Birth control pills

A

amynicole

Cathlete
I just started taking these again after the birth of my 3rd child this summer and I am wondering if I am making it harder to lose weight because of them. I have 92 lbs to lose and I just started the pill 2 1/2 weeks ago. I am retaining water BIG time and have actually gained 3 lbs over the past 2 1/2 weeks instead of losing it. Part of it is water and I seem to be hungrier but don't know if that is in my head.

I would like to know others experiences. I am taking ortho tricylen.

I am seroiusly thinking of stopping them until I reach my goal weight.

My husband and I are VERY fertile together - all 3 of my kids were concieved the first month we tried so I need an effective method of birth control. I am not considering surgical birth control because there is a good chance DH and I want another baby in a few years.

Does anyone know anything about IUD?? Does it contain hormones? Does it cause weight gain??
 
There are just so many different birth control pills on the market. I'd talk with your Ob/Gyn and see about switching to a different kind. I have seen ads for that birth control patch. You may want to inquire about that one too.

Beth
 
Hi There,

I'm fairly new to posting here, but this is one topic I have lots of personal experience on. Please use caution when taking any form of hormonal birth control (pills, shots, patch, etc). Every woman's body reacts differently to them. I had a VERY bad experience with one such method (gained 30lbs in 3 months, extreme mood swings, NO sex drive, and more). With another hormonal method, I had migraines once per month. Now we use non-hormonal birth control. The best advice I can give you is to listen closly to your body and if it doesn't feel right, don't keep at it. I do not have personal experience with an IUD, but my sister used this method for 2 years. IUD's are a non-hormonal form of bc and can be inserted for up to 2 years. They sometimes cause more painful cramping and/or heavier flow. These are the only side effects I'm aware of, although there are probably more. I do know that IUD's are much safer than they used to be in the past. Again, DO YOUR RESEARCH, and above all listen to your body. Some pills may work better for you than others, or you may be like me and need to find a non hormonal method to feel and be at your best. This is all just based on my personal experience and limited knowledge. Talk to your doc, and read everything you can find on the net that is not put out by the pharmacetical manufacturers as they are a bit biased IMHO. HTH, and take care,

Beth

Our attitudes control our lives. - Tom Blandi
 
I am using an IUD right now but it's the one that lasts for 10 years. It's copper. I've had zero side effects. My husband and I are both fertile like you and I didn't want him having to go under the knife(yet);-) I think the other IUD lasts 5 years. I like the fact you don't have to think about it or worry. I personally recommend it over the pill. Thats my own opinion. Best wishes- Susan
 
I'm using Depo Provera (the shot you get every 3 months) and it's fantastic. The down side of Depo is that you do need to plan ahead and stop using it several months before trying to conceive (can take a while for your cycle to get back where it was). Although, they now have a monthly shot and it's much easier to get your body back to normal after the monthly shot (what the nurse told me).

The nice thing about Depo is that many many women have no periods at all after they've been on it for a few months. If you have bad periods like I did, or are just plain tired of the monthly roller coaster your body goes on, it is great.

There are reports that some women gain weight on Depo - on average 10 pounds I believe.

The nice thing about a shot is that you only have to remember to get it either every 3 months or every 1 month - no daily pill to remember. :)

Good luck,
 
Hormonal birth control was a nightmare for me! I struggled through various side effects during the almost 20 years I was on the pill. About 10 months ago, completely frustrated with the pill, I had the copper IUD inserted, and now I wonder why I didn't do this years ago! My periods are definitely more crampy and heavier, but the tradeoff has been worth it IMHO!

Do your research, and talk to your doctor! :)
 
I found I was a little crampy the first 2-3 months with the copper IUD. Now I've had it for almost 3 years and I have no cramping and the period has lightened up. Everyone's body is different though! :) Susan
 
I asked my Doctor about weight gain and she said the new breed of birth control pills have such low levels of hormones in them that the side effects are much more minimal than they used to be (although of course everyone reacts differently as we see from these posts). I have had good luck with Alesse, have not had any weight gain at all.
 
Thanks for the input everyone! I'm wondering if the weight gain/bloating is just due to the fact that my eating has not been great. I think I'm gonna clean up my eating and if I lose weight then obviously the pill is not causing me to gain a few lbs it the lousy eating. If I have trouble losing with clean eating then its a phone call to the Dr.
My DH is a Dr. (but not a gyn) and he researched orth tricylen in his medical books and said that this pill is not generally associated with weight gain. On the other hand my natural peiods are SO heavy so I'm hoping my first period on the pill (due next week) will be lighter. I don't have mood swings. ITs pretty much just the bloating I'm concerned about.

Thank for your input and sharing your experiences with my :) I really appreciate it.
 
If you still have a problem, do ask about trying some other type.
A couple years ago, after my 3rd child, my original birth control pills made my pms so terrible. After I got them switched to a lower hormone level pill, things were fine.
I really don't have any problem with bloating, unless I eat a bunch of junk, and my periods are very light.
I like the pill cause without them, not only am I very fertile, Ihave irregular periods so I like knowing when they are due.
Good luck!
 
I've been taking birth control pills for years; I was on Tri-Norinyl until recently, when I saw a report on the news about a new birth control pill called Yasmin. They said that studies showed that it may aid women in weight loss because it contains a chemical which reduces water retention.

Being on the Tri-Norinyl I always felt bloated, and it seemed like I always weighed an extra 5 pounds (not a tragedy, but still...), I decided to talk to my doctor about switching. I have been taking Yasmin for only about 2 weeks, and I already have seen a difference. My stomach isn't constantly bloated, and even with Halloween and all the candy I've been eating, I lost 2 or 3 lbs. from my original weight while I was on the other pills!! So far, I love it. The true test will be next week when I get my period. Hopefully it will not increase and lengthen my flow, which is what happenend about a year ago when I decided to swith to Ortho Tri-Cyclen.

Good Luck!!!
 
I am on Aleese for about 4 years... like it. I also saw an ad for Yasmin. I think it's supposed to be good for women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (which I am). I tried it for a month and did not like it. I thought it made me very tired. I would like to try it again sometime since I think it is supposed to be 'good' for me. May be at the time I was on Yasmin, something else was going on that make me tired (Cathe, may be?). Anyway, I am Aleese right now.

Haslina
 
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