Does birth control pills make you fat?

Many women say that when they are using birth control pills consistently, they get fatter. Is this true?

Some studies vehemently disagree that there is a link between birth control and weight gain, while others say there is a correlation between weight gain and birth control pills. Which is correct?

Birth control pills are hormone-containing medications used to prevent pregnancy. There are two main types: combination pills and progestin-only pills.

Will birth control pills make you fat?

According to some research, using birth control pills will cause the following to happen:

1. Bloating and water retention

A study of 65 healthy women discovered that pill users had significantly bigger breasts, particularly at certain times of the month.

Many women using the contraceptive pill feel bloated, which is caused by different fat tissues reacting differently to reproductive hormones. Subcutaneous fat, which contains estrogen receptors, can cause the body to retain more fluid than normal, resulting in enlarged fat cells. Women are more likely to accumulate fat in their breasts, hips, and thighs, which can grow the most.

This impact is made worse by synthetic estrogen, which is six to ten times stronger than natural estrogen and is consumed almost daily when taking birth control pills. Some women say that the pill increases their cup size, an issue that has received little attention.

2. Increase in muscle

In 2009, an exercise physiologist at Texas A&M University discovered that women on the pill had gained 40% less muscle than those not on it. The lack of muscle gains was not found in all women on the pill, just those that contained a certain type of lab-made progesterone that likes to bind to the same protein.

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3. Fat storage

One early study showed that women on birth control with higher levels of estrogen tended to have pear-shaped bodies and more subcutaneous fat.

The pill may also be affecting women's bodies in other ways. Just as it changes the percentage of muscle in our bodies, it may also have minor effects on fat, particularly where it is deposited.

During puberty, estrogen and progesterone are what causes the development of characteristically 'female' traits, such as broader hips and larger breasts, mostly by altering fat distribution.

The pill has a lot of estrogen and progesterone; research has shown how changing a woman's hormonal balance could affect where her fat is stored.

So what should women do? Well, other methods of contraceptives like condoms and IUDs exist if birth control pills lead to excess weight gain.