Is it possible to gain weight from birth control pills?

Birth control pills are a colloquial term for hormonal contraception.

Besides them there are:

• transdermal patches;
• injections;
• intrauterine devices;
• implants.

All of these methods of preventing unwanted pregnancy release certain hormones. After reading the reviews about birth control hormonal pills, many people don’t know whether they can be afraid of gaining excess weight after using them?

Contraceptive effectiveness

The effectiveness of oral contraception depends on the type of drug (one- or two-component), regularity of use, use of other drugs and the individual characteristics of the individual woman.

Hormonal contraception is highly effective compared to other methods of birth control.

At the same time, the list of side effects of contraceptive pills is very long. Among them is an increase in body weight, which, according to research, occurs when using any type of hormonal contraception.

Despite this, many patients talk about gaining weight precisely after taking the pills.

Birth control pills are oral hormonal contraception and are a generic name that includes a range of medications. They are varied in composition and proportion of hormones - progestins and estrogens.

There are 2 types:

1. single-component tablets containing only estrogens (for example, ethinyl estradiol)
2. two-component - include both ethinyl estradiol and gestagen.

In addition, from the point of view of the similarity of the endocrine system in relation to the natural cycle of a woman, one, two and three-phase drugs are distinguished.

Kinds

Let's first look a little at the types of OK. Be sure to note: choosing an effective contraceptive product is the task of your doctor . The prescription of a hormonal drug should be preceded by a consultation with a gynecologist (endocrinologist) with a complete examination of the body.

Only after first examining your medical history and asking you about your habits, the doctor makes a choice in favor of a specific drug. Any amateur activity in this matter is strictly not allowed!

There are two types of contraceptives:

• combined oral contraceptives ( COCs );
• mini - drank based on one hormone (gestagen).

Combined drugs can be monophasic, when the level of synthetic analogues of female hormones changes during the course of taking the drug, and triphasic (the change occurs throughout the menstrual cycle).

Combined oral contraceptives (depending on the number of hormones in them) are:

1. Microdosed : contain minimal amounts of hormones. They are most comfortably tolerated by patients compared to other types, which explains their widespread use by young girls.
2. Low-dose : contain a low dose of hormones. This is also a popular COC used by patients of all ages, including nulliparous patients.
3. High-dose : prescribed only by a doctor for obvious hormonal imbalances (systemic diseases, premenopause).

The listed products contain both progestin (an analogue of the male hormone) and estrogen (the female sex hormone produced by the ovaries). The ovulation process is accompanied by the release of a large amount of female sex hormones, and COCs taken make it possible to regulate their ratio in order to prevent the fertilization process.

If for some reason the doctor does not advise taking COCs, then you can limit yourself to products containing only estrogen (mini-pills). This type of tablet is prescribed during the lactation period.

“These” days, your body and training

Is it possible to gain weight after taking the pill?

Ladies taking birth control are afraid of weight gain, which can be caused by water retention in the body, increased appetite and decreased metabolism of fat tissue. This fear of large doses of hormones that can provoke obesity is completely justified.

Experts say that the use of oral hormonal contraception does not significantly affect weight gain. Some studies found that such weight gain occurred at the very beginning of drug use.

This applies to both one- and two-component drugs and is due to the fact that new generation drugs contain less and less hormones. This also reduces the number of side effects.

The same effect is observed with other hormonal contraceptives, such as patches or implants.

The only exception to this group of drugs are gestagens administered intravenously, which lead to weight gain.

Birth control pills and weight gain

The reason for weight gain when using birth control pills may be:

1. Wrong eating habits + increased appetite. Perhaps before taking oral contraceptives, a woman's diet was high in saturated fat, simple sugars, and overly processed foods, and this did not affect her figure in any way. With the use of birth control pills, appetite increases, but the habit of monitoring the amount of food does not. This situation can surprise you with weight gain. To control the amount of food you eat, start counting your calorie intake and expenditure, and if you do not exceed your norm, your slim figure will remain with you.
2. Retention of a significant amount of water in the body , which directly affects weight gain. This factor is facilitated by an analogue of the hormone progesterone, which is often found in birth control pills. Excess salt in the diet has an additional effect. Edema can look like weight gain and add 1 to 4 kg to your body weight. Before an important event, you can take diuretics, and excess water will quickly disappear. However, you should not abuse this method, as it negatively affects the electrolyte and water balance of the body and can cause heart problems.
3. Disturbances in the hormonal system . If all the previous options are absolutely excluded, you should pay attention to the condition of the thyroid gland. If its function is disrupted, in addition to weight gain, hair falls out, mental activity decreases and drowsiness appears, which also affects low mobility and contributes to excess weight gain. While taking OK, this problem may become more pronounced and the weight gain will accelerate. In this case, you must definitely consult a doctor.
4. The drug is not suitable for individual hormonal levels . But even with this development of events, the weight should not increase by more than 3-4 kg.

Contraceptives that do not affect weight

Before starting a course of oral contraceptives, you need to consult with a gynecologist who will conduct all the necessary studies and tests and, based on the results and the state of the hormonal system, will prescribe you OCs that are suitable for a particular woman and will absolutely not affect her weight.

Possible list of drugs:

1. Low dosage - Yarina, Janine, Triziston. Not suitable for teenagers.
2. Microdosed - Lindenet, Mercilon, Logest. Designed for young nulliparous women who have regular sex life.
3. Mini-pills – Charozetta, Exluton. Contraception is suitable for those who do not have regular sex life.

These and other OCs should be used only according to the instructions and prescription of a doctor.

Who invented birth control pills?

The use of hormones to prevent unwanted pregnancy was first proposed in 1923 by the Austrian physiologist Ludwig Haberlant. His assumption was based on the fact that in a woman’s body, saturated with sex hormones, the maturation and release of the egg from the ovary are inhibited, and thus pregnancy is excluded. It would seem that everything is simple.

However, the path from theory to widespread practice turned out to be long and difficult. And only in 1960, “miracle pills” appeared on sale - Enovid .

By the way, it is with the advent of the first contraceptive pills that sociologists, and now historians, associate the beginning of the sexual revolution in the West. For the first time in history, women who took these pills felt like equal partners in bed with men. Now the weaker sex could finally receive pleasure from intimacy, not overshadowed by the thought of unwanted conception. The drug was truly one hundred percent effective! The widely advertised product quickly gained popularity among hundreds of thousands of women.

Alas, the euphoria did not last long. To our great disappointment, it turned out that the drug had quite pronounced and very unpleasant side effects.

Enovid and other “high-dose” (i.e. containing high concentrations of hormones) contraceptive pills, later called “first generation drugs”, caused not only the development of the so-called “false pregnancy” syndrome (nausea, engorgement of the mammary glands, weakness, delay fluids in the body), but also more serious consequences - increased blood clotting and a shift in its biochemical parameters (primarily the level of liver enzymes and sugar). Now such drugs are no longer available.

The listed undesirable effects were due to two factors: significant doses of hormones and the inclusion of all hormonal components in the preparations, and not isolated highly active fractions.

Are there any contraceptives that make you lose weight?

There are also contraceptives that, in addition to their main function, normalize hormonal levels if they are disturbed.

There are the following birth control pills for weight loss:

1. Regulon - suitable only for those who have undergone pregnancy;
2. Novinet - tablets are prescribed if a woman has never been pregnant;
3. Regividon is prescribed only if a woman has diseases of the genitourinary system.

Whether a woman has hormonal problems can only be determined by a doctor after examining tests. Under no circumstances should you take birth control pills on your own to lose weight, otherwise it may have the opposite effect.

Is it possible to gain weight after stopping birth control?

Many women complain that, after stopping birth control, their figure began to deteriorate sharply and their weight increased. But in fact, the connection between the abolition of contraceptives and weight gain is just prejudice, nothing more.

In a situation where a woman has stopped taking birth control pills, her hormonal levels continue to be in a stable state after discontinuation of contraceptives, and this causes a certain surge in the level of various substances in the female body. If the thyroid gland is not able to cope with the collapsed load, then within the female body there is a metabolic disorder and a slowdown in metabolic processes.

Food entering the body begins to be digested more slowly and takes longer, so adjusting your weight in the future and losing weight becomes much more difficult. The best solution when gaining weight, after stopping contraceptives, is to visit an endocrinologist so that he can select means to optimize and improve the functioning of the thyroid gland, if necessary.

Video: How to lose weight after hormones

Every woman has a natural desire to be attractive, well-groomed and slim. Quite often, with age, after childbirth, or for other reasons, weight problems may occur.

To bring the body back to its previous shape, ladies resort to a variety of methods. Women go on diets, join gyms and start using contraceptives, believing that they will help them lose extra pounds.

If food restrictions and physical activity are understandable, then what drugs that prevent pregnancy have to do with weight loss is not easy to understand. Today we will fully understand this issue.

Basic principles of application

Any hormonal drugs require special care in handling. Their effect on the body cannot always be predicted. During the period of use, the possibility of becoming pregnant is completely excluded, but sometimes even after the end, a woman develops problems with the genitourinary system, especially if there were violations in the rules of use. The main principles are:

• strict adherence to the pill dosing schedule;
• start taking it from the first day of the cycle;
• daily intake;
• break 7 days before starting a new package;
• It is advisable to take the tablets at the same time.

By missing at least one day of taking it, you can increase the chances of an unwanted pregnancy. A delay in taking it, even by 10 hours, can reduce effectiveness (and in some cases you have to stop taking it completely and wait for a new cycle to start).

source

Hormonal drugs for weight loss

Only a gynecologist can prescribe a contraceptive drug. He will take into account the results of the tests performed, correctly select a remedy that will help slightly reduce body weight, and explain the dosage regimen.

Composition and what happens

Not all hormonal drugs can reduce weight. The product should contain drospirenone, a synthetic hormone with properties similar to natural progesterone. It is he who controls body weight by removing excess fluid, but fat cells are not affected.

However, this will only be a side effect. They are not classified as targeted means for losing weight.

If any symptom appears while taking the drug with drospirenone, you should visit a doctor and stop taking the OC.

How to choose

There are a number of contraceptives that do not make you fat. They contain a minimum of hormones and are produced using advanced technologies.

These drugs are suitable for most women, but they should only be taken as prescribed by a doctor and with periodic examination.

Myth 4. Hormonal contraceptives provoke the formation of cancerous tumors.

- Not at all. Low-dose COCs, on the contrary, reduce the risk of developing ovarian and endometrial cancer by 2–3 times. Moreover, not only those women who currently use a hormonal method of contraception are less susceptible to developing this type of oncology, but also those who have used COCs for quite a long time - at least a year - in the past. There is still no consensus among either doctors or scientists about the connection between the risk of breast cancer and oral contraception. But it is important to understand: women taking hormones do not go free swimming. They are regularly examined and visit a doctor. Their tumors, if detected, are at an early stage. And this equals timely treatment and, in most cases, complete recovery. The same cannot be said about those who see a gynecologist once every 5–10 years.

Source: 24health.by

Doctors' opinion

Birth control pills, which sometimes make women lose weight, are not weight loss supplements. Their use for their intended purpose is possible only after examination and consultation with a gynecologist. To avoid gaining weight, you need to eat right and provide your body with adequate physical activity.

You should be aware of the possible occurrence of adverse reactions and the identification of contraindications to use. Taking contraceptives can also lead to exacerbation of chronic diseases. Smoking while using COCs greatly increases the risk of thrombosis.

Why do people gain weight from hormonal pills?

Hormonal drugs are a timeless medical horror story. There will always be a colleague, an aunt or a stranger in line who is ready to vehemently speak out against the fact that unwise doctors are prescribing these terrible pills. One of the main side effects associated in the popular mind with hormonal therapy is an almost inevitable weight gain.

Losing weight after taking hormonal drugs is no different from any other weight loss, the secret of which is a combination of proper nutrition and an optimal level of physical activity. However, it is much more important to pay careful attention to the individual prescription of the drug and not to neglect yourself during the course of treatment, discussing all doubts and problems with your doctor in a timely manner.

To whom and why are hormonal drugs prescribed?

There are seven major endocrine glands in the human endocrine system, and there are many cells scattered throughout the gastrointestinal tract, for example, that also have the ability to produce hormones. There are several dozen hormones themselves, natural biologically active substances produced by the human body.

There are many hormonal medications that can be prescribed to women for one reason or another. And it is wrong to combine them into one frightening whole, overgrown with myths and superstitions. If the drug is prescribed by a doctor and the patient takes it correctly, there is no point in raising the question of the advisability of treatment. There are situations when hormonal therapy is irreplaceable.

One of the diseases for which hormones, in particular the hormone insulin, can be prescribed is diabetes mellitus. The most commonly prescribed groups of hormonal drugs are synthetic thyroid hormones in the form of levothyroxine sodium alone (for example, L-thyroxine and Eutyrox), in the form of a combination of levothyroxine and liothyronine, that is, T4 and T3 (Thyreotom, Novotiral) or in combination with iodine ( Yodtyrox, Thyreocomb). These drugs are used to treat hypothyroidism or underfunction of the thyroid gland.

A large number of women periodically or constantly use hormonal drugs with a contraceptive effect. Gynecologists can prescribe such pills not only for family planning, but also as a treatment for certain gynecological diseases. Contraceptives are also prescribed to change the level of estrogen in the blood in estrogen-dependent diseases, such as uterine fibroids and endometriosis.

Sometimes, with the help of progesterone drugs, they compensate for their own deficiency of this hormone in case of a common reproductive problem known as second-phase insufficiency of the cycle (impaired function of the corpus luteum, which can interfere with the desired pregnancy).

But drugs for hormone replacement therapy, when lost hormonal functions are restored with the help of pharmacology, are still used quite rarely in our country. Although in European countries the prescription of such medications has long been practiced with success.

Why doesn’t everyone get fat “on hormones”?

“People” have a strong opinion that as soon as you start taking these insidious “hormones”, in any form, you will definitely get better. And, it must be admitted, such a view cannot be called fundamentally wrong.

When using glucocorticoid drugs for a long time (we are talking about months and even years), for example, due to systemic connective tissue disease, or bronchial asthma, patients get better because glucocorticoids increase glucose levels, which, that is, indirectly contribute to an increase in the volume of adipose tissue .

Weight gain is also common in people with diabetes due to an overdose of insulin. Insulin is an anabolic hormone, that is, it stimulates the processes of utilization and storage of glucose, amino acids and fatty acids, and at the same time inhibits the catabolic processes of the breakdown of glycogen, fats and proteins.

Action OK

By taking pills, a woman receives substances that are analogues of her hormones. At the same time, the brain signals that the concentration of hormones in the body is sufficient and the ovaries are not given the command to produce their own.

Substances entering the blood, depending on their type, trigger several processes that interfere with pregnancy.

Estrogen (it is what provokes weight gain) has the following effect:

1. It prevents the maturation of the egg, resulting in ovulation not occurring.
2. Disturbs secretory processes in the uterus. As a result, the mucous membrane swells and implantation of the embryo becomes impossible.
3. The reverse development of the corpus luteum begins, which after ovulation produces a hormone that prepares the body for pregnancy - progesterone.

Progestin:

1. Prevents the growth of the endometrium lining the uterine cavity, making it impossible for the embryo to implant.
2. Reduces the activity of substances that promote egg fertilization.
3. Changes the composition of the cervical mucus that covers the cervix, making it impermeable to sperm.
4. Blocks the secretion of hormones responsible for ovulation.
5. Reduces contraction of the uterus and fallopian tubes, preventing the egg from moving through them.

Thus, birth control pills are highly effective. And even if ovulation occurs, pregnancy will not occur.

Other side effects

The most common question that worries women is: do birth control pills make you fat? But, besides weight gain, there are other unpleasant reactions to taking medications. Multiple studies have found that in most cases they are associated with high amounts of estrogen.

The most commonly observed side effects are:

• Swelling and tenderness of the mammary glands. Does not require special treatment, lasts up to six months. In case of severe adaptation to the drug, the doctor prescribes a breast gel.
• Bloody vaginal discharge is normal for the first 3 months. It is necessary to contact a gynecologist if bleeding occurs.
• Sudden mood swings, aggression, despondency, depression. To eliminate it, it is recommended to take a course of vitamin B6.
• Headaches for 4 months. If they become stronger over time, it is necessary to replace the OK.
• Nausea and vomiting. To reduce the severity of symptoms in the first 4 weeks, take the tablets in the evening after meals.
• Pain in the legs, in the veins.
• Decreased or increased libido.
• Stool disorder.

The progestins included in the composition are more easily tolerated by the body, so in some cases the doctor may prescribe mini-pills containing only one hormone. But side effects cannot be completely excluded. You can expect:

• Missing or longer periods.
• The appearance of an ovarian cyst. Neoplasms usually resolve after discontinuation of OCs.
• Thrush, difficult to treat.
• Increased oiliness of hair, skin, acne, acne. Within 3 months the body gets used to it and returns to normal.
• The skin's tendency to pigmentation increases. In this case, try to avoid sunbathing.
• Swelling of the legs.

The appearance of pronounced negative effects of Prim OK, which do not decrease over time, means that the drug is not suitable for you. It needs to be replaced with another.