Are you imagining how your homecoming dress, volleyball uniform, or weekend outfit will look on you, but scared birth control weight gain will cramp your style? Don’t let fears about birth control and weight gain keep you from making the right decisions about using an effective method of birth control.
For years, many people have believed that birth control caused unwanted weight gain—despite a total lack of true scientific evidence to prove it. In one recent survey, 50% of women who believed this said that fear of weight gain was the primary reason they chose not to take oral birth control! (Dana Hinders, "Birth Control and Weight Gain,") What the studies do show, is that almost all forms of birth control do not cause weight gain. Scientists believe weight gain is associated with birth control because many people begin taking birth control at times in their lives when they are biologically likely to gain weight anyway. The one exception is Depo-Porvera, "the shot", which causes about 11 pounds of weight gain on average. Even then, most people who stop taking the shot lose the weight they may have gained.
In fact, as with any medication, every birth control method is different and can cause various side-effects. And every person’s body is unique and reacts to medication in a different way. That’s why it’s so important to visit a clinic and find out which birth control method is right for you! And remember, there is one, scientifically proven, weight-gain method—it’s getting pregnant. You’ll gain about an average of 30 to 40 pounds!
Want more facts on the different methods out there?
- Start with our teensource.org birth control section.
- You can also check out Planned Parenthood’s page on different birth control types
- Visit the birth control page on teenshealth.org to see their comparison chart on how well different birth control methods measure up