Do Birth Control Pills Cause Weight Gain?

Filed in archive Birth Control on February 4, 2007

You've just lost most of the weight after the birth of your baby. The last thing you want to do is gain more weight. No. Make that the second last, because you certainly aren't ready to get pregnant again.

Should you go on the pill with all its side effects, like mood changes, nausea, headaches and the danger of blood clots? Kids Health tells us:

The birth control pill is a safe and effective method of birth control. Most young women who take the Pill have none to very few side effects.

Another side effect that makes some women hesitate to go on the pill is weight gain. A lot of women already have a problem with weight control. Is taking the birth control pill going to aggravate the problem? According to a recent article in Web MD:

Women taking Birth Control Pills should not blame their method of contraception when they put on a few pounds.

A newly published review suggests that there is no truth to the widespread belief that oral contraceptives and other forms of hormonal birth control cause weight gain.

"Women do tend to gain weight over time, but as far as we could tell there is no evidence of a causal relationship between taking birth control pills and weight gain," researcher Laureen Lopez, PhD, tells WebMD.

If pregnancy isn't an option, then talk to your doctor. Give the pill a try.