Emergency Contraceptive Pills and Weight Gain

If you’re on birth control and worried about weight gain, don’t be!

Researchers have found no direct connection between contraception and weight gain whatsoever.

Most of the contraceptives used at present are highly effective with a 99% success rate and no major side effects or failure.

As per the studies you get a clear idea on Emergency Contraceptive Pills And Weight Gain, its useful which one is useful as a contraceptive.

The point is, it’s highly unlikely to see contraceptives affecting your weight much unless of course there are other factors at play such as diet, lifestyle, metabolism, and so on. 

Besides, a woman’s body is way more complex than men as it is constantly evolving due to all kinds of hormonal and reproductive changes.

So gaining a bit of weight as you age is actually pretty normal.

Now while birth control does not increase your weight, it can cause fluid retention, increased appetite, muscles, or fat around some parts of your body such as hips and breasts.

This in turn can change the overall shape of your body and its composition, which can make you look fat. 

Although, studies have confirmed otherwise, calling them “weight neutral", some women do complain about getting fat due to hormonal contraceptives, while others report weight loss.

But most, and I mean the vast majority of birth control users have shown no signs of weight gain at all, keeping the debate on.

Meanwhile, contraceptives are being sold with both weight loss and weight gain as potential side-effects.

Except, that they are highly effective and used by a large number of women who don’t like surprises!

With that said, let’s take a closer look at all the different types of birth control options, and if they pose any threat to your weight and health:

1.Contraceptive Pills

Let’s start with the most popular birth control option i.e. contraceptive pills. There are two types of pills in the market- combined hormonal contraceptives, and progestin-only contraceptives.

Also known as “the pill”, the first is a form of combined contraceptives that contain two hormones  (estrogen and progestin).

Other combined birth control methods include patches, rings, and some shots. 

Progestin-only pills sometimes referred to as “mini-pills” contain only one hormone, progestin, and come from the line of single-hormonal contraceptives.

Other methods include the implant, most IUDs, a shot, and certain pills. 

Now, most pills, regardless of whether they are combined or single, use the same type of estrogen in different doses.

Whereas, the type and dosage of progestin may vary from brand to brand. 

Moreover, estrogen in higher doses can cause weight gain as it is naturally inclined to increase appetite and fluid retention.

Although most women will not experience this, some may gain a few pounds, but that’s something temporary as the extra fat will burn out after a couple of months on the pill.

The other hormone in contraceptive pills- progestin, is a natural diuretic, which anyways balances out the effects of estrogen. 

Besides, unlike old birth control pills that came out in the early 1960s and were too high on estrogen and progestin, modern contraceptive pills have much lower amounts of these hormones. Thus,  pose almost zero threats of weight gain in most cases.

In case you’re already obese, you might wanna try an estrogen plus third-generation progestin, the most optimal combined contraceptive by far.

2.Hormonal patches and rings

Skin patches and vaginal rings are yet another form of hormonal contraceptives that contain certain amounts of hormones.

The most popular are Xulane Patch and Nuvaring! But just like in the pills, the levels of hormones in these contraceptives are far too low to have any impact on your weight. 

Multiple studies have been conducted to find the link between weight, and contraceptive patches and rings, but all point to the same conclusion i.e. no significant weight gain upon their use!

Yet, we cannot rule out the fact that everybody is different. And how a hormone affects one person may not be the same for others.

Some users may gain weight, while others may lose it. But most do not encounter any major changes in their overall weight by using patches or rings as the data suggests.

3.Shots/ Injections

Of all the birth control options, the shot poses the highest risk of weight gain.

Although the majority of women have not reported of any significant changes, a few studies do show mixed results where some users who were given the shot Depo-Provera, gained more weight than users who used copper IUDs. 

Another research suggests that younger, and obese women are more prone to gaining weight from a shot than others.

But those who do gain weight from a shot, show warning signs quite early during the very initial stages of taking the jab.

This makes it easier for you to monitor your weight and change the birth control option if needed.

To monitor online, check Mednow.ca. It’s an online healthcare service in Canada, that you can use to order medications, refill prescriptions, and get a wide variety of virtual healthcare services straight from your phone or a computer. 

4.Contraceptive Implants

Similar to shots, it’s unclear whether contraceptive implants can contribute to weight gain or not.

According to a study on Nexplanon implants, some users showed an increase in their weight after a year, whereas others did not. 

Since the results weren’t too decisive, and the changes too minimal, it is safe to say that hormonal contraceptive implants do not cause any major weight gain.

5. Hormonal IUDs

Hormonal IUDs, also known as Intrauterine devices are contraceptives that can be fitted inside the uterus to physically prevent the implantation of fertilized ova.

Depending on the type, it can be kept inside for 5-10 years but can be taken out at any time. 

Although it does not appear to increase weight, the same cannot be said for body fat.

One study shows no increase in body fat using IUDs, whereas another study shows an increase in fat. 

Different studies, different results! And that explains why scientists could not come up with a final conclusion as far as IUDs are concerned.

Moreover, understanding the composition of your body fat itself is quite tricky in the first place, which makes it even more challenging to find the actual changes.

But that does not mean that you shouldn’t use them. Like I said, most women live content using most of the contraceptives.

Plus you can take it out anytime when you feel like it’s impacting your weight. 

All-in-all, most birth control options including pills, patches, rings, shots, implants, and IUDs are mostly safe and do not cause any weight gain in the majority of cases. Emergency Contraceptive Pills And Weight Gain.

So, let go of all the worries that are holding you back from using birth control and live a happy life!