Do birth control pills make you gain weight?...... The whole truth about the pill 💊

There's a popular belief growing around the world that if you take the pill, you'll gain weight. But is there any truth to this widespread idea?

After reading thousands of studies, the conclusion most people come to is that there is no clear relationship that suggests taking birth control causes weight gain.

But just because it doesn't make you fat doesn't mean it can't help!

Maria Gallo, an endocrinologist at Ohio State University, participated in the largest review of studies to date and determined that " there is no clear, large-scale effect" demonstrating that birth control causes weight gain . However, she believes more studies are needed to confirm this beyond any doubt.

María Gallo explained in an interview that everyone gains half a kilo a year from the beginning of their adult life , and that this period usually coincides with the start of taking the pill.

Although we want to blame this phenomenon for weight gain in women, the truth is that, although it has no direct relationship with weight gain, it can help, since it induces changes in the woman's body .

That is to say, it does not directly cause weight gain, but in some women it will help.

And you might be wondering, Angel, what's this about contraceptives not making you gain weight, but they do help? Isn't it the same thing?

Well, not exactly, I'll tell you why:

It turns out that taking hormonal contraceptives can help change a woman's body .

The pill changes the way a woman's body builds muscle, retains fluids, and distributes fat.

I'm going to try to explain as clearly as possible how contraceptives are able to induce these changes in women.

Let's start with fat redistribution . Combined contraceptives contain two types of hormones: progestogens and estrogens. They are responsible for the development of wider hips and larger breasts in women. Logically, you already know where this is going.

Yes, exactly. Subcutaneous fat, the fat found around the thighs, breasts, and hips, has receptors for one of the hormones in the pill . It's logical to think that this is why some women notice a distribution of fat, accumulating in these areas, but it doesn't necessarily increase overall body fat .

One study found that women with high estrogen levels tended to have pear-shaped bodies and more subcutaneous fat.

One of the most well-known side effects of combined hormonal contraceptives is fluid retention . This is one of the reasons why many women stop taking contraceptives. Although it is weight gain per se, there is no increase in body fat, but rather an inflammation of fat cells.

Estrogens alter the way the body uses water in the kidneys . The kidneys retain more water than normal, causing fat cells to swell. This, in turn, affects fat distribution, resulting in increased fat storage in the breasts, hips, and thighs.

In a 2009 study, physiologist Steven Riechman discovered, by pure chance, that women who took progesterone-containing contraceptives developed less muscle than other women.

If you're thinking that women's decreased muscle mass is related to increased fat, you're mistaken. The belief that fat turns into muscle with exercise is misguided. Fat and muscle are different tissues; muscle will only grow if we train it intensely. When we perform intense exercise, we force the body to obtain energy from fat by burning it.

What's happening is something visual that has nothing to do with fat accumulation. If a body has less muscle mass, it's less toned or flabbier, so its shape or appearance tends to be fatty.

So, does the pill make you gain weight? Scientifically, based on the data, we'd have to say no, at least not directly, but it can help a lot.

Angel The Vanaclocha Order

Assistant Pharmacist at the Vanaclocha Pharmacy located at C/ Sollana 24, Valencia.

Graduate in Pharmacy and Orthopedics from the CEU San Pablo University in Valencia. Membership number: 9259