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I'm really frusturated and confused so if anyone has experienced this and found out what was going on I'd appreciate your comment greatly!
I was on birth control for about 8 months, junel fe, and went off of it about 1.5 months ago because I didn't like how it made me feel.
Since then I've suddenly gained 25 pounds and I'm eating less than 1300 calories a day and working out a lot. I'm very frusturated because no matter what I do I keep gaining weight.
I've been to several doctors and have had several tests done, (thyroid, hormone levels, ovary check) all of which came back normal.
Also sometimes I get an uncomfortable bloating in my stomach that makes it stick out very far. Weight on my hips, butt, and thighs have increased. I've suddenly stopped birth in the past before, like 10 years ago and didn't experience this.
I'm extremely uncomfortable and I'm scared that I am going to keep gaining weight...has anyone else experienced anything like this?!?
Also, I'm not pregnant. This is insane. Everyday my weight scale keeps going up,
Whats really interesting is last year I had a 9 day lapse on my prescription, they took too long to deliver it, well in 3 days into the lapse my weight was increasing, I was gaining a pound per day, with no change in diet, by the time I received my refill, I had gained 7lbs in 9 days, I almost had a break down, I've never in my life gain weight like this, I have an athletic, muscular build and I'm not fat. So when I finally got my bcp, the weight gain came to a halt, it magically stopped. The weight gain was noticeable, my co-workers all noticed, I was so embarrassed.
Please help!
Go to a gynecologist immediately. Tell them about your bloating and the other symptoms. Go to a different gyno if you need to. Get a test for ovarian cancer to rule that out. If everything is fine I would say a complete overhaul of your diet is in order. What does your diet look like now?
Sounds like water weight. Your hormones are probably completely out of wack with the sudden change. It could be estrogen dominance or something like that. Whatever is going on, you should probably try to eat and drink as healthy as you can, get regular exercise, and make sure you get enough water. Your body will need time to adjust to the change.
I know this is a late reply! But did you ever figure out what caused your weight gain? I went off the pill Nov 20th after getting married and went from 145 to 165 by Jan 1st... I had my first regular period in December and immediately got pregnant after that. So much for the myths that being on the pill for prolonged periods of time causes issues getting pregnant. I was on the pill consistently since 2012, where before that was in it since 2003, taking a break from 2009-2012. February 14th at my first doc appt I was up to 185. So I gained 40 pounds in about 3.5 months. Asked my primary care what the deal was, in January she checked my hormone levels etc, all normal, but my thyroid was completely out of whack, went from .92 to 4.92. So yes thyroid will definitely cause the weight gain, but I think that change was also triggered by getting off the pill. My doc, since getting pregnant had also almost tripled my dosage which has gotten me under 2.0, but I still feel lethargic. Everyone says it’s the pregnancy, but I still plenty of pregnant people with 20x the amount of energy I have. I am now 25 weeks along and am 205/210. Hormones are CRAZY! After the birth, I intend to get back on the pill and then stop again when I’m ready for baby #2.
It sounds like you have PCOS. (Poly cystic ovary syndrome). I had the same thing happen after going off birth control. It took me a year and a half to figure out what was wrong with me and by that point I had gained a whopping 50 pounds. I had worked so hard to get very skinny only to have it ruined by going off birth control. Like you, no matter what I did I just kept gaining. I had gone on birth control because of irregular extremely painful periods (another symptom of PCOS). I think being on birth control for a few years had altered my symptoms and when I came off birth control my periods weren't as bad but the weight gain was unreal. I ended up going back on birth control and my belly bloat went away and I was finally able to lose weight again...but it sucked havin to start from a high weight I had never been before. If you don't want to go back on birth control, talk to your doctor about going on metformin. This is another PCOS treatment. Something else I should mention is when I finally did get my hormones tested, I was already back on birth control and my levels all came back normal. Very frustrating that I can't even prove I have the disease I have. I just know for me going back off birth control is not an option unless I decide to have kids.
I was taken off the combined pill due to getting the occasional migraine with aura (we're talking a migraine maybe ONCE a year) and was put on the mini pill in November of last year... I wasn't happy with the weight gain going off the combined and coming onto the mini pill as my waist thighs and bum ballooned, not to mention the mood swings and anger and appetite increases, despite monitoring my cravings and hunger alongside my regular 6 days a week of cardio/weights and mostly plant-based diet! I have Hashimotos but have been on medication for that for years with no issues and have led a very healthy lifestyle ever since. My only problem is that I'm very poor with stress management, so I don't know if the estrogen/progesterone (or rather, the synthetic versions of them) were helping to keep my hormones in better balance... I was taking Cilest which is a higher progestin to estradiol ratio (250mcg progestin to 35mcg estradiol) and that balance worked SO well for me! I've been trialling a bioidentical micronised USP progesterone cream which is 20mg per dose, and it does help balance my moods and also helps me to have a better quality of sleep. I originally went on the combined contraceptive pill due to moderate hirsutism and pimples (and was ruled out from having PCOS when I was younger) so being taken off it has come as a shock to the system. I also developed acne on my back when I was thereafter switched over to the mini pill which seems to be slowly subsiding now that I'm off it - although I’ve now developed hormonal acne along my jawline. However the extra fat is just not budging from my waist hips and bum, and I thought it might be that I'm no longer getting the right ratio of hormones which is why I started on the progesterone cream to see how it goes... I'd love to know the equivalent dosages of say the progestin in both combined and mini pills to the dosage of a bioidentical progesterone cream so as to know how much I need - and also to know the equivalent in a bioidentical estriol/estradiol cream as I'd like to incorporate that one with the progesterone cream also. I briefly went off the combined pill roughly five years ago so that doctors could test my hormone levels, and what showed up is that my progesterone levels were very very low - the doctor highlighted this to me but offered no solution other than to be on the combined pill. My serum cortisol was also tested and was very very high, well over the maximum range - but it was retested a few times over a period of a few months and I was able to get the range back in the upper normal levels - well, just outside of the highest range limit in fact so it was still too high.
So many unanswered unhelpful "guidance" from the doctors I've seen thus far, and I feel as though no one is really listening to me so I've resorted to doing my own research and investigations as if I'm not happy about where my body is at, I truly believe that I deserve some answers and appropriate solutions offered! I’m hoping that someone somewhere can help me to solve this puzzle so that I can feel better in my body and mind again. Hormonal balance is crucial to good health all round! I just want to feel like me again.
Hi Princess- this is an older post, but I think your experience is typical. I went off the IUD late last year and have had some crazy symptoms. I am finally going off the reflux medications because I felt like I was drowning in acid, and am now having the hair loss and breaking out like crazy along with having breast pain every month. My GP recommended I try evening primrose and I just started that now that the reflux is clearing up. It is anecdotally supposed to help with hormonal issues but I think it takes like 2-3 months to work. It will take a little while for your hormones to get back to normal. When I went on the IUD, I think I had issues for a year but it eventually got better. I had the worst acne once I started the IUD.
Hi RamenAddict, thanks for replying! Yeah, I was actually really angry when my doc took me off the combined pill, but I also have to acknowledge that this dull ache I’d feel in my head disappeared pretty much completely when I went off it. I suppose that was the Estradiol in the combined pill? I just wonder if using a bioidentical Estradiol cream in conjunction with the bioidentical progesterone cream would help to bring a bit of that prior combined pill balance back... in having a hormone panel test next week and even though those levels fluctuate, I’d at least like to see a snapshot of what’s going on currently in my lady landscape!
Oh, I’ve read good things about Evening Primrose! How are you taking it? As capsules?
Are you 35+? They really don’t want women with migraines taking combined medications after age 35, so I can see why you were taken off at that point. It may be that you naturally have more hormone fluctuations once you get to that age. I was using Nuvaring and once I turned 35ish, it really wasn’t as effective for me anymore in regulating symptoms. I am guessing my hormones were changing naturally.
I take a 500mg pill. They are available in the megadose of 1500mg, but people complain that gives them heartburn or is too strong, so I am starting out at this dose. I have also read that it is good to have a balance of more fish oil (omega 3) than omega 6, so I am reluctant to increase out of the 500mg. I am still only about a month in so I have no idea if it is working. I think I have a bout of folliculitis in my skin, so it is hard to tell how it is doing in that respect.
I have also anecdotally heard that it is good to avoid dairy since that can increase your estrogen levels in relation to progesterone. I LOVE dairy though, so it is hard.
Since then I've suddenly gained 25 pounds and I'm eating less than 1300 calories a day and working out a lot. I'm very frusturated because no matter what I do I keep gaining weight.
I've been to several doctors and have had several tests done, (thyroid, hormone levels, ovary check) all of which came back normal.
Also sometimes I get an uncomfortable bloating in my stomach that makes it stick out very far. Weight on my hips, butt, and thighs have increased. I've suddenly stopped birth in the past before, like 10 years ago and didn't experience this.!
I've experienced the same thing with dieting, workout, and boating in the stomach that makes it look like I am pregnant. I can't lose weight despite doing intermittent fasting and working out. However, I have not been on BC. I really don't know what it causing it.
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