female only Scared to start taking birth control again...(Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo)

[Excited4Change 0]

Okay so prior to my surgery in January, I had been on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo for about a year and a half. During that time I also started college and gained more than the normal freshman 15. So my concern now is, how much of that weight may have come from the birth control as opposed to the whole freshman 15 deal? Since my surgery I have not had a period until this week and am supposed to take my first pill on the sunday after the start of my period which is TODAY!!! I am terrified about my weight loss slowing down or stopping or even gaining weight when going back on the pill....I know there are a few threads regarding birth control but none really specifically about Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo, so if anyone has any experience with this issue or advice it would be greatly appriciated!!!

[Jachut 487]

I can understand that, I havent taken the pill since very briefly in my 20's as I really dont like mucking around with things in my body like that. But I always felt it added a couple of kilos to my weight.

Now I'm in my 40's and I know that I am having bowel complications from mild endometriosis. I know if I go and sort it out I'll end up on some sort of hormonal therapy like going on the pill. And I've put it off and off and off......

I always got by just fine without the pill, I used a diaphgragm even though they went out with the ark, it seems. But the mechanical barrier method worked for me and didnt affect my body. I had my tubes tied after my third baby.

[montynic 1]

I have been on Ortho Tri Cyclen for 13 years and do not plan on going off it until I am trying to get pregnant.

I think the only way for you to know for sure if your weight gain was related to the pills or the "Freshman 15" is to go back on them and see if your weight loss is slowed. That being said, I think it is important to consider why you were on the pill in the first place. There are lots of birth control options out there, so if you were only taking the pill for pregnancy prevention and are concerned about your weight loss slowing, I would talk with your ob/gyn about other options. If you were put on the pill for other reasons (such as PCOS, ovarian cycts, endometriosis, etc) I would strongly urge you to consider the potential consequences of not going back on the pill and rank those consequences against the potential of slowed weight loss. True, going back on the pill may slow your weight loss, but it will not stop the loss completely. Many women are on the pill and lose weight with LapBand.