Do birth control pills make you gain weight

Question

Do birth control pills really make you gain weight? That's what I've heard..

Answer

No. Birth control pills can have side effects like an increase in appetite and water retention which may cause weight gain. The pill (and birth control in general) do not directly cause weight gain. It's a side effect of a side effect.

The only birth control shown to directly cause weight gain is the Depo Provera shot.

Answer

i gained 20 lbs in two months after STOPPING birth control pills...so there's that.

Answer

Most pills do have the possible side effect of weight gain. Funny enough, since going on the pill three weeks ago, I lost .4 pounds since the doctor prescribed it to me.

Answer

Most of them claim they don't but I've been working through some after I got my IUD taken out and every single one I've tried makes me eat non stop. I've been off of them for a month and lost 13 lbs.

Answer

No they do not. BC is NOT linked to weight gain. The only form that has a suggested link is the Depo-Provera shot since 1 in 4 users gain a significant amount of weight and 3 in 4 users gain some weight. BC itself will not cause weight gain, but certain side effects can lead to weight gain depending on your lifestyle. The side effects include increased appetite, changes in metabolism, increased water retention, and fatigue. So if you eat more, workout less, your metabolism is lowered, or water retention is increased you may gain weight.
You can combat these effects my monitoring your weight, maintaining a relatively healthy diet and not over eating, and working out regularly. If you notice an increase in weight despite working out and not overeating then your metabolism may have lowered or water retention may have increased. If so, increasing muscle mass can boost metabolism and you can take pills to manage water retention.