It turns out the belief that birth control causes weight gain might just be an old wives tale. For years some women have worried about taking the pill because they feared they would put on a few pounds, but a new thesis says otherwise.
In a long term thesis done at the University of Gothenburg, a student asked 1,749 women born in 1962, 1972 and 1982 questions about matters such as contraception, pregnancies, height/weight and smoking habits every five years from the age of 19 to 44.
“The women who were on the pill and were monitored from their teenage years until the age of 34 didn’t put on any more weight than their peers who had never taken the pill at all,” says Lindh, a registered midwife and researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy.
Despite women’s concerns about weight gain, there was no link found between the pill and putting on weight. The only factors that affected weight were ageing and smoking.
“It’s important to let women know that the pill doesn’t affect their weight, as there’s a real fear that they will put on weight, especially among young women, and this can be one of the reasons why they don’t want to go on the pill,” Lindh said. “When giving advice about different types of contraception, we should also tell young women about the importance of lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise so that we can break this trend of heavier teenagers.”
Lindh says other doctors have backed up her thesis, saying there is no scientific proof that weight gain and birth control pills are linked.
“Trials which systematically assessed what happens to women when they use the Pill have not proven any substantial link between hormonal contraception and weight gain,” says Professor Sawicki. “Many women gain some weight as they get older, whether or not they use the Pill. Limiting contraceptive choices will not help women keep their weight under control.”
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