Study: Birth Control Pill Doesn't Cause Weight Gain
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Contrary to popular belief, the birth control pill does not cause most women to gain weight, U.S. and Dutch researchers said on Friday.
Ever since the pill was first introduced in the 1960s, women have complained it made them fat -- and generations have used it as an excuse for putting on a little padding.
But a team at Family Health International in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina and the University of Leiden found little evidence this was true.
"Health care providers can reassure women that substantial weight gains have not been demonstrated in women using combination hormonal contraceptives," they wrote in their report, published in the February issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Maria Gallo of Family Health International and colleagues reviewed 42 separate trials of women on birth control pills or patches.
There were three trials that compared the real pill to a placebo in women, and none showed the women taking the actual hormones gained any more weight than women taking dummy pills.
In general the trials were hard to interpret, the researchers said. Many did not say how many women took part, while others did not give enough details to verify how accurate the results might be.
And only one was specifically designed to tell whether the hormone-based pill caused women to gain weight, although several recorded weight in a systematic way.
But if hormone-based birth control puts on pounds, it does not amount to much over a population, they said.
"Available evidence is insufficient to determine the effect of combination contraceptives on weight, but no large effect is evident," they wrote.
The researchers noted that women frequently stop taking the pill because they believe it makes them fat. One national study found that weight gain was the most frequently cited reason for discontinuing oral contraception.
And, they said, it is plausible to believe that hormones could cause changes that would lead to weight gain. But they also noted that women tend to gain weight over time whether they are taking the pill or not.
The study was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Contrary to popular belief, the birth control pill does not cause most women to gain weight, U.S. and Dutch researchers said on Friday.
Ever since the pill was first introduced in the 1960s, women have complained it made them fat -- and generations have used it as an excuse for putting on a little padding.
But a team at Family Health International in Research Triangle Park in North Carolina and the University of Leiden found little evidence this was true.
"Health care providers can reassure women that substantial weight gains have not been demonstrated in women using combination hormonal contraceptives," they wrote in their report, published in the February issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Maria Gallo of Family Health International and colleagues reviewed 42 separate trials of women on birth control pills or patches.
There were three trials that compared the real pill to a placebo in women, and none showed the women taking the actual hormones gained any more weight than women taking dummy pills.
In general the trials were hard to interpret, the researchers said. Many did not say how many women took part, while others did not give enough details to verify how accurate the results might be.
And only one was specifically designed to tell whether the hormone-based pill caused women to gain weight, although several recorded weight in a systematic way.
But if hormone-based birth control puts on pounds, it does not amount to much over a population, they said.
"Available evidence is insufficient to determine the effect of combination contraceptives on weight, but no large effect is evident," they wrote.
The researchers noted that women frequently stop taking the pill because they believe it makes them fat. One national study found that weight gain was the most frequently cited reason for discontinuing oral contraception.
And, they said, it is plausible to believe that hormones could cause changes that would lead to weight gain. But they also noted that women tend to gain weight over time whether they are taking the pill or not.
The study was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
I am glad there is a study cuz i hate hearing from my friends they are afraid to use the pill, I use condoms and I may go on the patch...... cuz i keep forgetting to take the pill lol....bad memory......