About Provera And Weight

Provera And Weight

Top Questions and Answers

How does Depo-Provera cause weight gain? I hear that up to 70 or 80 percent of women gain at least 5-10 pounds. What causes the weight gain? Is it metabolic or appetite related, or both? What determines if you will gain weight or not?

G'n'R Rocks replied: "I've heard that it's definitely appetite-related. A few friends were eating aboslutely everything while on that shot."

Kennedy H replied: "While everyone body reacts differently Depo-Provera injections can result in weight gain as the hormone used increases appetite. I gain between 5-10lb while i was on it. That is why i stopped using it."

Aria M replied: "i gained about 25 lbs on it but i was on it for 5 yrs. i truely believe if you workout and eat healthy (like the average person should) you will not gain weight, i eat crap and i think the shot made me a little hungrier.. it CAN make you gain 5 lbs a year,, nothing you cant combat yourself. 5 lbs vs not getting your period.... i think the shot is worth it. take a calcium supplement daily on it though"

How high is the risk of weight gain whilst on the depo provera? I have been on the depo provera for nearly 5 years and I haven't noticed any unusual weight gain... Should I expect to gain weight if I stay on it? What about if I go off the depo? Will I gain weight then? Also, I haven't had a period for this time. Is this going to do any long-term damage to my reproductive system?

danadeville replied: "I've been on depo for three years and have gained 10 pounds. Not all that bad. I think if we were going to gain it would have been already. I was on depo for a while about 8 years ago and I didn't gain then either. Even when I went off of it. I don't know about any long term damage to the reproductive system. I'm not really concerned about that."

wowaholic replied: "i took the shot one time. i didn't like it too much lol i only gained about 10 pounds*thats not why i got off it though*. but anyways! about the long term damage.. i dont think there is any.. a friend of mine was on it for like 8 years and she got off it and was pregnant not 5 months later. so i dont think its a thing that really messes you up. b/c if that were the case i wouldnt think she could have gotten pregnant. i hope i helped!"

Melony replied: "I was on the depo for a few years and didn't have a period, when I got off it my periods came back. I gained a lot of weight on it though, like 25 pounds. I went from 120 to 145 and then kept gaining weight on it so I got off it. When I got off it I was able to lose the weight with a lot of exercise. It causes bone marrowing too, its not good for your health in the long run, and their is no physical need to have a period but it's good to have one because it cleans your system out. I like having mine and for some people it's a sign of reassurance. I'd get off it and use the female condom or regular condom. It's safer."

How do i lose weight on depo provera? Ok, I gained a lot of pounds on this shot and now weigh 191 and I'm trying to lose weight without having to use another birth control method. I can't walk or run because my feet are messed up. Any tips that don't include getting on other birth control method????

Eileen replied: "The pattern for losing those excess pounds is simple - consume less food and workout more often - the difficulties arise when we actually try to put that into operation! There are a lot of stumbling blocks in the big wide world don't you think?! The only method that definitely delivered for me is green tea, it can be viewed in the resource box underneath, they have a limited number of free trials in stock, it was featured in Fox News and USA Today. I shed twenty pounds, it definitely does produce results!"

Imaka replied: "Weight loss is an overall process and there are no magic answers. Pay no attention to weight loss supplements and pills and all the latest fads. You need to think about many factors but most of them are related to issues we've known about for a very long time. There are many sensible things you can do that will make a tremendous difference over the long term if you need to lose weight. It can be done in a healthy way. This is what has worked for me. Keeping a food journal really does help. It will give you a much better sense of how much you are eating, and when, and why. Make a few additional small changes - walk everywhere, always use stairs instead of elevators, walk on escalators, get up and move around at least once an hour if your work or your life in general is sedentary, walk every day, use a pedometer. Walking 10,000 steps a day is a really good idea. Build up to a long brisk walk everyday, or most days. Be more active and watch less TV and spend less time on the computer. Buy one piece of exercise equipment to have at home and be strict with yourself about using it. Sometimes you can find mini-steppers or exercise bikes at second hand stores and thrift stores for just a few dollars. Start a weight lifting routine. Join a gym. Possibly you can find one that has someone who specializes in weight lifting programs for beginners. Weight lifting will increase your metabolism as well as improve posture and appearance overall. Even if you can't get to the gym you can work out at home using things around the house. Invest in a good weight training book. The Dummies series actually has a good one. In terms of diet, cut out or reduce things like junk food, pop, fat, fast food. Eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, fish. Particularly if you choose a vegetarian lifestyle include natural peanut butter, hummus, dried fruit and nuts. Pay close attention to getting the nutrients your body needs to be healthy. Make your portion sizes smaller. Use a smaller plate - in our society we have become accustomed to thinking that we need a large plate of food at every meal, and we don't. About quarter of your plate of food should be protein and at least half of it should be veggies. Learn to count calories. At your current weight and activity level, you may possibly need about 2000 calories or more to maintain your current weight. So you will lose weight at a reasonable and healthy rate if you cut back to about 1600 or 1700 calories a day. Eat small amounts frequently, rather than three large meals. Never skip breakfast. Include some protein in your breakfast. It will help get you through the day. Drink plenty of water, at least 8 big glasses of water a day, and more if it is very hot, if you sweat a lot, or if you are exercising intensely, and eliminate fruit juices. Fruit juices have too many calories, so get your vitamins from fresh fruit, not the juice. You will begin to see changes in your body. Vary your routines. Don't eat the same number of calories every day (vary your calories from 1400 a day to 1900 or 2000 some days), eat a variety of foods, and do different kinds and amounts of exercise. You will lose weight much more efficiently if you mix things up from time to time so that your body doesn't adjust to any one routine. An area that many people overlook is getting enough sleep. You are much more likely to overeat or to binge eat if you are tired and not well rested, so get enough sleep. Check out websites about nutrition, exercise, weight training, etc. Here are a few helpful links. "

Ladies who have been on depo provera and gained weight? Did you gain the weight because of the increase in appetite or did you gain it even though you worked out and ate the same amount of food that you did before you started depo? Women are always saying that they "gained a lot of weight" and I want to know if any of this was contributed to their own eating habits, or if the shot really does just make you get fatter. Thanks! Hey Dorian thanks for your snotty response. I'm going to have to give that a thumbs down, asshole.

Brandy A replied: "i've been on Depo for over 5 years, an i have not gained weight. My appetite did not increase, and i acutally feel better when i'm on it."

molly replied: "i was on it for almost 5 years and gained like 23 pounds. i didnt change my eating habbits. if you read the side effects, gaining weight is one of them, at the average of like 4.5 lbs a year. so i stopped the shot before i gained any more"

Dorian Gray replied: "irreguardless, i would dump you either way if you gained more than 2lbs"

If you gained weight on Depo Provera, and then stopped taking it.. did that weight come off easily? I'm not going to get my next injection due to a 15lb increase in about a month and a week. I have not done anything different in my eating or exercise habits so it had to have been the shot. My question is, when you stopped taking the shot, did the weight come off easily or are you still struggling with it? Thanks!

Jess Pickup replied: "I put on about 10 pounds, It did come off easily after I stopped getting it, but It's worthwile having protection. Maybe you could just do a little exercise and watch your food? But whatever makes you happy. Alot of the excess weight is water weight so It should come off easily for you too. Good luck."

Can I start to lose weight after getting off the depo provera shot? I work hard and don't shed the pounds! I was on the dep provera shot for five years. The last two years I gain a very noticable amount of weight! I desided just one month ago to get off from the depo shot and onto the pill. I'm 21 and working hard, when will I go back to my normal size? HELP!

Neno B replied: "It can be done, but you will really have to work at it. Depending on several factors it could take a while however."

Megita replied: "The first thing you have to do is watch what you are eating, eat 6 times a day small portions, I love to use bee pollen because it is a natural protein complete food that works like a charm, I lost 60 pounds and it has stayed off you can research and read more articles on a site and learn how you to can loose the weight health and have it stay off."

corpshealth replied: "Hun, I am on my way to losing 60 pounds and I have already lost 20 in my first month and a half! I want to look good for when my husband comes home from Iraq in April and even lose a lot before a trip to Dallas in Feb. I don't spend any more money on this plan than I did on my grocery bills. I take my vitamins and supplement pills, eat a slice of choc pie for breakfast and then a fruit smoothie for lunch and have whatever I want for dinner...and I hate exercise so its not for me! I love how I feel and for the first time I found a diet that works! the website is and I am so thrilled with my weightloss that I am now a distributor myself! Let me know if I can help you they way my weightloss coach (and best friend) has helped me! Good Luck! ~JoAnn"

Why does the birth control shot (depo provera) makes you gain weight? I got the shot about 3 months ago and have gained probably 10+ lbs. My doctor told me that weight gain was a side effects but I don't think I have been eating more. Anyway I am defiantly not getting the shot again. Does anyone know why it makes you gain weight?

Julia H replied: "Not sure :("

brokenboy07 replied: "nothing helps birth control like putting on weight!"

carbefangirl replied: "well, you just told us your answer. it's a side effect."

Pickled Emerald replied: "Because it tricks your body into thinking you're pregnant so that it doesn't release an egg. Obviously when you're pregnant, your body will retain more fat from your food for the baby."

Eliza replied: "i believe it has something to do with water retention which adds pounds. not sure why it makes you retain water though."

Victoria replied: "Birth control puts hormones into your body to trick it into thinking you're pregnant."

spaghettiarms replied: "HORMONES baby. Hormones. I have an IUD."

Amber replied: "Maybe the shot didn't work and now you're prego. ;)"

ez80227 replied: "most female birth control invovles hormones which trick the body into thinking it's either already pregnant so as to not release and agg, or that it's already released an egg. in both cases, your body needs to prepare to support the new life, by gaining weight... also, a IUD is painful for the man... it's like a needle in the end of his penis."

Kissesz -- replied: "It does alot of people but everyones body is diffrent. i would stop the shot and try another method if you don't like the weight gain."

savannahp replied: "any kind of birth control pill or w/e that stops you from having ur period makes ur body basically simulate pregnancy. your body thinks its pregnant so you stop having ur period and ur body stores up more weight and fat to feed and nourist the baby and keep you both healthy. but since there is no baby then nothing is eating up the fat or burning the energy...so u gain weight...which is why i will never go on birth control"

. replied: "its doesnt. i lost weight on it. ive had it for 2 years lost 24 pounds,"

Sarah replied: "it tricks your body into thinking your pregnant [thats why you wont get a period] which then tell your body that you need to put on weight or eat more you may not notice it until you gain the weight though it sucks but most birth control has weight gain as a side affect bc it tricks your body to thinking ur pregnant -sarah"

ilyy replied: "it started making me fat too i stopped getting the shot and used the pill. Now im 5 months pregnant. "Life's Great" !"

Brian replied: "Most birth control causes weight gain. Most methods of birth control work off of the concept that it tricks your body into thinking that you are already pregnant. if your body thinks that you are already pregnant then you don't need to drop more eggs. If you body thinks it is pregnant then its natural goal is to gain weight to help provide for the baby's needs. The shot typically causes more weight gain due to the fact that it is a more concentrated dose of the birth control drug vs the pill that is lower dosage but more frequent."

where on your body did you gain most weight while on depo provera? i weigh 110 and im about to get on the shot when my next period comes. Im afraid of excessive weight gain or even weight loss. Do people gain more weight than they lose weight while on it? or is it the other way around? Is there more chances i'd gain weight or lose weight while on it? Please help!

RetroChick replied: "Everyone reacts differently to Depo. I also heard horror stories from people while using it about weight gain, excessive bleeding and periods being gone for a year or 2 after stopping and trouble conceiving after wards too. I really did not experience any of those side effects. I stayed a steady weight throughout my use (I was actually able to lose weight while on it), did not have excessive bleeding, period was gone once I hit my second shot and once I stopped, my period took about 7 months to come back and about 6 weeks after that to normalize. I think if you really watch what you eat and pay attention to what you are putting in your mouth, you wont have the weight gain issue. As far as the period issues go, it's a game of russian roulette with Depo....you never know what you are going to get nor what you will get with the time frame of conceiving after wards. Oh by the way, I am about 125lbs...."

Rachel replied: "I started taking depo when I was 17 and stayed on it for about two years. After the second shot my period disappeared all together. I lost about 3 dress sizes while on it (i was pretty heavy to begin with so the weight loss was good). It took about six months to get a period again after I stopped the injections. I was on a normal cylce well within a year. I didn't have any bad side effects from it, but some people do. You can experience excessive bleeding and weight gain. I've never really heard anyone complain about excessive weight loss. The big problem is that if you do have a negative side effect, like the excessive bleeding, it takes at least three months for it to stop. Its not like the pill, where you just stop taking it. The hormone stays in your system for a while. I had to use the shot because I cannot take the pill without the risk of a stroke. I recently started the injection again. I was about to get married and wanted to have baby-safe sex without condoms. Before getting married I was eating very healthy and going to the gym five days a week. Since getting married I have gained 20lbs. My doc asked if I thought it was from the depo. I quickly replied, "No... its form the fact that I have only been to the gym once in the last 3 months and I've been eating pasta with alfredo sauce (work at olive garden) most nights." Not all wieght gain can be blamed on birthcontrol. I gained weight cause I've been eating a lot and not working out at all. If you keep to a normal diet and exercise program, you shouldn't ahve any problem with depo. Everything within moderation. I hope this form of bc works for you. I love it. I love not having a period. I love only having to worry about getting it once every three months. Every now and then my husband has me take a prego test to to fix his worries due to me not having a period. But I usually giggle as I pee on the silly stick to make him feel better."

danadeville replied: "I've been on it for three years and have only gained 10 pounds. I really don't think it's the depo that made me gain either. I've just been lazy and not caring. I've heard awful stories about depo. I've had none of the awful side effects. I have had no period since my first shot. Three years without a period is a bonus, not a side effect."

What causes weight gain more, depo-provera or prozac? Since the start of these drugs in a 5 month period I've gained 8 lbs though I exercise 1 hour on weekdays daily. I weigh 156 and 5'3.

Libby replied: "Often times Prozac will make people lose weight. That happened to me. I was able to eat like a bird and not notice. I've never used Depo-Provera but birth control is notorious for weight gain because of the hormonal change. I would guess the Depo-Provera might be to blame."

SCR1717 replied: "I am on Prozac and have lost weight."

Stopping Depo-Provera - weight gain, period? I used Depo-Provera for over 9 years, during which time I did not have periods. I started experiencing an increase in side effects, so along with my Dr., decided to stopped getting the shots. I have been "depo-free" for a little over 2 months now, and have experience a weight gain of about 10lbs and have not had any indication of a period yet. Has anyone else gone off the shot and what did you experience??

Terri replied: "I never gained off the shot, I gained ON the shot. I've been depo-free for 1 1/2 years now and my weight is slowly coming off with diet and working out. After depo I immediately went on Kariva (pill) and got my period back in three pill packs/months. Without pills it can take up to or over a year for periods to come back, especially since you've taken it for over 9 years (WOW!). Have you gotten a bone density check done yet? I hear you need that done after five years."

ghristho replied: "I stopped depo about 9 months ago due to side affects too. I did experience a small amount of weight gain, but i was gaining weight all the time that i was on depo anyway (about 2-3 years) It took about 4 months for my period cycle to resume and 6-7 months for my appetite to return to what it was before, it was a very slow process for all my symptoms to disappear, but now after 9 months i believe i am finally completely free of them."

sexy replied: "i was on the depo for 2 yrs in that time i had no period also it took about 7-8 months to get my period back i gained about 35 pounds (crazy) but the weights is coming down, give it about another month to see how ur body reacts to being off the shot then go to ur doc maybe he can give u something to start ur period back"