Contraceptive pill and body fat distribution page

[Nibbler]

Hi,
May be a case of TMI here, so be warned, but I need some advice.
I have been on the combined pill for nearly 12 years now. I have what's called cervical erosion which is likely caused by the pill. It's not life threatening it's just irritating. Here's a link to explain it: Cervical ectropion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I had my cervix cauterised about 4 years ago but the erosion came back. The only side affect I have is post coital bleeding, which lasts for a very very long time, weeks sometimes. My smears are perfectly healthy, there's nothing else wrong with me. The only pill I get on with (e.g. doesn't make me mental!) is Marvelon: Ethinylestradiol 30 micrograms, desogestrel 150 micrograms or equivalent brand like Gedarel.
I looked into using a diaphragm but I hated it and actually couldn't get it out! My doctor had to retrieve it! I might try again. If I come off the pill, and I know I do not want any other form of hormonal contraceptive, and I cannot use the coil because of my history of cervical erosion. So condoms are probably the only solution.

All this aside, I want to talk about my figure. I am pear shape. Trouble is, as I started taking the pill when I was 16 for acne and cramps, I have no idea what I might look like as a 27 year old woman without it. This frightens me! I am scared of how my body may change. I have read on here and other places that estrogen is linked with acculmulation of thigh fat. I have cellulite also, which practically vanished when I came off the pill for a few weeks about 3 years ago. You know what else I'm scared of? Losing my boobs. I guess if I lose weight evenly that's OK / good, but I don't want to lose my boobs and be stuck with the chunky thighs.
Can anyone relate? Has anyone seen their fat distribution change when coming off the pill? Did you lose your boobs, or cellulite?
Thanks in advance.

[KimInGA]

I will be 31 next month and I've been on the pill since I was 18. For most of that time I've been on one of the 4-periods-a-year ones, like Seasonique. I'm currently trying LoSeasonique with 2/3 the hormones of regular, in an attempt to decrease the amount of artificial hormones I'm taking. However I'm seeing some annoying breakthrough bleeding so I'm not sure it's going to work.

I too have a pear shape and wonder how my body shape would change if I was to go off the pill entirely. Not just that, but I've had some bad insomnia for the past 10 years and I wonder if it is related to the pill at all. I don't want to switch to an IUD because if we do decide to have kids it will have to be in the next 2-3 years.

Anyone have more experience with diaphragms? I would really like to get one of those fertility monitors (I've heard people mention the Lady Comp) and then use a backup during the fertile times ... like maybe a diaphragm? I don't know what to expect with one though. Is it anything like using a condom? Because I HATE those, the artificial material just hurts. Any advice/experience would be great to hear!!

[Nibbler]

KimInGA, when I went to get my diaphragm fitted (you have to be internally measured) the problem I had with it was that it fits by springing behind the pubic bone to form a seal (like a drum skin) at an angle, to get it out you have to hook it down from behind the bulge of your pubic bone using your finger tip, but I just couldn't get a grip on it. You can't snag it from the side because it forms a seal like a vacuum. I am very uncomfortable with internal exams or any form of medical rummaging down there so I might just have been too tense and hence it was squeezed in pretty tight. Who knows.

[AyaPapaya]

Pfff...TMI

I decided to get off birth control a couple years ago. I had also been on it since my late teens because of an irregular cycle, but since getting into my mid-20s I was finding myself very moody, over-emotional, and was having to work REALLY hard to lose any weight.
I figured it would just be better/healthier to get off all the hormones and see if my body could regulate itself and I could feel more 'normal'. I was definitely worried too! I mean, there was the possibility that without birth control I could gain weight PLUS be even more of a raving lunatic than before!

But, I tried it...and I'm so glad I did. I am so much more mellow and calm these days, and while I still cry at the random sad movie, I am no longer bursting into tears for ten minutes every time one of those animal rescue commercials comes on.
I am pear-shaped as well, with all my weight in my thighs and booty. When I got off the pill, I noticed absolutely no change in weight. Condoms are totally annoying in comparison, but worth it.

If I hadn't decided to try this experiment, I would have never realized that I had PCOS. If I hadn't found out about that, I wouldn't have come across this site while looking for non-medicinal answers, and I wouldn't have been able to modify my WOE that would allow my body to heal. And I am positive I wouldn't be 6 months pregnant now, without that healing process!

So, long story short - and based on nothing but my own experiences - I say try your luck without it. Other forms of contraception are definitely less convenient, but if you see no adverse reactions to your weight - and the bleeding and any other complications could go away, you might feel like it's worth it.

If you experiment for a while and find there is no benefit, you can always get back on the pill!

[billp]

Nibbler, that reads like you are getting some nasty side effects from long term pill usage. So stop! There are other ways of preventing conception if that is what you want. Plus 27 is a great age to have kids, if that is what you want. Fertility, especially for women without children, starts declining from about 30 onwards.

[Leida]

I too have a pear shape and wonder how my body shape would change if I was to go off the pill entirely. Not just that, but I've had some bad insomnia for the past 10 years and I wonder if it is related to the pill at all.

I am on Seasonale too, and have a bad insomnia. Is there a link established between BCP and insomnia? I would get off the pill in a flash, but I am 37, and do not want to get pregnant.

I had terrible time ttc first time, took over 2 years, but the Murphy's Law will get a bun in the oven in a hurry if you do not want to, I bet. I would just lose my mind trying the 'natural' BC, seeing my experiences with the ttc, all the irregular periods, missed miscarriage and all that, and with condoms, erm, it doesn't work on my hubby's side.

The only solution I see is my husband having a surgery. We are both getting old, and do not want any more children, so maybe it makes sense for us to go this way and leave out our golden years without worrying about those "late bloom" accidents women tend to have in their early forties?

[ProtoAlex]

I definitely cannot speak from personal experience or even secondary experience as most of my girlfriends have not been on the pill. However body size ratios do vary scientifically from women on the pill to off it. Strippers on the pill consistently make less tip money than strippers off the pill no matter what phase of fertility the one's off the pill are in. There are slight shifts in distribution during the fertility phase in women normally that influence male attraction however while on the pill it basically sets your body into the "least interesting" configuration nonstop due to the hormonal changes.

[KimInGA]

I am on Seasonale too, and have bad insomnia. Is there a link established between BCP and insomnia?

I would get off the pill in a flash, but I am 37, and do not want to get pregnant. I had terrible time ttc first time, took over 2 years, but the Murphy's Law will get a bun in the oven in a hurry if you do not want to, I bet. I would just lose my mind trying the 'natural' BC, seeing my experiences with the ttc, irregular periods and all that, and with condoms, erm, it doesn't work on my hubby's side.

I did some googling and did find a fair amount of hits on birth control pills and insomnia. I have tried several doctors (since it's been a problem for ~10 years), explaining that it feels like my day/night hormones are out-of-whack, but they all ignore that and either offer prescriptions for Ambien or else do nothing. I'm following all the "rules" - - consistent bedtime, no caffeine, minimal light/TV before bed, blackout curtains, all that - - so I really feel like the problem must be elsewhere. Then one day it hit me, duh, I'm feeling like it's a hormonal problem and I've been taking hormones every day of my life for 13 years! Yes they're different than the ones that regulate sleep, but surely there are interactions. I read that the hormones in birth control aren't the same as the real estrogen and progesterone our bodies produce, so the mechanism our bodies have for "cleaning up the excess" that's floating around doesn't work. I read that it's common knowledge that taking the BCP can cause elevated cortisol levels. For me, insomnia takes the form of feeling extremely physically tired but at the same time feeling like there's "something" in my bloodstream keeping me awake. I read a description of it that called it "tired and wired" and that's like a perfect description!! Is it the same for you?

Also I am in the same boat regarding condoms ... both me and my hubby hate them. Me because they hurt, him because he can't feel anything. So ... not gonna happen. All I can think of is maybe Lady Comp + diaphragm or sponge?? I really want to find something that will allow me to get off the pill b/c I'm worried that if/when we do decide to have kids it will take a LONG time for my cycle to get back to normal, after 13 years on the pill ...

[Nibbler]

Nibbler, that reads like you are getting some nasty side effects from long term pill usage. So stop! There are other ways of preventing conception if that is what you want. Plus 27 is a great age to have kids, if that is what you want. Fertility, especially for women without children, starts declining from about 30 onwards.

No thanks!! Not on the agenda for me: studying, renting, not married (and I judge NO ONE else, I simply would prefer to be, personally, if possible), not broody.

[Nibbler]

I definitely cannot speak from personal experience or even secondary experience as most of my girlfriends have not been on the pill. However body size ratios do vary scientifically from women on the pill to off it. Strippers on the pill consistently make less tip money than strippers off the pill no matter what phase of fertility the one's off the pill are in. There are slight shifts in distribution during the fertility phase in women normally that influence male attraction however while on the pill it basically sets your body into the "least interesting" configuration nonstop due to the hormonal changes.

That's interesting; can you point me to a study?