Birth Control (Yasmin) and weight gain and complications
Let me give you a brief history before I begin. I had RNY gastric bypass in 2/04. I lost weight steadily through late 2005/early 2006 and then began re-gaining weight, slowly for the most part, but sometimes 10 pounds at a time for no reason.
I have been struggling over the past few years with weight gain, for no apparent reason. I've been following my diet (while not 100% certainly nothing to warrant the weight I've re-gained) and up until about 6 months ago (because of repetitive stress fractures) I was exercising at least 5 days a week for an hour a day. My body was not responding in the least to any form of exercise or diet, I was continuing to gain weight while exercising, it was beyond frustrating.
I've had some thyroid issues which have been diagnosed since my surgery and recently they've been under control (at least for the most part). I had my thyroid checked when I began having night sweats and migraines sometime in 2006. I had not had a migraine since before my surgery and had NEVER experienced night sweats before.
Over the past few weeks, I began hearing a lot more about the birth control pill Yasmin (my birth control) and side effects/problems it was causing for people. Last weekend, while busy painting my living room (I had nothing to do but think) I was still thinking about Yasmin and all of a sudden a light bulb went off. I began Yasmin in late 2005 or early 2006 and that is the time my weight began to creep back up. Was the Yasmin the cause of my weight gain??
I began to do some research, and while weight gain is not a common side effect it is a side effect that many people experience. There are also a lot of people who begin experiencing thyroid problems while on Yasmin. There are a ton of other side effects, many of which I was experiencing, but I was passing it off as stress or my period or whatever.
So now I am wondering if there are other people who have had WLS and have begun to regain weight are also on Yasmin and some other form of Birth Control? Is this something that could be causing an unanticipated complication? Could this tiny pill be causing me to feel like a failure and doubt myself? Could it be nullifying the wonderful process that I put myself through?
Any insights would be most welcome.
Michelle
It’s hard to believe that such a tiny piece of equipment can produce such big results… I’m talking about Mirena IUD. I had mine “installed" a year and a half ago after a long history of hormone problems. My symptoms seemed to disappear during the first year after gastric bypass surgery, but towards the end of my second year, began to show up again.
My gyn thought that this little piece of gadgetry would be a miracle solution. However, I believe that it has been more of a hindrance than anything over the past year. I know that each of us are different. I’m not going to tell you that Mirena is a terrible product. I don’t believe that. I just know that our bodies are all so unique, and what works for one might not be too beneficial for another.
The other day, while doing research on hysterectomy procedures, I came across a website that I found shortly after having Mirena put in. I will be honest that at the time, I shrugged it off as I was not having problems to the extent of these ladies. They were discussing the horrible side effects of Mirena such as: PMS, anxiety, depression, hot flashes, constipation, memory problems, migraines, lack of sex drive, fatigue, nausea, food cravings during certain times of the month while food aversions during other times, dizziness, sleep disturbance, cysts on the ovaries, and WEIGHT GAIN. The list does not stop there! Again, I didn’t think my symptoms were THAT extreme.
But, in April I was seeking medical treatment from my gynecologist and also received a second opinion. I also considered BHRT (bio-identical hormone replacement therapy) and consulted with a compounding pharmacist whi*****luded taking a saliva test. I even started taking all kinds of supplements suggested by the book “The Hormone Survival Guide to Perimenopause" by Nisha Jackson (which is a great book). The compounding pharmacist’s piece of advice: GET THE MIRENA OUT! The consulting gyn stated that I was NOT going through perimenopause, and that the Mirena was still the best choice for my type of hormone issues. But, also said that the symptoms I was experiencing was because Mirena CAN mimic perimenopausal symptoms.
I came to terms that what I was experiencing was just part of “being or becoming healthy". But can I admit that it was very taxing on my nerves to watch my body experience the changes? I had to force myself to accept the weight gain (it jacked up about 10 pounds the first month that Mirena was put in). My weight used to be 118-119 on average. Now, it stays about 130-135. I can’t seem to break 130 for NOTHING! I started jogging, working ou****ching every calorie, upping my protein intake, taking in more fluids… but still, 129 was not a number that my body wanted to hit.
Believe it or not, my quest for finding a solution to my problems have nothing to do with weight. I have come to the conclusion that there is more to life than the number on the scale. It also has to do with mental health, with being able to cope with problems, with being physically healthy and feeling good. After all, what good is it if I weigh 110 lbs but am as crazy as a bed bug? Or, feel like crap every single day of my life? I embraced the Mirena even with its possible side effects because I thought it would help cure or control the hormone imbalances. Unfortunately, I’ve come to find that it has contributed to, and not helped, my health condition.
I’m scheduled for removal on January 5th and will be logging my journies. I am very hopeful that symptoms will begin to dissipate shortly after. However, I know that it is just a first step. I still have to try to find another alternative to help the underlying issues that have always been part of my hormone problems.
I wanted to add one more thing. These past few months have been so taxing on my nerves. Seems like 3 out of 4 weeks have been stressful (instead of your normal PMS where only 1 week out of the month is bad). I can tell I’m feeling a little better right now because of my desire to spend time on my website, blogging, updating the templates, etc. For awhile, I just didn’t want to work on it. The things that I love to do fell to the way side as depression slowly set in. Stay tuned for updates.
