The Relationship Between Birth Control Pills and Weight Gain

Birth control pills and weight? Is there relationship here? For many women, fear of gaining weight while using the contraceptive pill is a barrier. However, what is the relationship between birth control pills and weight actually? In this article you’ll find more information about that.

Hormonal pills are used as a method of contraception, but many women fear the side effects of birth control pills. Most especially weight gain. Here’s the relationship between birth control pills and weight, according to studies and research done.

Birth control pills and weight gain

The contraceptive pill either contains progesterone alone or is combined with the hormones estrogen and progesterone together. It is often believed that it is common to associate severe weight gain with taking the contraceptive pill. At times it is discontinued despite the benefits it brings for fear of weight gain. However what is the truth about the relationship between birth control pills and weight?

In fact, excessive weight gain when taking birth control pills has no basis on your health, so that in the event of an increase in weight, it is temporary and the cause is fluid retention and not an increase in fat. The weight usually returns to normal within 2-3 months of starting the pill.

Studies on the relationship between birth control pills and weight

When talking in more detail, it can be seen that taking progesterone pills alone are considered to have a moderate effect on weight gain. Basically, the increase is only 2 kg over a period of 6 to 12 months and sometimes it may not have an effect at all.

The only pharmaceutical form of the hormone progesterone that may affect weight is implantation, which is a needle that is implanted under the skin and remains for long periods. It may lead to weight gain according to how long it was used for. However, as for combined birth control pills that contain estrogen and progesterone, the hormone estrogen is not classified as a drug that increases weight.

Studies have shown that when using the combined contraceptive pill for some women, it has no clear effect on weight gain or changes in the distribution and percentage of body fat. So that means out of every 100 participants, only 10% of them gained weight by only 7% within a year of taking the combined contraceptive pill.

In the past, when birth control pills were first produced, due to the high doses of estrogen that were present in them at the time, they actually had a clear effect on weight. Plus gaining it through the retention of large amounts of fluid and the increase in appetite significantly. Nowadays, the contraceptive pill contains very small amounts of hormones, and thus its effect on weight is no longer as great as before.

Other side effects of birth control pills

After specifying the relationship between birth control pills and weight, here are the most common side effects that may result from taking the pill:

1. Nausea

Nausea is an annoying side effect of taking the contraceptive pill. However to prevent nausea you should take the pills immediately after a meal or by taking the pills immediately before bed.

2. Skin changes

Due to the effect of the hormone progesterone on the body, it may increase skin problems and make it oilier and increase the problem of acne in some women.

3. Headache

Headaches are also a very common side effect and is caused by an increase in the estrogen hormone in the body. It should be noted that the doctor should be informed if you suffer from migraines, or what is known as migraine, because the contraceptive pill increases painful migraine attacks.