Medscape article on weight gain with Depo

[Miss Vickie]

Many of us have experienced weight gain with Depo Provera, an injectable birth control that you take every three months. While it's effectiveness is not in question, many women have reported weight gain, but were told by our doctors that it was "all in our heads".

This study seems to dispel that myth, and gives doctors some guidance when it comes to the weight gain that 25% of women experience when taking this drug. It seems that some women start gaining weight quite early (in the first three months) and those women seem to go on to continue to gain weight, weight that's associated with certain health problems because it's predominantly abdominal fat.

From the article:

July 29, 2009 — Most women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) who gain excessive weight experience more than a 5% weight increase within 6 months, according to the results of a study reported in the August issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

"DMPA-related weight gain is linked to increased abdominal fat, a known component of metabolic syndrome, which raises the risk of obesity-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes," corresponding author Abbey B. Berenson, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, said in a news release.

"The amount of DMPA administered to a woman does not change based on weight, as occurs with some medications," Dr. Berenson said. "The drug may be more concentrated in the tissue of a woman with a [body mass index lower than] 30 [kg/m2] and may contribute to excessive weight gain, but more research is needed."

The goals of this study were to determine whether early weight gain in women receiving DMPA predicted continued excessive weight gain and to identify risk factors associated with early weight gain in these women.

[Cors]

Eeek, I was considering Depo because I hate periods so much. I guess I'll just stick with Yasmin.

[Miss Vickie]

Well, lots of women don't gain weight. And there are other options... Mirena IUD, various oral contraceptives that allow you to "skip" periods. My problem with Depo is that once you take it... you're stuck for three months. So if you have a problem with it, too damn bad. With pills, patches, Nuva Ring, etc you can just stop using them. But this? Not so much.

[fatgirlflyin]

Originally Posted by Miss Vickie

Well, lots of women don't gain weight. And there are other options... Mirena IUD, various oral contraceptives that allow you to "skip" periods. My problem with Depo is that once you take it... you're stuck for three months. So if you have a problem with it, too damn bad. With pills, patches, Nuva Ring, etc you can just stop using them. But this? Not so much.

I was on depo for 18 months after my son was born. In that time I gained probably 60-70 pounds, couldn't figure out what I was doing to cause weight gain. I eventually stopped taking it because I was getting loopy (serious PMS mood issues) when it came close to time to get another shot.

[Miss Vickie]

Originally Posted by fatgirlflyin

I was on depo for 18 months after my son was born. In that time I gained probably 60-70 pounds, couldn't figure out what I was doing to cause weight gain. I eventually stopped taking it because I was getting loopy (serious PMS mood issues) when it came close to time to get another shot.

I know so many women who, over the years, have gained weight on Depo. Almost to the one, when they discuss it with their doctor, they're blamed for the gain. "It must be something you're eating". "You were obese to begin with". "You need to watch your diet better". All things these women were told. Even if the so called predictive nature of the early weight gain isn't as clear as they hope, just the fact that they're acknowledging that it DOES cause weight gain is important.

[toni]

This is one of the reasons I hate bc. I was using the ring a couple of months ago. I put on about 10 lbs in water weight, my sex drive went down and I basically had no period that month. My doctor assured me all of that wouldn't happen.
I could not imagine if I was stuck with that for 3 months. CRAZY

[steely]

Originally Posted by Miss Vickie

I know so many women who, over the years, have gained weight on Depo. Almost to the one, when they discuss it with their doctor, they're blamed for the gain. "It must be something you're eating". "You were obese to begin with". "You need to watch your diet better". All things these women were told. Even if the so called predictive nature of the early weight gain isn't as clear as they hope, just the fact that they're acknowledging that it DOES cause weight gain is important.

This is me. I've been on Depo for about 15 years but was overweight to start with, the doctor told me I couldn't possibly be gaining from the Depo shot because I was already fat when I started. What a load of crap!

If I didn't have to take it to deal with the endometriosis, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have gained that extra hundred pounds. I had always been fat, I could live with that but I couldn't live with the debilitating pain from the endometriosis.

It would be nice if they would just be upfront about things. I finally had a nurse just a few years ago tell me that taking Depo made you want to eat all the time. It's no wonder I have doctor issues.