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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to want a contraceptive that doesn't make me fat?

95 replies

bellastella · 01/06/2012 21:54

Why do nearly all contraceptives come with a potential side effect of weight gain? This is more of a despairing why rather than a technical why because I think it's all to do with the homones and what I put in my own mouth Smile

I've recently gone back on the pill (microgynon) after having DS3 last May and after about 2 weeks of being on it, was really craving carbs and other unhelpful foods. I had to go to the nurse for a review, mentioned this and now have a GP appt for next week to discuss changing pill type or maybe try a different kind of contraceptive.

Due to previous negative experiences I don't want to have injections, implants or IUD/IUS. Male condoms-no, female condoms-they're fine, pretty funny really Grin but no. Sterilisation-too extreme and I might have another DC in the future. So I'm left with the pill (combined and pop), the patch or the vaginal ring. Have I missed any options out?

Has anyone found a pill that reduces their appetite?! Am I hunting for a mythical medicine? Hmm

OP posts:
bishboschone · 01/06/2012 22:59

I have the copper coil .no side effects except a bit of spotting while you get used To it . I can't get on with any pills .

Fozzleyplum · 01/06/2012 23:02

Logynon worked for me - no weight gain or any other problems. I'm told, however,that you can struggle to get it because it's one of the more expensive ones.
I took Microgynon when BFing and for a while after, and didn't put weight on whilst on that, either. From what friends have said about their experiences, it seems that some people have a dramatically increased appetite on the pill, whilst others don't gain weight, or even lose it.

WorraLiberty · 01/06/2012 23:02

I've got the same bish...best thing I ever had and I'm on my second one now.

trixymalixy · 01/06/2012 23:04

I hate my copper coil! I soak through tampons in minutes , the discharge on the few days in not bleeding a month makes me feel like I've wet myself. It is doing a damn fine job as a contraceptive as I feel disgusting and not very sexy.

WorraLiberty · 01/06/2012 23:07

Really? I had spotting for about 6 months but after that it settled down and my periods are no different either.

Mind you, the first one fell out 2 days before I was due to have it changed! Shock

I think it might have twisted round a tampon and I probably dislodged it.

perceptionreality · 01/06/2012 23:07

I had a copper coil for about 4 years - it was great for me as I have very light periods anyway so didn't make much difference. Then I got pregnant! So I'm kind of resigned that the pill is the only thing that works for me (don't know what I'll do when I'm too old to take it)

bishboschone · 01/06/2012 23:08

Me too ... I do get spotting etc but I can't get on with pills and hormones so it's really the only option .. I'm a bit scared of sterilisation for me or dh as its so final . Even though I had per eclampsia in both oregnancys and can't risk another one Sad

threetequilafloor · 01/06/2012 23:09

Microgynon was the only pill I've tried that made me constantly fantasise about Mars bars and I don't even normally like Mars bars....

I'm on Cilest now and it doesn't increase my appetite. hth.

Glittertwins · 01/06/2012 23:09

Combined pill and mini pill both had the side effect on weight gain for me. The other side effect if once on, it was damn hard to shift regardless of exercise and not eating things i know I shouldn't eat so much off. Since stopping it, I have lost weight and more easily and without a major change in food intake due to food diary being kept.

eurochick · 01/06/2012 23:17

I put on weight on the Pill. My weight simply increased (not by magic- my appetite increased). It was nothing to do with mindset. I first went on it to help with my periods when I was a teenager. The weight went on quite gradually. It was when it fell off within weeks of me starting it that I noticed!

The vast majority of my friends who are on the Pill have piled on the weight.

Copper coil or diaphragm could be solutions. Or try a different Pill. Or if another child wouldn't be a disaster and your cycle is regular, try natural family planning.

WorraLiberty · 01/06/2012 23:30

I'm not saying weight or appetite increase might be a mindset for the OP

I'm saying the carb cravings might be.

In other words, they could be down to anything but she may have the mindset that it's the pill...when in actual fact it might be her diet or anything.

Either way, cravings don't make you fat...it's how you deal with them that does/doesn't.

used2bthin · 01/06/2012 23:31

I found the pill changed my body shape, bigger boobs and more in proportion than my usual pear shape but I definately gain weight when on it, and when I have stopped taking it have always lost weight without seeming to change anything.

The copper coil was awful for me-I had infections constantly, was on anto biotics for most of the four months I had it in then asked for it to be removed and they stopped again.

This is why DH wants a vascectomy!

PatronSaintOfDucks · 01/06/2012 23:37

I really resent the attitude that "the studies show there is no correlation between weight gain and the pill and that's that." This is patriarchy in medicine at its best. Why listen to all those silly women? Obviously the poor darlings do not know what they are talking about. It does not matter that millions of women report having similar experiences with weight gain. I also wish that those who post here about "correlations" thought about the meaning of the term. Determination of correlations involves averages. The situation may be that 50% of women in the study lost a significant amount of weigh and 50% gained a significant amount, but the correlation will be zero. Studies done on monkeys (as some posted here) obviously are questionable in terms of replicability in human populations (this is why final clinical drug trials are conducted on people not monkeys). The length of studies and the controlled environments in which they are conducted all play a role.

In my, albeit non-professional opinion, all people are different, have different levels of hormones and therefore may react differently to the introduction on hormones in a pill form. For instance, some women gain very little weight during pregnancy, others (including previously skinny models) put on tons. Appetite may be a factor here, but, speaking as a person who put on 15 kilos during pregnancy while eating a ton, it is hard for me to imagine how much you need to eat to put on 30 (as one of my friends) without any help from metabolic changes. Women also react differently to breastfeeding - most (I think) lose weight, but a significant proportion manage to shift it only after weaning. I believe the situation with a pill is the same. Some women's bodies react by increasing metabolism, some by slowing it (and increasing/decreasing appetite). Similarly, many women report loss of libido while on the pill, while others get hornier or experience no change.

I dropped a lot of weight during breastfeeding while eating tons of cake. Contraceptive pills, however, made me pile it on (no matter what brand they were). Yes, my appetite increased, but the weight was difficult to decrease even with a control over diet and exercise. The pill also absolutely killed my sex drive. It was a perfect contraceptive - I felt like an ugly log. Sex was the last thing on my mind. Only after I quit it I started feeling like a woman again. And what relief it was. Never ever ever again will I eat those pills.

My advice to OP would be to explore alternatives. If DC4 would not be a disaster or if your periods are very regular, then why not try natural rhythm method, perhaps with condoms around the most dangerous days? Withdrawal also works very well for some people (but this largely depends on the man). A coil is worth a try, but again don't make yourself suffer if it causes discomfort.

trixymalixy · 01/06/2012 23:37

Used2bthin, I have had several courses of antib's for infections on the coil as well. I really need to have the damn thing removed and get DH to have the snip.

SardineQueen · 01/06/2012 23:43

I had permanent low level thrush when I had my mirena in
And a host of other stuff

People need to find what works for them

used2bthin · 01/06/2012 23:43

I think it just is like that for some trixymalixy. I also became anaemic due to constant bleeding. But I have friends with it who have got on brilliantly with it and have nno problems. I hated it.

Kayano · 01/06/2012 23:44

I don't actually believe the pill makes you gain weight all on its own and I'm a woman who has been on the pill since v young for various reasons.

Maybe you crave more or whatever but it's you that gives into it

forehead · 01/06/2012 23:54

The pill deffo made me put on weight 20ib to be exact. At the time i was going to the gym 4-5 times a week(as i had always done). I was eating healthily and put on weight. When i stopped the pill i lost the weight. Go figure

trixymalixy · 02/06/2012 00:07

I'm really disappointed with the copper coil. It sounded like the ideal solution for me. I suspect I'm anaemic too.

Also this is number 2, number 1 started falling out while I was on holiday in Rome.

The pill definitely made me put on weight, so I would prefer not to take it.

The of the other disappointing thing was that I was on some really strong anti b's for an infection and one of the side evffects was lack of appetite and weight loss. Didn't happen for me!!

Beaverfeaver · 02/06/2012 03:10

I started on mycrogynon when I first started with the pill.
Went from size 8 to size 12 with that.
After that went into the injection which I quickly increased to size 18.
Came off that and had nothing for a while and the weight quickly fell off.
Now on marvelon which is marvellous and doesn't give me mood swings or make me fat like the others did

ErikNorseman · 02/06/2012 08:14

Try Yasmin. It's more expensive and gps prefer to prescribe micro but if you're overweight (but under bmi 30) you can get it on basis that micro is stopping you lose weight.

Mrskbpw · 02/06/2012 08:20

I've been on microgynon on and off for 15 years ish. But I recently realised the only times I've been 'thin' in those 15 years has been when I've not been on the pill. Not sure of it's coincidence...

SarryB · 02/06/2012 08:25

I really resent the attitude that "the studies show there is no correlation between weight gain and the pill and that's that." This is patriarchy in medicine at its best. Why listen to all those silly women? Obviously the poor darlings do not know what they are talking about.

Well said Ducks (I also feel like this about other issues, but that a whole other thread).

Personally, I've been taking the pill for 9 years, and didn't gain weight. I did have awful mood swings on the first two I tried (Cilest, and another one I can't remember). Started taking Cerazette 5 years ago, and have just gone back on it, 5 weeks after giving birth. Cerazette stops my periods completley, which is ace!
I gained 3 stone in pregnancy, but it was mostly water and a double chin. 6 weeks after labour, I'm almost back into my size 10's, with no dieting or exercise.

Every woman reacts differently, and I think you should give it at least 3 months before trying something else.

Chandon · 02/06/2012 08:32

when I got PND (and weight gain) my gyno took me off microgynon! he said it can cause moodswings and weight gain.

Now on yasmin which is much lighter (fewer hormones), the NHS do not liek you taking it as it is newer and a lot more expensive. Fair enough, I don't see why the NHS should pay for it anyway, but you end up with no choice as in teh UK you cannot buy the pill over the counter.

Yasmin is lighter, better.

GravityDefier · 02/06/2012 08:40

I agree with Ducks as well.

I started Microgynon and in three months gained way over a stone (it was close to two). I also became so moody my DP was not happy at all, as I would go from super happy to floods of tear right away. I tried to stop the weight gain but I was hungry a lot. But even when making healthy choices I kept gaining and it made me so miserable. I could feel myself slipping into a depressive mood state: I was sad a lot, that made me sad, I gained weight, I felt like a beached whale, etc. The GP told me it couldn't be the pill... 2 weeks after stopping it I was fine.

Started another pill but it was too hard to lose the weight on it-if I had pasta one night I would be heavier by about 1 kilos the next day and this kilo would stay. I have NEVER experienced that when not on the pill.

I have now found one that seems to be ok but I am still fighting to get the weight back off I gained back then. It's hard!

And my body shape has changed overall, as someone above said.

So yeah, I think the pill does have an effect. But I am now on Cilest and quite happy with it. I think it's just a trial and error thing and you need to keep trying until you find the right one. It is annoying though, and so hard to not be disheartened, especially when your GP then tells you it's all in your mind.