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Will Taking The Contraceptive Pill Really Make You Gain Weight?

Let’s get to the bottom of this. - by Lucy Bode
  • 29 Aug 2019
Will Taking The Contraceptive Pill Really Make You Gain Weight?
Getty Images

Google the words ‘contraceptive pill weight gain’ and you’ll be presented with thousands of entries. While many medical professionals insist the dreaded kilo creep is not a side effect, there are plenty more women across the world whose symptoms suggest otherwise. It begs the question: is weight gain *actually* a side effect of taking hormonal birth control - and how do we know for sure?

Due to the convoluted nature of the topic, the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare (FSRH) did a deep dive into years of scientific research. What they found was eye-opening, to say the least: there was no conclusive evidence to back up these claims.

“Women often tell us that they do not want to start or to continue contraception because they are worried that it will make them gain weight,” Dr Sarah Hardman, director of the clinical effectiveness unit at the FSRH explained. “In studies, women gain on average a similar amount of weight over time whether they are using hormonal contraception or not. In other words, women may gain some weight during use of a contraceptive method, but so, on average, do women who are not using contraception."

RELATED: What Happens To Your Body When You Skip Your Period

pill
Getty

These findings included data on almost all types of hormonal birth control, including:

  • Intrauterine contraception (the IUD and IUS)
  • The implant
  • The progestogen-only pill
  • The combined pill
  • The patch
  • The vaginal ring

RELATED: Exactly How Each Form Of Birth Control Affects Your Period

The FSRH, however, did have one caveat: they couldn’t confirm or exclude a causative relationship between the contraceptive injection and subsequent weight gain.

“After looking at all the studies available, we can say that average weight gain during use of contraceptive pills, the implant and the hormonal coil is modest and is not significantly different to weight gain with no contraception or non-hormonal contraception,” Hardman added.

So… what about all the women who swear they put on weight straight after starting the pill? Experts put it down to fluid retention, which can be caused by high doses of oestrogen.

Bottom line: there are heaps of contraceptive options on the market, so if you feel like yours isn’t right for you, there might be another that is. Chat to your GP for more advice. 

RELATED: Turns Out The Pill Is More Effective If You Skip Your Period

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Lucy Bode
Lucy Bode
Lucy is Women Health’s digital editor, social media specialist and the go-to girl for all things holistic wellness. Her background as a journalist and passion for food, fitness and integrative medicine has led her to write for some of Australia’s leading publications over the course of her career.

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