Research finds no evidence that oral contraceptives cause weight gain

Many women are discouraged from using oral contraceptives because of
concerns about gaining weight. But a new review of 39 clinical trials
provides no scientific proof that oral contraceptives containing the
hormones estrogen and progestin cause an increase in weight.

The review was limited to randomized controlled trials, the "gold standard"
of trial designs for reducing the potential for bias. Two of the trials
compared weight changes in women taking oral contraceptives with weight
changes in women taking placebos. Neither trial showed an association
between oral contraceptives and weight gain. The remaining 37 trials
compared weight changes between women taking different oral contraceptive
regimens. While weight changes varied among women over at least three cycles
of treatment, overall differences between groups were minimal. The largest
difference in weight change between groups was less than five pounds.

"It is very reassuring news," says coauthor Dr. David Grimes of Family
Health International, where the review was conducted. "A widely held myth
suggests that oral contraceptives cause weight gain, but the answer as best
we can tell is they do not," he says. To read more, see
http://www.fhi.org/en/gen/releases/newsrel8.html
<http://www.fhi.org/en/gen/releases/newsrel8.html> .


David Hock
Senior Information Projects Coordinator
Family Health International
e-mail: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>

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