# Weight, Birth Control, Hormones



## Julia65 (Aug 7, 2012)

I haven't been "hanging out" around here for months (since last October). I've been too busy living life to the fullest!

I had my RAI in November and my scan came back clear, no more cancer!

Anyway, now I am having a weight loss question. When I was diagnosed with the cancer, I weighed 165lbs. I'm 5'6", so that is overweight for my height. Granted I was also about 10 months postpartum. After my surgery, weaning my baby, and starting on levo I got down to 155. In January, I decided to take a birth control pill. After the first kind I tried, I went back up to 165 in two weeks!!! I switched BC pills and over the last two months of working out 1 hour 6x per week, eating 1200-1500 calories per day, cutting out sugar, white flour, and processed foods, I am now back to 155. I have been stuck at 155 for several weeks now, in spite of my ongoing exercise and diet regimen. I would like to get to 135. It seems so impossible given my effort and meager results.

I feel like my metabolism is not functioning properly. My husband started eating healthier and exercising in December and has lost 30 pounds doing the same things I have been doing.

Should I switch BC again? Up my levo dose? (I'm getting my labs done today) Go off BC and try some other method? Keep doing what I am doing?

The weight is coming off, but veeeeeeery slowly and with great effort. I just want to give up. Is this just what it is like for life after a TT?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Sometimes BC interferes a bit with the absorption of your levo. See what your labs look like first and then reassess. You may need a bump up in meds.


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## Julia65 (Aug 7, 2012)

So, if I continue on the BC and just adjust my meds, I should be good? That's what I was hoping.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

That was my experience. I'm on a slightly higher dosage that one would expect...I attribute that to hormonal birth control use and an active lifestyle.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Julia65 said:


> So, if I continue on the BC and just adjust my meds, I should be good? That's what I was hoping.


Yes; by all means. And get a FREE T3 test done. Most of us can lose and/or maintain weight with TSH @ 1.0 or less and FREE T3 @ about 75% of the range provided by your lab.

Understanding the Thyroid: Why You Should Check Your Free T3
http://breakingmuscle.com/

Dr. Mercola (FREES)
http://www.mercola.com/article/hypothyroid/diagnosis_comp.htm

Free T3 and Free T4 are the only accurate measurement of the actual active thyroid hormone levels in the body. This is the hormone that is actually free and exerting effect on the cells. These are the thyroid hormones that count.

Let us know.


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## Julia65 (Aug 7, 2012)

Thanks Andros, I'll have to read those links. For some reason my endo doesn't test T3, so I'll ask him why.


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## Kumo (Mar 3, 2015)

Talk with your local OBGYN and explain the issues you're having. Every woman is going to react differently to every different hormonal based treatment, because our endocrine system (the system in your body that deals with different hormones) is incredibly complex, and every human body is different. A possible side effect for all hormonal based birth control is weight gain. If you're taking the mini pill, this is barely any extra hormones in your body (hence why you need to take it once a day, every day, between certain hours).

Now, different birth controls let out different amounts of hormones in your body. Most birth control methods put out about 35% extra hormones in your body, while the patch puts out about 65% extra hormones in your body. If you can afford to experiment a little bit, try different methods (depo shot, the patch, etc). Also, call your insurance agent to get a general price range (different insurance plans offer different rates). If you have a planned parenthood that's not too far away from you, get your birth control through them, since they can generally give you a nice price reduction (example: the arm implant from them I believe cost anywhere between 300-600 US dollars, the clinic I got it from cost about 800 US dollars and the insurance paid about 1000 dollars).

I have the nexplanon in my arm and LOVE it. I would have stayed with the patch prior to this, but I just couldn't afford to pay 120 US dollars per month for a month's supply :l ALSO! Sometimes, local OBGYN clinics give out free samples of birth control (that's why I tried the nuvaring, failed for me in the sense that physically, just couldn't get it to work right).

Another thing to keep in mind is that your body needs time to adjust to the extra hormones. Physically, I was ok to have unprotected sex after a week of my arm's implant, HOWEVER, it took my body a FULL YEAR to completely adjust to my implant. This means, my spotting was on/off and crazy during the first 1-5 months of it in.


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