For many people, gaining weight is a big problem. You have probably heard many stories of people gaining loads of weight straight after they start taking birth control pills. If you are worried about this and are thinking of visiting a birth control clinic to manage birth control weight gain, this article will answer some of the most pressing questions on the subject.
Does Birth Control Make You Gain Weight?
One question that many women ask before they start taking birth control pills is: does birth control make you gain weight?
Although it doesn’t always happen, women do gain weight after taking birth control. Usually, this is a side effect that disappears after 2 or 3 months, but for some people, it may stay for longer. The main reason for this is an increase in fluids retained in your body.
If you find that birth control pills cause weight gain long-term, it may be a good idea to see your doctor. They will be able to provide advice about alternative birth control methods or pills to use.
When answering the question of does birth control make you gain weight, you should first know that there are two main types of birth control pills. These are combination pills and progestin-only pills.
Combination pills consist of a combination of two hormones that stops your ovaries from releasing their egg every month.
This is different from progestin-only pills, which have one hormone instead and work quite differently. It changes the mucus in the womb so the sperm cannot get through and fertilize the egg.
Progestin-only pills are known to increase your appetite. Furthermore, combination pills, which contain lots of estrogens, are known to increase fluid retention. However, usually, there is not enough estrogen to cause your weight gain to be too severe.
Other Causes of Weight Gain
Most of the time birth control pills don’t cause weight gain, so it’s often a good idea to cancel out some of the other common causes of weight gain before talking to your doctor about problems with your birth control pills.
The first and most common cause is routine. If you’ve changed your routine recently, and you find yourself sitting down much more than you have before, it could be a cause of weight gain. Alternatively, if your diet has changed and you are eating more processed foods or are slowly increasing your calorie intake, this is quite likely to be another cause.
If this is the case, it’s a good idea to make a note of all the foods you eat, and slowly reduce the foods that have high calories or are processed.
The second most common cause is metabolism changes. As you age, your metabolism constantly changes, causing your weight and energy to fluctuate. Because of this, it is common to notice weight gain as you get older, unrelated to whether you are taking birth control pills or not.
How to Manage Birth Control Weight Gain
If you are experiencing weight gain, and are wondering how to reduce it, here’s how you do it:
Wait it Out Before Worrying About Birth Control Weight Gain
If you’ve only just started on the birth control pills and have noticed weight gain, it’s a good idea to wait it out. It is common for many women to notice an increase in their weight before it decreases back to normal levels in a few months. The reason for this is water retention increases during the beginning stages of taking birth control and isn’t actual fat.
Get More Exercise In to Reduce Birth Control Pills Weight Gain
Exercising two or three times a week and having a great diet massively helps with reducing weight gain, and gets you back to a more healthy weight. It is recommended for you to get at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week and eat a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables.
Ask Your Doctor About Changing Your Pills
If you are still having issues with your weight, you should speak to your doctor about it. They may be able to prescribe you a birth control pill that has lower levels of estrogen or progestin, to lessen the effect that it has on your appetite or weight.
Will I Experience Any Side Effects of Birth Control?
You may experience some side effects after taking birth control pills. There are numerous different side effects that you may experience, which include the following:
Issues with your Skin
Sometimes, when you take birth control, your skin negatively reacts to it, causing acne breakouts. If you experience acne breakouts, it’s best not to worry. This is only due to your hormone levels changing due to the birth control pills, and after a short while your body will adapt to the pills and these acne problems should stop.
Tenderness in the Breasts
As well as the fact that birth control pills cause weight gain for a short while, they can also cause more tenderness in the breasts after ingesting. This can be uncomfortable for many women.
To reduce this, we suggest wearing a supportive bra instead to ease the discomfort that you may have.
However, once more, if you are feeling pain in your breasts, you should talk to your doctor, and they may be able to ease the discomfort. In some cases, they will run tests to ensure there are no issues in that area such as breast lumps for example.
Feeling Nauseous Now and Then
Nausea can be quite common and usually occurs when you take too high of a dose, or if you take it without food. It is recommended to take it quite soon after a meal. Alternatively, if you are finding your dosage too high to manage, ask your doctor to prescribe you a lower dose and nausea should subside.
Possible Pains and Headaches
It is common for some women to experience headaches when taking birth control pills. When your estrogen increases, this can cause headaches to increase, and can even cause migraines as well.
If you already have a history of migraines and headaches before taking the birth control pills, it’s a good idea to talk to a medical professional beforehand. They can help you in eliminating your headache problem, as well as prescribing you birth control medication that reduces the occurrence of headaches when used.
Does Birth Control Make You Gain Weight? The Answer
So, although you may gain weight initially, by waiting for a couple of months the weight gained should decrease back to normal levels. If on the rare occasion that the weight gain stays, you should talk to your doctor. They will consider your options and may provide you with alternatives for stopping your weight gain.
If you are looking for a quality doctor to help you with your birth control weight gain, weight loss and birth control pills, OB-GYN Specialists of South Miami can help. As the name suggests, we are located in South Miami, Florida, and our expert birth control doctor, Dr Natalia Echeverri can provide expert advice and support for your needs. Book an appointment with us today.