Weight gain and feeling unsure about getting off the pill

[march12th.livejournal.com]

Hey ladies. I've been seriously considering getting off my birth control pill for various reasons, but I need your feedback.

First, some background info: My doctor to put me on Yasmin in October 2002 (I was 17 at the time). I wasn't sexually active back then, but my periods had become really irregular and lasted way too long. The pill didn't really make my periods that much shorter, but having a regular cycle was enough of a reason for me to stay on it. I became sexually active a few months later, so the pill obviously began to serve another purpose as well. Around May or June of last year, I heard about Yaz and how it can make your periods shorter. I asked my gyno to prescribe it for me and I've been on it ever since. I'll be honest and say that I  hardly ever take it at the exact same time every day, but my boyfriend and I always use condoms just in case, so getting pregnant hasn't been a concern so far.

I've always heard about studies that say that weight gain due to the pill is a myth, but I'm starting to wonder if that's the case. Before I got on any HBC, I weighed around 108-110 lbs. After being on Yasmin for a while, I gained a few pounds and I ended up fluctuating between 112 and 114 lbs. I know that doesn't sound like much but I'm not very tall so the weight gain is noticeable. Regardless, I didn't mind gaining a couple of extra pounds. Once I got on Yaz, I slowly put on more weight. Right now, I'm at about 117, but I weighed 120 a few weeks ago. I eat relatively well, but I've never really exercised before. I've started working out for some time, but I'm not seeing much of a difference. My weight seems to fluctuate between 117 and 120 regardless of how much I exercise. Like I mentioned earlier, the extra pounds are noticeable on me, and it's really frustrating to not have any of my favorite jeans fit me anymore. To me, it seems like Yaz caused me to gain more weight than Yasmin did. Also, my periods never became shorter like I thought they would, and I've started to experience pretty bad menstrual cramps that I never had before I got on Yaz. I told my gyno about it a couple of weeks ago, so she suggested I switch back to Yasmin.

So here's what I've been thinking of doing. My period is due to arrive on Wednesday, and I was going to start up my Yasmin on Thursday. But I've always heard about women gaining weight on the pill and then losing it once they get off it. Would it make sense to sort of take a break from the pill for a while, and see if my weight goes back down to how it was originally? I'd eventually want to get back on Yasmin again, and hopefully at that point, I would have a regular exercise regimen that would keep me from gaining weight again. I'm still kind of uneasy about it though. I can hardly remember the last time I didn't know the exact date my period would come. I'm also worried that my cycle will go back to being really irregular again. And of course, even though we normally use condoms, I'm concerned about the risk of unplanned pregnancy. Has anyone done anything like this before? Is it safe to get off the pill and get back on it a few months later?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Comments

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

I would highly, highly encourage you to evaluate other potential causes for your 7 pound weight gain in the last 5 years, particularly the fact that you've gone from age 17 to age 23 during this time. Late adolescence and early adulthood are a time when your body will be changing, growing, and maturing. I think the physical changes you describe here sound absolutely normal, and not attributable to hormonal birth control.

That said, if you want to take time off the pill, have at it. I just would encourage you to look at other factors, and to not be disappointed if stopping hormones doesn't have quite the effect you're hoping for.

[darkhorse43.livejournal.com]

I agree with this.

[nicolesvoice.livejournal.com]

I agree as well. My metabolism changed quite a bit during the time period you mention. However, while on HBC I found it much harder to lose weight, when I stopped taking it, it became easier. I don't think going off the pill is necessarily the answer to your weight concerns, I would recommend that you try getting active first and see how your body reacts.

I did go through horrid withdrawal symptoms while coming off the hormones, now I can tell a huge difference in my body. I have always been active though, and I eat extremely healthfully. I now hate HBC because of what it did do my body, I only know this now that those hormones are out of my system. Everyone's body reacts differently to HBC, but I definately believe in a link between weight gain and the pill for many women, not all, but many.

[loonylupinlover.livejournal.com]

I agree with jennifero246 -- it may not be the pill to blame. The most I ever weighed was 155 but my usual is around 145. Was it birth control? No, I wasn't on it at that time. It was being 18 years old and going to college and eating crappier food. My boobs grew my first two years in college, again, not because of BC, but because I just had a little more growing to do. Now that I am actually on HBC, I've pretty much stayed the same weight the whole time, as far as I can tell (though my boobs did get better, which I don't mind! :-P).

It's not unsafe in terms of what it will do to you to go off the pill and then get back on it in a few months -- you'll probably just have side effects when you get off it, and then side effects when you start it up again. However, if you're concerned about pregnancy protection with just condoms, you may want to consider spermicide, a diaphragm, Lea's shield, the sponge, or a cervical cap as a second method. FAM is a great method but if you're only going to be off HBC for a few months and you're irregular it probably won't work out for you. IUDs can be great but those are designed to last for years, not months. There's also always withdrawal, just as an extra precaution. And make sure to have some Plan B on hand so that if there is a condom break, at least you can take it right away and not have to worry about trying to find it in the middle of the night or anything.

[nicolesvoice.livejournal.com]

Regarding going off the pill and going back on, I don't recommend it. My body is sensitive to everything, including hormones and I went off the pill for about 6 months because I couldn't get a prescription (I live where there are very few gynocologists so impossible to get a prescription and our planned parenthood sucks) it really wreaked havoc on my body through the stopping and re-starting. When I first started HBC my doctor told me not to take any sort of hiatus from the pill, if I was going to stop it should be a long term thing. I now know why!

[nicolesvoice.livejournal.com]

I was at my heaviest when I started the pill, so I didn't notice much of a difference in my weight then. I did eventually step up my excercise and change my diet, and I lost a bunch of weight. I was on it for years and the weight crept back on, and I had the hardest time getting it off.

I stopped the pill because I couldn't get it, and immediately lost about 15-20 pounds. The withdrawals started a couple months later and I thought I was pregnant. I didn't get a period for 4 months, I felt so incredibly bloated. I climbed back up to what was my heaviest weight. No change in diet, I was still working out a lot, and even stepped it up and dieted more to try to slim down. No luck. I was irritable, emotional, depressed, my body was so swollen it hurt. I have an eating disorder from which I was mostly recovered, but it flared up again and I pretty much stopped eating. Still no weight loss (of course I am not saying that it was the right way to go about things by any means - I have now been ED free for nearly a year).

All in all, it took nearly a year for my body to return to a natural hormone balance. I now feel better than I have in years! HBC made me depressed and miserable. Only now that I am off, can I see what it did to my body, and after the withdrawals I experienced, I realize how much the pill really changes your body. I guess some people are more sensitive than others. I know many who have experiences similar to mine, and probably as many who have had no issues at all.

I am happy to talk about it, but afraid to sounds preachy. Feel free to email me with any questions.

[nicolesvoice.livejournal.com]

No problem. I was going to say use my livejournal email, which is fine, or you can email me at: nicolesvoice@yahoo.com. I'll be happy to answer questions and share my experience with you.

[in-a-safety-net.livejournal.com]

It's really normal to gain weight around your age, so it might not necessarily be due to the pill. However, weight gain on HBC is pretty common.