Anyone Experiencing Missed Periods And Slight Weight Gain On Lo Loestrin Fe Birth Control (Top voted first)

I have been on this pill since March and only got my period the first month I was on it and it was very light and only lasted a couple of days. haven't gotten it since. I have taken tests...all negative. Any one else experiencing this?

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I have been on for 2 months am always starving. I mean hungry like when I was pregnant and had to eat NOW! I am gaining weight and feeling bloated.

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@ Cindy. I know that this is an older post, but wanted to give you my information. First, Lo loestrin has a lower dosage of estrogen, but the same amount of progestin as other birth control pills. Estrogen is responsible for keeping weight from accumulating on a woman's waist (and tends to deposit the weight in the hips/thighs instead). Since this pill is androgenic (rather than estrogenic), you will find that your hips/thighs will probably stay the same size but that your waist is getting bigger. Androgenic birth control is also linked to insulin resistance, which makes it much more difficult for the body to metabolize carbohydrates and simple sugar. I did much research on this issue (since I was having the same side effects as you, and I am only 27. And YES, to all the non-believers, I eat very clean and work out for an hour every day with weights and running, and I still gained 15 pounds in 3 years on this pill. And I could not lose the weight regardless of what I did). If Cindy couples this with a natural drop in estrogen/progesterone due to being pre-menopausal, she will have an even greater weight gain and increase in girth around the waist line that just cannot be rid of (middle-age spread). I have switched to an estrogen dominant pill (Sprintec) and after a few months, I've lost 10 pounds, have my hourglass waistline back, and feel much better. Not everyone does well on 'low dose' pills, especially women who may have a tendency toward naturally lower estrogen levels. The only way to really make sure everything is 100% in order is to have quarterly hormone levels assessed, but this could be difficult, since you would likely need to see a naturopath or pay out of pocket for the expenses. Try switching to a higher estrogen pill and let me know if you would like to see the sources for my research.

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I am having similar issues and wondered what you have decided to do. I am 48 and on the verge of the premenopausal symptoms. doc switched me to Lo Loestrin which eliminated my periods. I knew this would happen and is welcomed since I have endo. MY BIG issue has been the weight gain and feelings of exhaustion. Ever since I started this pill, I have had these symptoms, but everything I read say that weight gain is not a typical side effect. In 8 months I have gained 20 lbs. I have tried for 90 days to increase exercise, eliminate any bad food, increase veggies and fruits, no sugar, no soda. I can not lose a lb. it is so frustrating. I have gotten very thick around my middle which I have never had. I have always been thin and had a nice waistline (size 8-10). Loestrin is supposed to be a smaller dose of hormones than I was taking before, so I don't understand what the weight gain is correlated to. I am thinking of stopping the pill, but doc says I need the extra estrogen now since I am premenopausal.

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I've been on Lo Loestrin fe for about 2 months. Haven't have a real period, just a little spotting when I was supposed to have my period. I have ALREADY gained about 5 or 6 pounds and I am a complete psycho with the mood swings. I am sleepy a lot, and I have no appeitite (which makes it even weirder that I have gained weight...) My doctor said to wait it out for another month or so to give my body time to adjust to taking a BCP before I switch to something else, and the side effects of weight gain and moodswings will possibly stop. I'm going to finish two more packs and see, but so far it hasn't been a good experience.

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I have been on this bcp since last November I have never been one to gain weight but I have packed on about 15lbs out of NOWHERE I also haven't even had 1 period since last November I went to my dr to talk about my issues and she made me feel like it was all me and that this pill had absolutely nothing to do with my weight gain.

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Well, given this information, Lianne, I think that it could be the pill that is causing the difficulty in weight loss, and I don't know that a lower estrogen pill would help. Have you tried a more estrogen dominate pill before? If not, I'd recommend discussing it with your OB to see if they are willing to prescribe one for you to try for 3 months, and see how your body reacts. Also, all pills are different (triphasic/monophasic/quarterly pills, and pills with a variety of different estrogen/progestin synthetic combinations). I will do my best to answer your questions, however, so you can decide what may work best for you: 1. Your body will not produce estrogen like it normally would while you are taking the pill. The pill 'overrides' your body's natural chemical mechanisms to make your body think it's pregnant. This is why contraceptive birth control is so effective. PBS has a great site with information on the pill, which clearly outlines the difference between a woman's cycle on the pill vs. normal menstruation: pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/sfeature/sf_cycle_text_pill.html.

As you can see, during day 14 of normal menstruation, your body produces a great amount of estrogen, which triggers menstruation. This does not occur while taking birth control, since ovulation is suppressed. This is just one example of the way in which your hormonal/chemical responses change while on the pill. The PBS website has a lot of other information which may be useful as you decide what will work best for you, and it is one of the most user friendly sites (and unbiased) that I have found. 2. I do not have too low estrogen (I can get pregnant, developed normally, etc), and my estrogen is in a normal range for a woman without taking birth control. However, I am not on the high-normal end of the estrogen spectrum (rather on the mid-normal end). The fact that my body is right in the middle of the estrogen spectrum naturally, suggests that my body is designed to perform best with a moderate amount of estrogen. When taking a pill that provides you with a high dose of progestin and a low dose of estrogen, the hormonal balance can be easily tipped to progestin dominant, which is going to lead to insulin resistance/weight gain/and other unwanted side effects. This is biologically similar to what happens to women during menopause (they produce less estrogen, which leads to menopausal symptoms). Some women may naturally be made to perform better with higher levels of progestin, and these women may do better on a lower estrogen pill, but the key is to find a pill that most closely mimics your body's natural hormonal balance (doctors will not, to my knowledge, ever acknowledge that this is true, and state that all birth control is similar--it isn't! Don't bother trying to convince them otherwise, and if you are able to do so, tell me how!) Also, something to keep in mind is that progestin is not the same as progesterone. No birth control pill contains progesterone (with the exception of one, which has a natural progesterone equivalent. I cannot risk getting pregnant right now and it is a mini-pill, so I cannot try it, but would love to!) which is a naturally occurring hormone), but instead contain a form of progestin (which is not naturally occurring). The progestin binds to the same receptors in the brain as progerstone, so it helps to thicken the cervical mucus and make the uterus a hostile environment for an egg (if it is fertilized), and prevent ovulation, but it does not perform all the other tasks that naturally occurring progesterone does. So, even if a woman is naturally progesterone dominant, higher progestin birth control (also known as the mini-pill, depo-provera shot, or a low dose estrogen pill) may not work as well for her, since progesterone and progestin are not chemically the same hormone. This article has good information about natural progesterone vs. progestins founds in birth control and explains the difference between the two. You may find these two sites useful in determining the best pill for you, if you have not seen them already: fainamd.com/resources/Which+OCP+is+Best+Handout.pdf and contraception.about.com/od/thepill/l/bl_choosingapill.htm.

Hope this helps some, let me know if you have other questions! Also, I am not a doctor, but have a strong background in clinical research, which is where this information has been extracted from.

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I have been on this pill for 3 months and I've gained 8 pounds. I'm bloated. I have not had a period just a few days of spotting in the entire 3 months. I know it's this pill making me gain weight I have not changed my diet or workout routine. I was on ortho cyclen before and lost weight easily. I went to the dr and he switched me back. I had breakthrough bleeding on ortho cyclen but I can deal with that.

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I decided to just stop taking my pills even before my pack was finished. I was prescribed lo loestrin to regulate my periods not for birth control since I have already had my tubes tied. I would rather have irregular periods than how I felt on the pill. I will say it took less than a day to feel a difference. It's been a week now and I feel my old slimmer self again. Totally not worth it to me!

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This is very interesting to me because I have been having some issues on Loestrin and thought that switching to Lo Loestrin might be the answer, but you are making me have second thoughts. The reason I am switching is because I have completely changed my eating habits to mainly clean eating and very few if any grains, my diet s very strict and I rarely if ever eat anywhere near 2000 cal- usually I only eat 1200-1500, because it seems if I go anywhere over that I gain weight. I have also started working out more than ever before in my entire life, I lift weights, run, and do insanity, 5-7 days a week. And I cannot seem to lose ANY weight. its extremely discouraging. I thought that maybe taking a lower dosage of hormones might allow my body to produce my normal hormone levels. I understand that this is a low estrogen level pill, however, wouldn't my body still be able to produce the amount of estrogen it would have normally without the pill? Did you have too low estrogen levels to begin with? I am extremely frustrated and I really cannot bare to gain more weight with all the hard work I'm doing. Any further insight is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much

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Taking the pill and haven't had a period in three months show all the sighs of pregnancy and weight gain, all my hpt have been negative, I have ovarian cyst I don't know what's going on

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I probably started taking this in April/May. I can't remember exactly. For the first three packs I didn't get a period. On the fourth pack I had very light bleeding for a day and 1/2. Just finished my fifth pack, and no period again. So weird.

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i feel incredibly disgusting on this pill! i am very active and am always working out. iHave gained 4 pounds in less then 2 weeks and i feel extremely bloated all the time. I feel as i have gained like 10 pounds and i feel incredibly unhappy. do not take this pill!

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I never really tried to lose weight as seriously as I am now, but no not really, I have always been able to drop a few pounds just with dieting and mild exercise. But I had my thyroid tested and all the blood work was normal. I am on Loestrin now and am completely unable to lose weight, I was hoping that maybe having less hormones by switching to the Lo Loestrin might help the problem, but now I'm concerned it might make it worse.

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A little history about me. I am 41, do Crossfit 3 times a week and have never had skin issues. I am not prone to weight gain and have been trying to keep a Paleo diet as close as possible.

Since I started the pill 3 months ago, I have had this ravenous appetite, strangely enough mostly for carbs. I've always had a flat stomach and even a 6-pack. Now, it's very well padded and my whole mid-section is visibly thicker ...

I used to be able to go on 6 hours of sleep and be OK, now I am exhausted and can't run at night ... Sure this attributed to the weight gain.

I also noticed an increased frequency of my migraine attacks. According to the med info, history of migraines is contra indicative.

I am stopping the pill tomorrow. Not being in control of my body and even moods has not been fun. The only good part about taking this pill was not having a period. I did have some cramping and spotting at almost 45 days the last month, which was very uncomfortable. I'd rather have a regular period, which was always on time and 28 days long, than gain so much weight.

Would be curious to see if other women 40 and over have had similar issues. I am positive age is a big factor. If you look at reviews on message boards, most women on birth control pills are in their 20s or early 30s.

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I have had the exact same problem with weight gain. I have gained 15 lbs in 3 months and I have been running 4 times a week and going to the gym to burn fat off but not even a pound has dropped. Changed all my food intake as well. My belly just keeps getting flabbier

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@ Lianne,

Can I ask you if you had issues with weight gain/loss before starting on birth control pills, or before starting on Loestrin? If you were not able to lose weight prior to birth control, there could be other medical issues going on (for example, a thyroid issue) that may need to be explored. I experienced a difficulty in losing weight and a slow but consistent increase in weight only when I switched from an estrogen dominant pill to an androgenic pill (Lo-loestrin). I was on Lo-loestrin for 3 years, and found that it did prevent weight loss, and upon starting the pill I had huge swollen bumps on my shins, and I had horrible cystic acne (which my doctor prescribed a cream for). I stuck it out, but am so glad i decided to do my own research and switch. Please let me know if you experienced problems losing weight prior to being on Loestrin, and I'll do my best to answer your other questions from there! :)

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Meant to say definitely not more balanced. Want to stop this and have left message for nurse today!

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The doctor's nurse told me the same thing about the weight gain. Such a small dose should not cause any weight gain. I went on assuming that I was becoming menopausal so I didn't question it again. I took the pill for about three years and saw my mid-section get thicker and my weight gain up to 20 lbs. I have always been a slim petite person and this was very depressing. I recently (about 2 weeks) have been taken off the pill so the doctor could check my estrogen levels, and hello - starting to see the decrease in my mid section ! I so wish I would have known this was the cause, and I could have eliminated my struggle for so long. Happy to be off now. I am have severe headaches after stopping but hope after some time they will go away.

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To be honest, I have been taking the Lo Loestrin for two years now, and I've gained almost 40 lbs (didn't know why because I'm not a big girl) so I took myself off it it two weeks ago and I have noticed already that I don't feel bloated and have already lost 7 lbs. so I would speak to your Gyno about switched and weight gain factors Hun. Good luck with whatever choice you make!

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@ Lala flower,
I have had my hormones level check while on birth control (and also while off birth control, but this was when I was younger and before I had a need for it--they were checked since I started my period a bit later than normal, at 16). I would recommend a naturopath over an online site, at least initially. Both provide the same results, but a naturopath (or, a family doctor, if you have one who is willing!) can help interpret the results and really explore options with you.

Here are some online research articles linking insulin resistance to birth control and exploring the effects of androgenic contraceptives:
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/002072929091021H

press.endocrine.org/doi/abs/10.1210/jcem.74.1.1530790

ajog.org/article/S0002-9378%2886%2980024-2/abstract

If you just read the abstract/conclusions, it gives a good idea of the total outcome, but I also really enjoy reading the whole article for the details.

Most of my other research is on my work computer, so I will try to post it tomorrow when I am back at work.

Sparrow

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I accidentally missed a Lo Loestrin Fe pill on a Friday due to being busy at work. I took a pill the next evening (Satur...

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