FYI Health Tip
More than 10 million women use oral contraceptives.
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The pill makes you fat, right? Wrong. There are many rumors that the pill causes such things as acne, depression and weight gain. The weight gain speculation in particular has scared women for years. Getting fat is one of the top reasons women stop taking the pill. Either way, turns out this may be a myth. According to a new study (done on monkeys) the pill doesn’t cause weight gain and may actually help you lose weight.
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Loading ...More than 10 million women use oral contraceptives. The reason it’s the most-used contraceptive is that it works. This study looked at oral contraceptives given to monkeys, so that the scientists could completely regulate their diets and activity — something difficult to do with humans. They actually found that the monkeys on the pill lost weight. Could this mean that you don’t have to be scared about gaining weight from hormonal contraceptives? Signs point to yes. One caveat though, the study did see that the pill increased metabolic rate, which may increase appetite in humans.
Half of pregnancies are unplanned, and usually occur when a woman stops taking the pill. So before you stop taking the most effective contraceptive on the market, ask yourself if you want to have a baby. One thing for sure? You will put on more weight from having a baby than taking the pill.
The supporting research
Oral Contraceptives Associated with Weight Loss
Summary
Whether the use of oral contraceptives (OC) results in weight gain has been a continued argument. Many earlier studies, such as the Conchrane review of 42 randomized control trials, have proved that OC pills do not increase body weight. Despite these, there is a general belief among women that OC pills do increase weight, which is the common reason for discontinuing the use of the pill. In the present study, researchers wanted to determine whether use of the pill affects body weight.
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