Kariva and Weight Gain: What Users Say

• ABa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 23, 2013

For Birth Control "I was on Kariva for about 6 months and gained about 15 pounds. It regulated my period just fine, but I had to go up like 2 pants sizes and had to buy all new bras. I used to be a size 0-3 (depending on the brand, usually around a 2 though) but went up to a 5-7 on Kariva. Once I switched to Apri, my breasts stayed about the same size, but I lost all of that bloated water weight that I had on Kariva. On Kariva, I was so bloated every single day and it was miserable. I was all squishy and plump, and considering I gained all of my weight on my stomach, wearing anything other than sweatpants felt horrible. DO NOT RECOMMEND."

• MEC...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 9, 2013

For Birth Control "I was prescribed Kariva after another birth control became too expensive. I was afraid to try it out since there were so many negative reviews, but I am happy to say that this is a magical little pill (so far). I have not experienced any weight gain, moodiness, or low libido. My acne cleared up (I'm 27 and have always battled with acne) for the most part. The only drawback is some mild discharge, but nothing to worry about. I LOVE this pill!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 19, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on Kariva for a month now after switching from Loestrin (which gave me insane mood swings and heavy discharge). My skin is good, periods are light, cramping is limited, and mood is normal. But my boobs have gotten bigger, and I do notice that I have gained some weight in my upper thighs and hips."

• Abc...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 1, 2021

For Birth Control "I was on Kariva for a year and 4 months. I switched to it due to unwanted side effects of an IUD. Some pros of Kariva are that it’s super reliable (never had a pregnancy scare), and it did lighten my period. The negatives far outweighed the positives, though. The cons were: extremely low sex drive, dryness, extreme weight gain, and increased anxiety the week before my period. I love the effectiveness of this pill but can’t stand the side effects. Switching soon and can’t wait."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 5, 2012

For Birth Control "I started taking Kariva when Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo became too expensive for me. I have been on Kariva for the past 4 years. Positives: predictable 5-day periods, no acne, fewer mood swings. Negatives: weight gain (20 pounds), no libido whatsoever. I was able to deal with the side effects for 4 years (my poor boyfriend), and now I've had enough. I've stopped taking it, immediately lost 5 pounds, have a great libido again, and find it easy to track my period with the P-Tracker app."

• Ick...
• January 23, 2019

For Birth Control "DO NOT TAKE. The hormonal rage, hot flashes, weight gain, mood swings, night sweats, insomnia, THAT'S JUST TO NAME A FEW side effects. We won’t even address the hemorrhoids, breast pain, vision problems. I’d rather be pregnant."

• Anonymous
• October 29, 2011

For Birth Control "My doctor suggested Kariva to me because I was previously on Ortho Tri-Cyclen (which made me extremely moody/emotional) and more recently Lo-Estrin (which gave me no sex drive whatsoever and made me completely emotionless). I was anxious to find a happy medium after going from one extreme to the other. I've been on Kariva for three months now. I've never been one to have any type of headaches of any kind, and after being on Kariva I experience headaches multiple times a day. I'm extremely tired all the time and I've gained weight in my breasts (I'm naturally a D and I've gone up to a large DD). No sex drive, extreme mood swings, acne, and increased appetite. I can't wait to get off this pill. Look for other options before taking Kariva."

• Anonymous
• October 6, 2011

For Birth Control "I have been taking Kariva for about 8 months, and so far I love it. My skin has cleared up, I have less cramps and far less moodiness before my period. Also, my periods are usually only about 3 days long when they used to be almost a week. I love this birth control! Also, I haven't gotten pregnant yet, which is a huge plus. The only negative is I have gained about 15 pounds since starting Kariva (much of which went straight to my breasts). This weight gain could, however, be from the stress of college and a new boyfriend. Also, the first month I took the pill, I would get incredibly nauseous every day around 8 or 9 pm, but thankfully that subsided. Occasionally, I will get this way on the first pill of a new pack, but it is bearable. Overall, love it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 11, 2017

For Birth Control "I have taken Kariva for about 6 months, and my boobs have gone from an A cup to a D cup, which is alarming. I have pregnancy-like symptoms very often, but I'm not pregnant. Overall, this birth control made me extremely moody and gain crazy weight."

• Jil...
• November 11, 2011

"This pill was AMAZING. I was on it for three months, no spotting or breakthrough bleeding even if I forgot my pill. I gained a little weight the first month, but it was only about 2 lbs and dropped it by next month. I was underweight, so it didn't bother me. I didn't break out, my mood overall improved, no or very little cramps, nothing some Midol couldn't fix. Which was why I went on the pill in the first place. My period came the same time every month, and I went up about 1 cup size. The only reason I switched was because my mood swings on the placebo week were ridiculous, but that's how I was before the pill, so I don't think Kariva made me like that. Great pill, I highly recommend it!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 28, 2016

For Birth Control "I have been on Kariva for about 3 years now. I originally went on the pill for my severe cramps and heavy bleeding. After one month, my acne cleared up, my period got much shorter, and my cramps were less intense. However, I have gained 20 pounds and a full cup size since being on the pill. In addition, I have absolutely no sex drive and a lot of dryness. Though I have experienced anxiety before taking the pill, it has gotten much worse since being on it. My PMS is much more severe as well."

• Boa...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• February 1, 2016

For Birth Control "I have been extremely happy with this birth control. After about 3 years on this bc, I had to switch pharmacies, and my new pharmacy switched me to Viorele, which led to my absolute worst experience with birth control. I had headaches, felt fatigued, experienced a heavier period with more cramping, and gained weight. Finally, I realized that even though Kariva and Viorele should be the same, they, in fact, are not! Once I switched to a new pharmacy that would specifically fill Kariva, I lost 10 pounds in about 2 months, and all the other side effects from the Viorele disappeared. After a year of consistently being on Kariva, my pharmacy just switched to Pimtrea, which really upsets me that they can't be consistent with Kariva."

• Anonymous
• February 24, 2011

For Birth Control "I used Kariva for three months and have been off it now for two weeks due to insurance problems. It did not cause me any weight gain. My periods, which were usually 7-8 days, were down to 4-5 days, and the bleeding was lighter. Also, much less cramping and feelings of nausea during my period. I didn't notice until after I stopped taking the pills, but they definitely lower your sex drive. You will still enjoy sexual activity, but just not crave it as much as you usually would. Other than that, I haven't had any other problems with this pill. I used it as the only form of birth control, and it prevented pregnancy even in the first month."

• Anonymous
• March 20, 2012

"Literally, the only good thing Kariva did was prevent pregnancy and clear up my acne. I'm 18, and it's the first birth control I've ever tried. Within the second week of taking it, I had a lower sex drive, I gained weight, and I couldn't get wet no matter what I did. Also, my periods were never bad to begin with, but on this pill, they were so heavy for 7 days. I had extreme cramping, was always tired, and had shooting pain through my anus every time I would sit down on the toilet. I've been off this for 3 weeks now, and everything is completely back to normal."

• Anonymous
• November 17, 2009

For Birth Control "I've been on Kariva for 5 months now and am looking to switch. I get my period the third week of pills for several days, and then again the fourth week as a full period. Both sets of periods I get come with cramps, bloating (and several pounds of weight gain, which disappears once my period is over), and moodiness. When I asked my doctor to switch initially, she suggested I wait several months, as sometimes these effects subside, but mine have not."

• Sta...
• July 18, 2016

For Birth Control "Kariva definitely had its ups and downs for me, but the downs were so horrible I had to go off. Pros: I never got pregnant. I stopped getting cystic acne on my chin, and my skin was way clearer than it had ever been before (other birth control had been ineffective in doing this). My sex drive was not decreased at all. Cons: My boobs went from a C to spilling out of a DD and tender. I gained 10 lbs, and NONE of my clothes fit anymore. My feet and ankles got so swollen that some of my shoes stopped fitting. For the first three months, I spotted like crazy. After that, my periods were regular and not too bad of flow, but other birth controls had made me have a 2-day 'barely there' period or not get a period at all, which was way better."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 25, 2019

For Birth Control "I switched to Kariva about 1.5 years ago to help with breakthrough bleeding that I was experiencing with the prior birth control. For a few months, my period was light and only 3 days long and was expected during the inactive week. I would say I did notice that this medication made me more depressed before my period was coming, and I did gain around 8 lbs. After taking this medication for a longer time, I experienced breakthrough bleeding earlier and earlier, to the point where I ended up having a heavy two-week period as well as longer bouts of moodiness and cramping. I do experience a lot of bloating and gassiness. I have decided that I need to try another type of medication. This was great for the months that it worked properly for getting my period on time, but I could not imagine continuing this."

• Kar...
• October 23, 2018

For Birth Control "Started on the Depo shot when I was 14. Although not having periods was nice, I still had every symptom of periods but without bleeding (headaches, cramping, mood swings, increased appetite, etc.). So, 6 months later, I got switched to Kariva, costing me approximately $50 a month, without insurance. I can’t say I’ve had any “major experiences” with Kariva. I started birth control with the intention of lighter periods, which have gone from heavier 2-week-long periods to a medium flow of 3-4 days. I still have a few symptoms, but I can’t 100% say it’s due to Kariva since I’ve been on it so long, such as moderate cramping, weight gain (due to large appetite), and occasional moodiness, but definitely nothing that I would say is ‘out of the ordinary.’ As for the pregnancy preventative aspect, I’ve had sex occasionally throughout my time on Kariva but haven’t gotten pregnant even due to occasionally forgetting 2-3 pills a month. Overall, I would recommend Kariva."

• Bob...
• August 6, 2015

For Birth Control "I have been on Kariva for 3 months and liked it pretty well. It definitely does its job with preventing pregnancy and also made my periods super light and short (4 days), which was nice. But I gained about 10 pounds on it, which was awful! It did make my breasts fuller, but the weight gain is terrible. No change in sex drive, but it did cause some serious dryness for me in that I just wouldn't get wet down there, which was frustrating for me and my bf! But overall, not a bad price for a pill that does its job."

• cta...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 2, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been on this birth control for about 2 or 3 months now, and it is honestly the worst birth control I’ve ever taken! I had to switch to it because my period became irregular on my other one, and with Kariva, I’ve been having serious mood swings and been more emotional than normal before and during my period week. Not to mention the fact that I have been retaining water weight and have definitely had a weight gain, which was never a problem on my other BCP. Overall, I do NOT recommend taking it."

• Anonymous
• April 2, 2010

For Birth Control "At halfway through my third pack, I have been bleeding heavily for a week (compared to the first day of a regular period, but ongoing and with cramping). This is on top of having spotted nearly continuously since I started these pills two and a half months ago. I was going to hang in there to see if these reactions subsided after the third pack, but I am thinking now that I need to get off of them. I have also noticed mild weight gain as well."

• kai...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 15, 2021

For Birth Control "I started taking Kariva to improve my skin, and it only got worse. After only a week on this pill, I started feeling horrible depression and anxiety, plus my skin was breaking out worse than before. I went from having zero symptoms on my previous pill to having all the symptoms in the book: breakouts, weight gain, lower back pain, horrible periods, mood swings, etc. This was only after about 2 weeks on the pill. I just finished my sugar pills and couldn’t switch back to my old pill soon enough. Would not recommend this pill to anyone who has a history of depression and anxiety."

• Lin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 1, 2021

For Birth Control "Once the medication fully kicked into my system, it started giving me severe migraines and seizures. I experienced bad mood swings, acne, and weight gain on this stuff as well. I was previously functionally healthy, but now, because of this pill, I’m essentially bedridden with MS-like symptoms. Given that doctors don’t pay much attention to migraine/seizure patients or to reproductive problems, especially from my demographic, I’m still dealing with the debilitating symptoms. This medication was essentially pushed onto me as the only treatment for bad period cramping (no previous fibroid or PCOS diagnosis). This medication made my life an absolute living nightmare. Be very careful, especially if you have any underlying conditions or odd feelings about this whatsoever. If I can even help one person stay out of my position, that would help me to sleep at night."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 7, 2020

For Birth Control "This pill gave me depression, and I gained weight. I went on it to regulate my periods, and even though I finally got it when I was supposed to, it was extremely heavy and painful."