Birth control...are these true or myths??

Question

ok here are some of the thinkg i've heard about birth control and I want to make find out id theyre true before i consider going on it...
1.Birth control makes you gain weight
2.Birth control just increased your appetite
3.Birth control makes you breasts grow an entire cup size
4.Birth control clears up acne
5.Birth control causes acne
6.Birth control tricks your body into thinking its pregnant
7. pregnancy tests come out positive while on it
8.You won't be able to fit into any of your old clothes
9. It reduces PMS
10. shorter periods

ok alot of this stuff is contradicting, but these are all things i've heard and i just want to get it straight

Answer 1

1.Birth control makes you gain weight
-Hormonal methods have been known to cause weight gain. This is mostly prevailent in methods that have a longer trip to make to the uterus. The pill, the shot, and the patch are those that have the highest possibility of weight gain. Nuvaring, and the hormonal IUD (mirena) have a slightly less possiblity. However, if you don't want to gain weight, the copper IUD is a good choice. There are new studies out, however, that suggest that birth control does not contribute to weight gain, and is being confused with natural weight loss, weight gain occuring in women. I know when I was on the shot I gained a few pounds. Keep in mind that just as many people lose weight while on birth control.

2.Birth control just increased your appetite
Not at all, the weight gain if it occurs is likely caused by the slowing of your metabolism, not an increase in your appetite.

3.Birth control makes you breasts grow an entire cup size
Different for all women, usually the increase in breast size is due to weight gain. I wouldn't count on an entire cup size. The combination pill is the most likely to cause an increase in cup size.

4.Birth control clears up acne
Yes, some birth control pills help control acne. These only work if your acne is caused by a hormonal inbalance, pills help to balance out your hormones. However, don't get on birth control to control acne, until you have exhausted all of your resources, (differin gel is my fav)

5.Birth control causes acne
Pretty much any birth control method except those that are ment for the control of acne can cause acne. The higher the dose, the more of a chance it will occur. When I was on the shot I had horrible acne. This is caused by the huge spike in hormones ever 3 months.

6.Birth control tricks your body into thinking its pregnant
Untrue. This is how birth control works. Mostly is prevents ovulation, which means no egg for the sperm to find. If ovulation does happen to occur (rarely), then there is a back up plan. Hormonal methods also cause a change in the vaginal secretions, and helps prevent the sperm from reaching the egg. If both ovulation and the sperm reach the egg occur, then there is a backup backup plan. Hormonal methods keep the lining of the Uterus thin, which prevents implantation and if there is no implantation, there is no baby.

7. pregnancy tests come out positive while on it
No pregnacy tests look at a womens hCg levels, which is produced when a women is pregnant. Birth control does not contain this hormone, so would not cause a false positive.

8.You won't be able to fit into any of your old clothes
This is untrue. Most weight gain (if it even occurs!) is about 5-10 lbs. Hardly enought to warrent throwing out your wardrobe.

9. It reduces PMS
depends, the pill helps reduce PMS by controlling hormone fluctuations caused by the body's natural cycle. Higher doses, such as those from the shot and patch may increase PMS.

10. shorter periods
This also depends. Usually the pill will reduce periods by keeping the uterus wall thin. however, some hormonal methods, the shot and patch, may cause spotting in between periods, almost to the point of an extended period (that is what happened to me) Sometimes, however, birthcontrol can completely stop periods, the hormonal IUD and the shot has been known to completely stop periods, and Seasonel is a pill that does not contain placebo pills that allow the period to occur in most birth control pills except every 3 months, which will cut the occurance of your period down to 4 times a year.
Finally, the copper IUD can cause extended periods (I have one now, and it does)

I hope my knowledge on the subject helped.

Answer 2

Ok...I'll answer these questions according to my experience (I'm 32 and have been on the Pill since I was 18.)

1.Birth control makes you gain weight-- I gained 5 lbs.
2.Birth control just increased your appetite-- not for me.
3.Birth control makes you breasts grow an entire cup size-- my breasts did grow, but I'm not sure if i can attribute it completely to the pill.....went from a C to a D.
4.Birth control clears up acne-- YES.
5.Birth control causes acne-- NO
6.Birth control tricks your body into thinking its pregnant-- YES
7. pregnancy tests come out positive while on it-- NO
8.You won't be able to fit into any of your old clothes--NO
9. It reduces PMS--YES
10. shorter periods-- YEs...went from 7 day periods to 4 day periods.


Although, keep in mind it will take your body about 4-6 months to get used to synthetic hormones. You may have a slight breakout or irregular period until your body adjusts to the Pills.

Answer 3

1. In some people it does, and in some people it does not. It depends on the type of birth control and how your body hormones.
2. Again, it depends on the person, the type of birth control, and your body's reaction to it.
3. Doubtful. Mine didn't.
4. Many people have gone on birth control for the sole purpose of helping to clear up acne problems.
5. I've never heard that it causes acne, but I won't say it's impossible.
6. Not true. BC changes the way your body hormones produce/distribute throughout the body. It doesn't "trick" anyone or anything.
7. Only if you're pregnant.
8. Why wouldn't you, unless you gain weight, which isn't guaranteed?
9. Yes, sometimes it can.
10. Depends on the person, but many women experience shorter or less painful periods.

Answer 4

It all depends on the type of pill you are on and how your body reacts to it. I have never gained weight from any of the pills I've been on but have lost weight instead. I do eat more when I'm on the pill and I have heard that some pills make your breast bigger (unfortunately this has never happened to me!) I had one pill make my face brake out really bad....my doctor changed my prescription to another one that cleared it up. That one messed my period all up so I went on a different one that then caused my face to go crazy again so I went back to my old one. The pill does fool you body into thinking it is pregnant but it won't give you a false positive on a pregnancy test! If it did how would you really know if you were pregnant! Ya I couldn't fit into any of my old clothes....they were all to big for me! It made my PMS way worse! Like 2 weeks before my period I would be tearing ppls heads off for nothing! Most of the pills I've tried (I've been on 3 different ones and now I have the IUD) have all made my period much longer! But like I said it depends on how your body reacts to it and what your on!

Answer 5

They are all true everyone is different I have actually seen them all happen to different people or all of them in one person.Just think of it this way on birth control your body thinks it pregnant so what happens when you are pregnant breasts grow, acne clears, acne comes back towards end of pregnancy etc Only I'm not sure of is pms I know if you stop taking birth control at anytime it can throw your cycle off and cause extreme cramps and pms

Answer 6

1-3, nope. At least, it didn't happen with me and I haven't heard of anyone else complaining about that. 4-yes, it can clear up acne. 5-nope, helps with acne. 6- kinda true. It won't let your egg get implanted in the uterus. 7- nope. You still won't have HgH levels high enough for a positive. 8-nope. 9 - yes, it can help with PMS and help with keeping you more regular. (That was one of the main reasons why I took it.) 10- it can give you shorter periods, but it depends on which birth control you take. Some birth control can get rid of periods for a while, but I'd be wary of that.

P.S. The reason why I am no longer on the birth control is because I'm getting older and there are side effects that are increased if you're older or if you smoke.

Answer 7

1. possibly true - some people gain weight, but not everyone
2. possibly true - weight gain or loss is a possible side effect
3. possibly true - breast enlargement or tenderness is a possible side effect
4. possible true - it depends on the dosage Ortho-tricyclin has FDA approval for treatment of acne
5. false - see above answer
6. true - elevated estrogen level happens during pregnancy so you body stops ovulating during that time
7. false
8. possibly true - see #1 and #2
9. false - PMS still comes
10. possibly true - you period will become more regular, it would depend on how long your periods were to begin with

Answer 8

Those side affects will affect some people and not others.
Except numbers 6 and 7. Those are not side affects of birth control.

Birth control pills are synthetic hormones that work by stopping ovulation. If your body thought it was pregnant, you would not have a period. Pregnancy tests will come out positive only if you are pregnant.

Answer 9

They affect everyone differently. You need to play around with different types and dosages sometimes to find the right one for you. Just because you might gain a little weight or get acne doesn't mean you shouldn't be taking steps to protect yourself. Be smart and keep things in perspective.

Answer 10

I don't know about #8 but most of those are accurate.

All birth control is different and they have VARIED side effects. You would need to consider what your concerns are and bring them to the gyno. You will help her to decide which one is right for you.

You forgot to add that birth control can cause blood clots which can lead to stroke or heart attacks (especially if you smoke). Its always recommended to quit smoking if you decide to go on it.

Also, it can cause a skin condition called melasma. Its a darkening of the skin on your face- in small patches.

Good Luck!