If you want to avoid pregnancy, the safest way is with hormonal contraceptives. There are different ways to use them, with pills being the most common and accepted. However, there are usually many doubts surrounding their consumption: if they gain weight, they increase the possibility of breast cancer if someone who smokes can use them. In short, a series of doubts that, if not clarified, can make the use of oral contraceptives irregular.
This FastlyHealarticle details the question, ” Do birth control pills make you fat? “. In addition, we give you beneficial information about the possible brands of oral contraceptives that you can choose and tips to lose weight while taking them.
Table of Contents
Is it true that birth control pills make you fat?
Birth control pills are a very effective method of preventing pregnancy. It is a hormonal medication. They are substances synthesized in the laboratory that works like the body’s female hormones (estrogens and progesterone), modifying the menstrual cycle and ovulation.
Many scientific studies have tried to find a relationship between contraceptives and weight gain, but ultimately it has not been possible to prove, that is, that birth control pills do NOT make you fat. Perhaps in the beginning, when the doses were much higher, a more significant effect on metabolism may have been observed, with the possibility of a more substantial accumulation of fatty tissue, but this was never really clearly demonstrated.
It has been seen that they can cause cardiovascular problems in women over 35 years of age who smoke or who have other risk factors for this type of disease, although, with some modern contraceptives, this risk has been dramatically minimized. If you use or plan to use hormonal contraceptives, it is better not to use tobacco.
In conclusion, if you take or are considering taking oral contraceptives, do not be afraid that your weight may increase. The actual causes of weight gain are:
- Unhealthy eating.
- Lack of physical activity.
In addition, there may be certain factors that influence a person to gain more weight than another, such as genetic predisposition, anxiety, depression, use of corticosteroid medication, and metabolic imbalances. If the person eats well and exercises daily, they will not gain weight.
Birth control pills: recommended brands
The most modern contraceptives contain shallow doses of hormones, combining estrogens and progesterone, which must be taken daily for 21 days. Placebo tablets (without medication) or nothing are ingested in the last seven days of the cycle to cause menstruation.
There are many commercial brands. The difference between them is the type of estrogen or progesterone they use and the doses if they are the same throughout the cycle (fixed associations) or if the proportions of the drug change (sequential preparations). Among the different brands of oral contraceptives, you can find:
- Belara: the tablets contain 2 mg of chlormadinone acetate and 0.030 mg of Ethinylestradiol.
- Cecilia daily: contains 21 active tablets (made from dienogest (2 mg) and ethinylestradiol 0.030 mg), to be taken 1 per day from the first day of menstruation and seven pills without active ingredients (placebo) to be born next (days 22 to 28).
- Delete: 24 white (active) tablets contain 3 mg of drospirenone and 0.02 mg of Ethinyl estradiol and four green placeboes (inactive) tablets.
- Sibilla: the pills are also white (active) and green (inactive). Each active tablet contains 2 mg of dienogest and 0.03 mg of Ethinylestradiol.
- Yazmin: the active substances are drospirenone (3 mg) and Ethinyl estradiol (0.03 mg). They were divided in the same way as the other brands (24 tablets with drugs and four without them).
- Qlaira: 28 tablets of 5 different colors must be taken successively since their hormonal composition changes to what happens in the female body. Contains estradiol valerate and dienogest.
- Gracie: it is also a sequential contraceptive. The progesterone dose is minimal and gradually increases in successive tablets, keeping the estrogen dose very low. Contains desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol.
And if you have doubts about which birth control pills may be best for you or want to find out about other methods, do not hesitate to go to your trusted doctor.
How to lose weight if I take birth control pills
Only in your hands is the real solution to the problem of weight. Still, you have to decide to make specific changes that will make you look slimmer and give you a lot of energy and prevent you from suffering from diseases in the future. If you improve your habits, your body will have the ability to stay healthy.
To do this, here are five tips that, if you put into practice, your weight will drop naturally:
- Get moving! : walk, swim, dance … whatever makes you expend energy will make you lose calories. This is essential for anyone. The body needs to generate endorphins (hormones of happiness), use adrenaline in something positive, and not accumulate it due to stress since that can only lead to disease states. As you get into the habit, you can increase the intensity of the exercise, but do it every day: 30 minutes a day has proven to be very effective.
- Choose carefully what you eat: you must take charge of your kitchen and diet. The most natural will always be the best. Learn to read the labels. With that, you will not be fooled by false promises of “light,” “low calorie”, “zero” products … Leave out flavorings, colorings, artificial sweeteners, soy proteins, refined (salt, flour, sugar), vegetable oils that “do not have cholesterol,” but that intoxicate you to the fullest. Ditch the ultra-processed sodas, flavored waters, and “fruit” foods with pure chemicals and refined sugar. Your body does not know what to do with all that. It accumulates it, intoxicates it, and keeps it busy, neglecting other essential functions that it should fulfill: eliminating tumor cells, fighting bacteria, keeping your metabolism in order, remove contaminants. In the following article, you can choose the kinds of seafood you should not if you want to lose weight.
- Eat only what your body can digest: even though many years have passed since the diet includes meat, dairy, and flour, the human body has not yet managed to adapt and remains sick and weakened because of this. Raw fruits and vegetables (cooking takes away vitamins and properties), legumes, nuts, and seeds (sunflower, flax, chia, sesame, etc.) should be the protagonists of your diet. Look for new recipes that surprise you with the combination of flavors and seasonings. Use extra virgin olive oil, which is the only one that is good for the body. Switch to whole sugar (muscabo, panela), sea salt, whole wheat, and gluten-free flours.
- Drink water: this is key. Your body needs to hydrate itself in the best way, and other beverages don’t: coffee, alcohol, or sugary juices that take water out of the cells and intoxicate.
- Connect with yourself and your actual needs: give yourself time to be in silence, to live what you are living, with the good and the bad, accept it but not suffer it. Free yourself from anxiety and depression. They are bad advisers when it comes to choosing food. You can do it with exercise, meditation, music, art, dance, and seek the help of someone, a friend, family, or therapist.
This article is merely informative. At FastlyHeal .com, we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Do birth control pills make you fat? We recommend that you enter our Sexuality category.
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.