What is the effect of birth pills on body weight?
All of us are intermittently gaining or losing weight. Inevitably some patients find that they gain weight around the time of starting the combined oral contraceptive pill but others observe a weight loss. In a personal computer search of the medical literature from 1966 to date I found exactly fifty papers (articles in medical journals) where weight change in relation to the combined oral contraceptive pill had been studied. Thirty-six papers indicated no change, eleven found an increase varying from 0.3kg to 2.4Kg. Three papers found weight loss with the combined oral contraceptive pill for women who were overweight or who had polycystic ovaries.
Related Medical Abstracts - Click on the paper title:-
- Oral contraceptives use and weight gain in women with a Central European life-style. (2005-01)
- Weight gain on the combined pill--is it real? (2000-01)
- Clinical evaluation of a monophasic ethinylestradiol / desogestrel-containing oral contraceptive (1998)
- Twelve years of clinical experience with an oral contraceptive containing 30mug ethinyloestradiol and 150mug desogestrel (1995)
- Effects of low-dose estrogen oral contraceptives on weight, body composition, and fat distribution in young women (1995)
- Efficacy and safety of a monophasic and a triphasic oral contraceptive containing norgestimate (1994)
- Clinical comparison of two low-dose oral contraceptives, Minulet(TM) and Mercilon(TM), in women over 30 years of age (1994)
- Clinical experience with a modern low-dose oral contraceptive in almost 100,000 users (1991)
- A low-dose combination oral contraceptive. Experience with 1,700 women treated for 22,489 cycles (1981)
Please click on the required question.
- 1 What is an oral contraceptive?
- 2 How popular are oral contraceptive pills?
- 3 What are the benefits of the combined oral contraceptive pill?
- 4 Will the combined oral contraceptive pill improve my periods?
- 5 Could the combined oral contraceptive pill change my libido (sex drive)
- 6 What are the risks of taking combined oral contraceptive pills?
- 7 What side effects could I have whilst taking the combined oral contraceptive pill?
- 8 What is the effect of the combined oral contraceptive pill on body weight?
- 9 Will the combined oral contraceptive pill increase my vaginal discharge?
- 10 Does the combined oral contraceptive pill increase the chance of pelvic infections?
- 11 What is the relationship between the combined oral contraceptive pill and fibroids?
- 12 Could a combined oral contraceptive pill increase my blood pressure?
- 13 Do combined oral contraceptive pills have any effect on the blood?
- 14 What is the relationship between the combined oral contraceptive pill and thromboembolism?
- 15 What is the relationship between the combined oral contraceptive pill and heart attacks?
- 16 What is the relationship between the combined oral contraceptive pill and strokes?
- 17 Does the combined oral contraceptive pill affect the breasts?
- 18 Could I feel depressed as a result of taking the combined oral contraceptive pill?
- 19 What is the relationship between the combined oral contraceptive pill and cancer of the ovary?
- 20 What is the relationship between the combined oral contraceptive pill and cancer of the uterus?
- 21 What is the relationship between the combined oral contraceptive pill and cancer of the cervix?
- 22 What is the relationship between the combined oral contraceptive pill and cancer of the breast?
- 23 Family Planning Support Groups.
- 24 Support Groups.
Thank you for choosing to visit us.
This is the personal website of David A Viniker MD FRCOG, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Whipps Cross University Hospital, London - Specialist Interests - Reproductive Medicine including Infertility, PCOS, PMS, Menopause and HRT.
I do hope that you find the answers to your women's health questions in the patient information and medical advice provided.
