Pill Problems, Real and Imagined
Worth a read: “Baby Fat: Do birth control pills make women gain weight?” One particular point of interest in Christie Aschwanden’s Slate post is the “nocebo” effect—where people experience a side effect because they are expecting to, not because their medication caused a physical reaction.
Our providers have addressed the weight gain question and several other nasty rumors about the pill—namely that it causes depression and can cause you to choose the wrong guy. In a nutshell, they’re skeptical—the pill has been around for over 50 years and has been the subject of a fair amount of research, little of which has supported the most common claims against it.
That said, every body is different and what works for one person may not work for another. Fortunately, there are a lot of pills to choose from and, if you want to branch out beyond the pill, there are even more options.
So if you’re feeling fat, moody, or not in the mood and think it could be related to your birth control, it might be time to try something new. The important thing is not to give up on birth control because of a bad experience. And remember, pregnancy has its own side effects…
