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Birth control and dress?

FI and I are abstinent til marriage, but my married friends have told me that I need to get on birth control now so my body can get used to it. I'm freaked out that it might make me gain so much weight that I don't fit into my dress come July...I just had a fitting this week and won't have another one til May. Has anyone had a similar experience? What did you do?

Re: Birth control and dress?

  • edited December 2011
    talk to your doctor about a low hormone birth control.  That should be the best bet for you to not gain weight.  Also, if you have any sisters or cousins that are on birth control ask them what their experience was.  Everyone's reaction is different, but you  might be able to get an idea of what might happen.  Many people don't gain weight and it will most likely keep your skin clearer.
  • skhynesskhynes member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Everyone is different so no one can tell you whether you're going to gain weight or not.  I don't think I gained any weight, but I know other people have said they gained like 5-10 lbs.  So your question is really hard to answer. 

    If you begin your BC pill at the beginning of your cycle (the first day of your period) it will be effective immediately.  If you start it anywhere else in your cycle, it will take one full cycle to become effective (28 days).  So I would probably just start it on your period before the wedding, and then you'll be fine and probably won't gain that much weight in a few weeks' time.  If you use a vaginal ring, it takes about a week to become effective I believe. 

    Defintely discuss it with your doctor though, I'm sure they can give you the best advice.
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  • SarahSmile23SarahSmile23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    your birth control will be effective immediately when you begin it. so i don't understand what your friends are saying!

    mine didn't make me gain weight, btw. i use the nuva ring.
  • edited December 2011
    Oral contraceptives are not effective immediately unless begun at the beginning of your cycle/end of previous cycle. I am one of the girls that gained 10-15 pounds even from the low-dose pills. And the weight didn't come off until I switched to Mirena. No weight with that one, but it does not help your skin and it's a BIOTCH to get put in, and I found out later that one of the side effects they don't tell you about is ovarian cysts. Awesome. If your insurance will cover Nuva Ring, I think that's probably your best option. If you can't do Nuva, I would probably wait until after the wedding to be sure you don't have to deal with the weight thing and use condoms until you're in sync with the BC. Fun? No, but a hell of a lot better than a dress that doesn't fit or a "whoops" baby. ;) Or start researching NFP. Done right it's effective, you just gotta know not to do it around ovulation... or, again, use condoms.
  • SarahSmile23SarahSmile23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_birth-control-dress?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:66Discussion:4ce0c0db-2fba-4026-8bbc-db134265b731Post:9a6b4429-46f2-42db-8392-8c21961a039b">Re: Birth control and dress?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Oral contraceptives are not effective immediately unless begun at the beginning of your cycle/end of previous cycle. Posted by Pretty Parula[/QUOTE]

    Right, but I can't imagine a situation in which she wouldn't start her bc pills when she was instructed to since she is obviously very concerned with the proper way to do this!

    Original poster...take the pill as instructed and give them 7 days and you will be fine as far as "effectiveness"  haha. but i agree that it might be best to just plan to use condoms on the wedding night and start the BC after the wedding to avoid any weight gain.
  • edited December 2011
    Sarah, I don't think the time of month at which one starts the BC is part of any instructions for proper BC use. The three different types of pills I tried all said they could be started at any point during your cycle... could be because they were meant to regulate the cycle for me, and would essentially reset the cycle. BC is just no fun, IMO. Ick.
  • SarahSmile23SarahSmile23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    i was always instructed on the exact day to start mine!
  • edited December 2011
    Thanks for the tips ladies!
  • edited December 2011
    Birth Control Pills ARE NOT EFFECTIVE immediately. It takes 2 to 3 cycles for the hormone levels in your body to neutralize and be 99% effective. My Pharmacist recommends that the pills be taken for atleast 2 continuous cycles in order to maek sure your body is fully adjusted to the pills and levels fo hormones are at a steady state.
  • edited December 2011
    I agree depends on your body and how you eat plays a big roll. If you eat crap yeah you are gonna gain weight. and congrats on waiting Laughing
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  • SarahSmile23SarahSmile23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_birth-control-dress?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:66Discussion:4ce0c0db-2fba-4026-8bbc-db134265b731Post:2f9ccef9-08f6-4ed3-9a11-3d22184ae284">Re: Birth control and dress?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Birth Control Pills ARE NOT EFFECTIVE immediately. It takes 2 to 3 cycles for the hormone levels in your body to neutralize and be 99% effective. My Pharmacist recommends that the pills be taken for atleast 2 continuous cycles in order to maek sure your body is fully adjusted to the pills and levels fo hormones are at a steady state.
    Posted by AmorSiempre[/QUOTE]

    Honestly, I researched it and the first 10 websites i checked, including Planned Parenthood and WebMD, all said that if you start the pills within 6 days of the start of your period, the pills are effective that first month. They advise that backup birth control be used for the first 6--7 days on the pill and then there is no reason to expect that it wouldn't be working at 99% effectiveness from that point
  • edited December 2011
    I just say it because I have read medication guides and pharmacology information from clinical databases with my pharmacist because I am an intern. This is widely reccomended in practice, and it is better to be safe! I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon.
  • edited December 2011
    I'm in the same boat as you. We are both waiting and I just had the conversation with my doctor. I dont know what I am going to do because if I work hard to lose the weight, why would I want to gain it all back from taking a pill. Idk what to do either.  :(
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