You are very frustrated after seeing yourself gain weight again. You have no idea what has gone wrong; you have tried every fast weight loss solution, followed every pounds shedding system and used every weight loss aid available.
Do you think your obesity has got to do with this popular contraceptive choice – DMPA birth control shot?
According to a recent study published in the current issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, the birth control shot does cause significant weight gain and body fat.
Dr. Abbey Berenson and her colleagues at the University of Texas Medical Branch, found that women who used the contraceptive gained an average of 11 pounds and increased their body fat by 3.4 percent over three years.
After the women switched to a nonhormonal contraceptive they began to slowly lose the weight and fat they gained.
But women who switched to oral contraceptives after the shots gained an average of 4 more pounds over the next two years.
The study included 703 women.
The birth shot, also known by the brand name Depo-Provera, is a popular contraceptive choice among 2 million American women, including 400,000 teenagers.
The shot is composed of the drug depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, or DMPA, which is administered once every three months to halt ovulation.
Its advantages are the infrequent administration, along with the fact that it’s inexpensive and has a low failure rate.
So, if you are a DMPA user, you are more than twice as likely as women using nonhormonal birth control to become overweight over the next three years.
