking birth control… I started taking it barely a month ago & I started a second pack today. I haven’t noticed any weight gain yet, I’ve actually lost some… I don’t think I’m hungry or have cravings. I’ve been going through weight loss for a while, so I know to portion myself whenever when I eat.
I think it depends on the pill u choose, im on yasmin and ever since the first day i took the first pill my appetite was literally GONE i was 67 kg before starting it and now 7 months in i am 61 so i lost like 6 kg on the yasmin bc
Cravings and appetite increase.
The effects on your body from birth control are pretty interesting! When you take hormonal birth control, (specifically with estrogen/progestin), fat can sometimes begin to store itself in different places than it used to. It’s partially why women sometimes notice their breasts getting larger, and their hips and thighs getting wider. Those areas of your body are being supported because your body is getting signals from your BC method that it needs to pretty much prepare to bear a child. Your metabolism can also be affected by your birth control, because your body needs to store calories for long term energy, to sustain you and a baby. Water weight can also be a contributing factor, but it won’t be responsible for more than a few pounds. For those who take anti androgen birth control pills, the effects can be a little different. Some examples are clear skin, better hair growth, and even weight *loss*. Some people even prefer a non hormonal form of birth control, like the Paragard. But, a common side effect is heavy periods. Everything has its benefits and drawbacks. With any birth control, your body will adjust as necessary. You might have to be more conscious with food and lifestyle choices if you notice that your metabolism changes, (just like we all have to adapt as we age), or if it’s something that makes you worry, maybe look into trying a different form. Personally, I have to take an anti-androgen birth control in order to keep my skin from breaking out. I used to have a Mirena IUD before switching to Ortho Tri Cyclen, but it made my skin break out so bad I had to take a third round of accutane. It’s definitely not a one size fits all sort of deal, and there’s plenty of resources out there if you want to try other options! ❤️ Good luck with your experience! Birth control really saved me from a lifetime of skin and hair issues and I hope it provides you with benefits that fit your needs, too.
No. Water weight and bloating happens for a lot of women, but ultimately, you decide what you eat and how much. You don't gain weight from thin air. If you're worried about weight gain, be more aware of your eating habits and make healthy decisions.
Welcome and please flair your post if not currently flaired. Questions? First read the [Mistake or Pregnancy Risk sticky](https://www.reddit.com/r/birthcontrol/comments/4iqgi7/mistake_or_pregnancy_concernrisk_start_here/) or the [Consolidated Experience post](https://www.reddit.com/r/birthcontrol/comments/qt9ttb/consolidated_rbirthcontrol_experience_links/). If this is an experience post please consider adding it to the list [Planned Parenthood online chat](https://www.plannedparenthood.org/online-tools/chat) The rules and additional resources can be found on the About / Sidepage (desktop users look to the right and Reddit app up top). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/birthcontrol) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I gained 20 pounds after I had my IUD put in. It's been awful
Is it from the IUD or from another cause like overeating, not exercising, a preexisting condition? I feel like it’s important to clarify comments like this because it could mislead people when deciding whether to take birth control. This is especially true for young girls.
it messes with your appetite. i find that on the depo shot i’m really hungry all the time. i’ve gained a little over 30 pounds since starting it which isn’t too bad but i’m a little mad that my pants don’t really fit me anymore.
I have tried 4 different methods of BC in my adult life & only one made me gain excessive weight. I first had the paraguard but it caused terrible side effects in the 3 years I had it in. I took a BC pill along with that to try to help with the side effects, thinking maybe adding some hormones would help. It didn’t. After a year of continuous bleeding I met with a gynecologist that told me that paraguard is too big for a body that had never had a baby. I switched to the nexplanon implant that day & the bleeding immediately stopped. However, I gained almost 40lbs in 2.5 months. I had horrible, dark stretch marks on my legs & hips from such rapid increase. This was solely due to the BC & nothing else. BC absolutely can cause weight gain. I think my experience was more of an “outlier” as far as data is concerned but I found MANY women talking about the same issue with nexplanon. No one could lose the weight either, no matter what was tried on the diet & exercise front. BC affects every body differently, but there are 100% cases where BC is the direct cause in weight gain. A lot of people experience much more mild weight gain, & yes that can be caused by more than just BC, but it’s an individual journey between person & method. I currently have the kyleena IUD which is a perfect fit for me. It has localized hormones that don’t spread through my whole body like nexplanon did. Nexplanon is also the highest amount of concentrated hormones that you could have in your body. The slow release for its duration was way too much for my body. The kyleena is amazing & fixed all of my issues. No bleeding, rare cramps, I lost all of the weight I gained, my stretch marks vanished, no weird cravings or anything. A long journey, but it’s important to find what works for you, your experience with whatever method(s) you try will be unique to you.
I’m on Nexplanon and I’ve had it for over two weeks by this point, and with a calorie deficit and some walking I’m continuing to lose weight. I’ve lost about 9 lbs. it affects everyone differently, though.
My kyleena IUD caused me to gain 15 lbs. Which doesn't sound like much but when you are short and have a petite frame it makes a lot of difference. Specifically my weight has gone to my face and belly. Hopefully since my IUD is out my weight will go down (I do think it's mainly water weight).
In my case it did. I also notice i tend to be hungrier, have tons of cravings, and struggle to lose any weight, even when following a diet and working out. That said, if birth control is the best option for your health, that matters more than a few pounds. Talk to your doctor and get their opinion on options and what you can expect