birth control guide

Birth control pills have been around for many years and their success just shows that it can prevent pregnancies. In fact, there are so many of them around that despite the side effects women are still willing to make that sacrifice.

Side effects associated with birth control pills include light bleeding in between periods, skipped periods, nausea, weight gain, bloating and an increased risk of vaginal infections. You will probably experience either one or two of those mentioned since each person is different. Most of the time, this problem can be stopped by changing to a different pill.




But can birth control pills make you lose weight? Most studies have shown that you will gain weight rather than lose a few pounds because the hormone estrogen causes fluid retention in the body. So you can just imagine what a 50 mcgm pill can do compared to that of a lower dosage.




This is even if one pill called Yasmin, developed by Berlex laboratories made some women lose 2 pounds but then gained it back a short while after. Should the company be successful in proving that it can cause weight loss, the US FDA or food and drug administration may approve this as a weight loss aid.




Other changes in birth control pills include the volume of hormones. This means that there are fewer women these days that suffer from the side effects associated with hormonal changes or imbalances.




Since the objective of taking birth control pills is to prevent pregnancy and not to gain or lose weight, one effective way of doing this is by taking pills in 20mcgm dosages. Some examples that have this are Alesse, Levlite, Loesterin-Fe and MIrcette. You should also ask your doctor for other recommendations before you buy it from the drug store.




But if you are gaining weight as a result of the pill, you should have yourself checked by the doctor for insulin resistance. Should tests confirm this, you should go on a low carbohydrate diet. Exercise will also help a lot so you are able to shed off some of those excess pounds.




According to one population survey, more than 18 million women use one out of 40 birth control pills that are available in the market. All of them are prescribed by a physician and so if one doesn’t work, there are 39 others that you can choose from.




Birth control pills are not the only ones that can cause weight gain. The use of injectibles also produces the same result. The only difference is that most women gain about 5 pounds or less using pills rather than 6 to 7 pounds using the injection.




So, if you are considering using birth control pills or any other method, do some research about the side- effects? Gaining or losing a few pounds should be the least of your worries because other things may happen such as blood clots, heart disease, heart defects, a stroke and severe migraines to name a few.




You could end up in the hospital instead of looking much bigger than you were before. Sadly, this is the price you have to pay if you don’t want to raise a family or have kids anymore until a pharmaceutical company is able to make a more effective birth control pill or method.

Birth control pill as a cure for acne has been gaining popularity. But what most women who have been subjected to such treatment will also attest how birth control pills can affect one's body in gaining weight.




Side Effect


This is only one of the many known side effects of using oral contraceptives. Although most women would not like the idea of adding up on their pounds, they cannot help it. That is understandable because they take the meds to avoid getting pregnant.




For the latter, there are still many options a woman and her partner can take to achieve such. But taking the pills is one of the most effective. One must learn to do something to limit the weight that they can gain.




When on pills, you can take note of your exercise and eating habits. This will be good for your overall health. This will also help you ease the burden of putting added weight.




Acne Remedy


Ask your doctors about this. Although this will not be effective for all women, most of them will benefit from such. Most medical practitioners suggest three brands for this purpose. They are Estrostep, Ortho Tri-Cyclen and YAZ.




Doctors will only prescribe birth control pills to act as a treatment for acne when the rest of the previous meds have failed their purpose. This is actually the last resort. And doctors recommend this to women who would be taking oral contraceptives anyway for the obvious purpose of not being able to conceive.




With such effectiveness, FDA has approved a bunch of list of birth control pills to act as treatment to acne. It is also recommended that to achieve greater results, the pill must be used in combination with other real meds intended solely for acne. This includes benzoyl peroxide. You can also use topical retinoids for this need.




Because estrogen and progestin make up the pills used for birth control, this medicine will change the common reproductive cycle and patterns of hormones of a female. This suppresses testosterone release within a woman's body. And as an effect, it reduces the oil being produced by the glands called the sebaceous. As a result, acne comes out minimal. And it also lessens the pore blockage.




But do not use oral contraceptives to cure acne if you haven't told your doctors about it. They must test you first for possible side effects. The pill must match your body type. And also, other factors must be taken into account.




If proper check-up will be bypassed, the result can be grave. Other oral contraceptives can worsen your acne problems, especially if it doesn't suit some of your characteristics. So be careful and vigilant. It is your body so it is your responsibility to care for it.




While sometimes, the recommended pill will worsen the acne breakout at first. This is a common happening. Acne is known to accumulate before dwindling down. So it really helps to have a doctor by your side to explain such factors.




You will be hearing a lot about birth control as a cure for acne as years go by. This is part of the boom in the medical field that is being developed through time. But before plunging in and using the pill, consider the effect that it has on one's body. If you are sure that you are ready for some added pounds, then you are also ready to take it.

I cannot say that with this article, the discussion about birth control pills and weight gain will stop. This discussion is pretty much like the epic battle between light and darkness, good and evil, ordinary milk and non-fat milk, it goes on and on and on and on.




Scientifically speaking, there have been no indications in studies and experiments on any direct relationship between birth control pills and weight gain. Given that situation, it is really hard to fathom why most people still think the opposite.




Well we can think of some reasons why this urban legend continues to proliferate. Birth control pills contain synthetic hormones which go straight to the pituitary glands. Once there, the synthetic hormones block the production of LH and FSH hormones. This prevents the body the natural growth of the egg and ovulation.




According to some doctors and medical practitioners, birth control pills can also cause an increase of appetite, at least to some women. But studies have shown that this situation is more of an exception rather than the rule. It has also been found out the said increase in appetite is more coincidental and is no different from what happens in the general populace.




This also brings us to the next point. Some doctors and medical practitioners continue issuing statements that weight gain has been observed or that weight gain is a possible side effect to their patients, adding to the confusion. Oftentimes these statements from doctors are accepted as statements of facts. Instead of clarifying already false information to begin with, they contribute to the continued spread of this myth.




Another perception of feeling bloated or fat when one is taking the pill is that the body is said to hold more water when it is on pill compared to when it is not. This is another fallacy in a string of rumors, gossips, and misinformation.




Women are very conscious of their weight. Ask any man who made the wrong move of commenting on a women’s weight. I’m sure it got messy. This consciousness or even subconscious wariness of gaining pounds might contribute to false admittance or observations that birth control pills cause weight gain. Women often fear the added pounds. Because of this fear women don’t take or totally avoid taking birth control pills.




This is detrimental to any birth control program. That’s why it is important to squash the myth of weight gain once and for all. The pill is quite an effective method of birth control after all, when used correctly of course.




Because of the weight gain issue, women will tend to go for other means of contraception. Although some other methods are quite effective, the pill is still a batter option with 99.7% chance of preventing pregnancies. Women should stop worrying about something that isn’t real or they will really begin to worry about weight gain when they get pregnant and after giving birth. These two situations pack more weight related issues than what they have now with birth control pills.




Weight gain and weight control is all about balance. A balance diet combined with a balanced body work-out. That’s the ideal way of living. You prevent any significant weight gain by eating healthy and exercising.




If you gain pounds while you’re in the pill, don’t lash it all out on the little guy for it is all you. Birth control pills and weight gain are not correlated, and that’s that.