Is Your Birth Control Making You Gain Weight?

Written by yvonnethornton on November 1st, 2012

All medications have side effects. From Advil to Zantac, every medication we need for common ailments might have a drawback. For women, birth control can be a bittersweet prescription. On the one hand, women who take it will be protected from pregnancy. However, those same women might experience some unwanted side effects such as moodiness, fatigue and a change in their sex drives. One of the major concerns about birth control—especially for women in the United States—is the potential for weight gain as a side effect. We all try to maintain a healthy weight, so adding birth control into the mix of challenges can be disheartening. Luckily, recent studies show that weight gain might not actually be a side effect of modern birth control.

Every birth control is different, but they are all combinations of the same hormones. They either contain progestin and estrogen, or progestin on its own. However, the levels of each are low, and they have no real effect on weight gain or weight loss. So, why do women think birth control causes weight gain? Many brands list this as a side effect to cover themselves, but the notion started in the 1960’s when birth control became available. The pills back then contained almost 1,000 times the amount needed to prevent pregnancy, so side effects ran rampant.

The hormones themselves might not cause weight gain anymore, but that’s not to say the weight you gain while taking a contraceptive isn’t related to the pill, ring, or patch. Birth control has many other, real side effects that could easily affect your weight. For example, the hormones might cause changes in your mood, which could leave you feeling down in the dumps more than usual. If you’re like most women, you might eat when you’re sad, so weight gain will be inevitable in that scenario. More bad days will lead to more overeating, which will lead to weight gain. You might feel (and act) like a bottomless pit at every meal. Most pills also cause water retention in one form or another, so you might feel especially bloated.

If you notice significant weight gain and feel that it’s related to your birth control, talk to your doctor about switching brands. The hormones alone do not do it, so there’s a good chance your side effects are especially strong. Different brands affect people differently, so try your luck with another.

– Yvonne S. Thornton, M. D., M. P. H.

 

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