AFRO-NETS> Oral Contraceptives and Weight Gain

[David Hock <DHock@fhi.org>]

Oral Contraceptives and Weight Gain
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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 contracep-
tives 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 differ-
ences between groups were minimal. The largest difference in weight 
change between groups was less than five pounds.

"It is very reassuring news," says co-author Dr. David Grimes of Fam-
ily 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

--
David Hock
Senior Information Projects Coordinator
Family Health International
mailto:dhock@fhi.org
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