Ethinyl estradiol / norelgestromin and Weight Gain: What Users Say

• Bre...
• September 13, 2019

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Xulane specifically for over 6 years, and I must say, it’s the best birth control I’ve taken. I’ve taken many different types of birth control pills before - combination, progestin only, about 8-12 different brand names for the pill, as well as the Depo-Provera shots. I was bleeding the whole 3 months I was on the shot, and the pills were OK but I didn’t like having to take something daily, and I felt like they were taking away my sex drive. On Xulane I’ve had either an increase or no difference in libido, I remember in the beginning my sex drive spiked! Now it’s steady and feels like it’s unaffected by the patch, as well as my weight and anxiety. I’ve been reading horror stories of the patch and the implant for some time now; what affects me in a positive way could be your worst nightmare and vice versa. So keep that in mind while reading reviews - each woman’s experience can vary so much - don’t create a confirmation bias!"

• Chy...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 26, 2020

For Birth Control "I love this patch! I’ve been on the pill for about 8 years. After the first 7 years, I got off it and had my daughter. The doctor put me on the pill after birth and had the worst side effects! (Extreme acne, mood swings, weight gain). With the patch, I have the best skin, no weight gain or mood swings. The only bad thing is nausea. But I would rather have nausea from birth control rather than pregnancy!"

• Anonymous
• December 3, 2009

For Birth Control "I was on Ortho Evra for almost 6 years (since my early 20s). I've had very few issues with it... no weight gain, no moodiness, no stale sex drive. All I've experienced were slight skin irritation (where the patch was placed) and spotting. I switched to NuvaRing under the guidance of my physician (because of my concerns over the FDA warnings). It was as easy as the patch, but I quickly gained 5-7 pounds over 2 months of usage. Then my doctor put me on Microgestin 1/20 FE. It was the first and will be the last birth control pill I ever take! I have gained 15 pounds over 6 months, experienced excessive night sweats, and lost all interest in sex altogether. Now, I might return to the patch."

• liv...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 30, 2013

For Birth Control "No mood swings, no acne, no weight gain, controlled period, protects me from being pregnant, only changed once a week, same sex drive, and increased a cup size! I love it. The sticky part washes away and I rotate between shoulder blades, it doesn't fall off me, works great for me, and I recommend it to anyone who has had other forms of birth control issues, this just might work for you."

• hap...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 11, 2014

For Birth Control "I gained weight from the Depo shot. I was extremely sick on the pills. The Ortho Evra patch was a gateway to happiness. I had multicystic ovaries that made life uncomfortable for me, from random pains and swelling to uncomfortable sex. I tried many different contraceptives, and the patch is the only one that helped. My only complaints are the residue from the patch, breast tenderness (although I did go up a size and my sex drive went way up). My husband hides from me now, haha. Make sure you use as directed. Skipping a few days on the switcharoo will throw your period off."

• ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 26, 2020

For Birth Control "I am on my third month. I’ve gained about 7 pounds, roughly. I lose my appetite one day and the next, I'm hungry no matter how much I eat. I have no idea if this has to do with my birth control, but my breasts have gotten painful knots on both of them. The doctor told me it was an infection, but on my off week, the first one went away. Now I’m on week 2 of month 3 and I have two more on the opposite breast. Has this happened to anyone else?"

• Dij...
• January 5, 2016

For Birth Control "Absolutely swear by and love the patch. I place mine on my lower left-hand side of my stomach and rotate between two spots to give my skin a week's breathing afterwards. Yes, it collects dust around the outside, but it's really not a big deal, and if it is, use talc, it stops this. I've been on it for nearly two years and only ever had three fall off. I have such a high sex drive, it doesn't give me mood swings or make me gain weight. I become slightly emotional on my last day of my gap week, but nothing over the top or noticeable! Would 100% recommend it. I've tried various pills, and they weren't for me. But hey, everyone's different."

• Hon...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 14, 2016

For Birth Control "I started the Xulane patch two months ago. I have to say that it has been a great experience so far. I myself read through these reviews before starting the patch, and I was terrified of the experience I would have. I have not gained any weight. I have not had migraines or even mild headaches. The patch does not itch, nor does it leave a rash or any type of bump. It does leave a residue on the outer ring from where it catches your clothing and collects fuzz. I have not experienced any nausea. It has been smooth sailing. My period is drastically lighter, and I don't get ill or experience extreme cramps. I have to say I'm a huge fan of the patch. It has even increased my sex drive because I feel so comfortable now that I have it."

• tra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 20, 2012

For Birth Control "I started Ortho Evra about 3 months ago. Let me just say, it has changed my life for the better. One, my period is more light and short. My sex drive has gone up. I have put on a little weight. But, to me, it's good weight. My breasts have increased from a C cup to a DD! I'm not complaining there! The only complaint that I have had is one patch did come off. I noticed right away and put on a new patch. Nothing to worry about. This was my first birth control method, so I can't compare it to other forms, but I honestly love it and will continue to use it."

• Pia...
• January 22, 2017

For Birth Control "I have been on the patch for 4 years. This is the best birth control method. Of course, like anything, your body has to get used to a foreign object that's attached to your body and lets estrogen through your skin. Your body will go through changes (nausea, sweats, headaches), but good luck finding a method that will leave you symptom-free. Once you get through that yucky part, you'll notice weight gain and also your breasts will get larger and tender. For most, I don't think this goes away. For myself, I do have a little bit of a tummy (I'm 105 lbs), and my boobs have gone up a whole cup size. I find the patch to be insanely convenient. After years of using it, I have zero problems with it. I can only say great things about this BC method!"

• So...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 23, 2021

For Birth Control "This terrible thing made me gain a ton of weight in a matter of weeks, a day in water pills, and I’m literally sizes down. It made me so irritable and moody, and my breasts hurt so bad. Passssss. The adhesive left a rash on my leg, and the patch attached to clothing and got messed up too."

• Dan...
• March 12, 2017

For Birth Control "I've been on the patch for two years now and have had a pretty positive experience. I choose the patch because, unlike the pill, it was only once a week and didn't have many horrifying side effects like some other options out there. I place my patch on my stomach, near my belly button area, per the instructions. I find that on my skin it stays put, but removal can be a bit painful, hence, why I always remove it in the shower while using plenty of soap. My periods while on the patch are short and sweet and on the day. I usually have two days of light bleeding and two medium days to end my cycle. I did notice some weight gain, but nothing crazy and nothing I worried myself with. Just remember, every body reacts differently to birth control!"

• Len...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 25, 2013

For Birth Control "First form of birth control was Zovia. Didn't like it because it made me nauseous all the time. So after a year of being off birth control, I decided to try the patch. I like it a lot. No major side effects at all. The only thing is that I did lose my sex drive, which made me pretty sad, but I'd rather deal with that than the side effects of other birth controls. I've only been on it for about three months, so maybe I still need to wait to adjust. I do feel like I'm gaining weight, though. Although I would not completely blame it on the patch because birth control gives you cravings that you can choose to act upon or not. Birth control doesn't make you gain weight. It's what you decide to put in your mouth that does."

• his...
• March 2, 2013

For Birth Control "I was on Ortho Cyclen 28-day cycle for almost two years. I lost my sex drive, I gained almost thirty pounds in five months, my moods were horrid, and constant migraines. I switched to the patch, which I had been on previously. I'm on my second patch, and already my sex drive is returning, I'm dropping some of that weight I gained, and my breasts are growing (they aren't even tender). My only serious complaint is the itching. My skin itches where I place it and leaves a few little bumps that itch and burn. I'll take that and deal with it. Also, placement took a while to figure out, but the best area to put it on is your shoulder blades. They don't wrinkle and scrunch up, or collect the linty stuff there."

• Cry...
• November 7, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been using the patch for over two years because I have no other choice. Only upside is I've never gotten pregnant on it. Right away, I noticed side effects of gaining weight and nausea. Over time, the symptoms became worse. Every day, Monday after changing the patch, I become very ill. I wake up hot and disoriented. Then my body forces me to violently vomit for 4-5 hours. While this happens, I experience chest pain, difficulty breathing, extreme exhaustion, so dizzy I can't walk. My heart feels like it almost skips beats, then tries to catch up to itself. It's like having food poisoning."

• Gir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 15, 2019

For Birth Control "Love the Xulane patch! Pills make me have crazy mood swings and Depo and me gain weight! The patch has been amazing, the only side effect I have had is extreme fatigue, but it has been manageable enough I can deal with it!"

• xul...
• October 30, 2014

For Birth Control "I'm 20 years old, and I've definitely gained weight, and my breasts have gotten bigger since I started this medication, but I'm not too worried about those things. The only problem with it is having an extremely long and heavy period. At first, I was using Ortho Evra, but had to switch to Xulane because of insurance. Other than the heavy periods, everything is fine. They are regular, and even if my boyfriend and I don't use condoms, we've never even had a scare. It works perfectly."

• Ada...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 7, 2018

For Birth Control "I've been on the Ortho Evra patch for 4 years now, and I've never had any problems. I was originally put on the patch to combat hormonal mood swings, severe cramps, and an irregular period. Since then, my period comes 3 days after I remove the patch and lasts till I put on my next (3-4 days). I've never had any spotting or bleeding throughout the month, and my weight has never been affected. My mood is also very stable, and I get virtually no cramps/aches on my period. I would highly recommend the patch to anyone."

• Can...
• August 10, 2018

For Birth Control "I was on this patch in my twenties and went on it again after my second child was born. I have been back on it for 2 months. I suffer from migraines in general, but being on this makes them last so much longer, especially around the time I’m due for my period. I also have anxiety, and this is also so much worse. I have also put on 5 pounds. I am feeling extremely depressed, and I’m probably taking the patch off and switching."

• Bri...
• May 29, 2017

For Birth Control "I started using Depo-Provera as my birth control, and I was on it for 2 years plus. I had no side effects until I gained so much weight the last year, I was 120 lbs, and now I'm at 150 lbs. I will never go back to it. So I switched to the patch, and same, I have no bad side effects yet. I've been on it for over a year, my weight has gone down, I'm down to 140 lbs, which is hard to lose weight for us girls. My breast size increased, my thighs and butt increased, good plus :) I've never had a problem with acne with either birth control. My mood swings are bad here and there. I love how my period is regular now, and I know when it's coming."

• Ell...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 7, 2020

For Birth Control "The Ortho Evra patch has served its purpose for me for over a year now, but I'm having to stop due to unmanageable weight gain. My appetite has increased hugely, I'm more prone to emotional eating, and I can't lose it as easily as I used to. I keep active every day, so I was expecting to be losing weight, but my doctor told me I've put on 10 kg in the last 5 months. I've never piled it on like this, so unfortunately, this might be the last straw now. Before this, I had breast tenderness and nausea for the first two days of wearing the patch, but nothing unmanageable. I had one incident where I bled continuously for over a month, only stopping when I came off it entirely for a couple of weeks. I think this was due to me not breaking from it frequently enough."

• Amy...
• December 2, 2016

For Birth Control "I have been using Xulane for around 10 months. For the first seven months, the birth control worked great! I noticed that I was much easier to get along with, periods were on a schedule, and my breasts appeared bigger! I didn't experience the weight gain or hardly any negative side effects. The most annoying thing was that the patch would sometimes fall off. Fast forward to three months, I am bloated all the time and experienced a weight gain of about 15 pounds. I literally cannot stop crying and tend to bust out in tears at even a sad thought. The worst part is the mood swings. I finally decided enough was enough and threw them away. I will be requesting the birth control pill next time I am at the doctor."

• Sar...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 5, 2021

For Birth Control "I’ve been on Xulane for about two years. During that time, I’ve had almost constant nausea, extreme fatigue, weight gain, and strange chest and abdominal pain. I actually went to the doctor thinking there was something wrong with my heart, as it runs in my family. Though I am only 23. My sex drive disappeared completely, and I found my anxiety to be worse than normal. I spent every ‘new patch’ day vomiting and would sleep by the toilet. This is even AFTER two years. The symptoms have never gone away. My breasts are always swollen and tender. I’ve gone up to an uncomfortable 32G from a 32DD. I would definitely not recommend this to anyone. My body is very sensitive to medicine, but this was just too much. I’m finally saying enough and trying something new."

• JTE...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 9, 2019

For Birth Control "I have three things to recommend Xulane, and they do not outweigh the cons of this birth control. First, the positives: it did a good job preventing pregnancy, I loved not having to remember a pill every day, and I had the most beautiful skin of my life on this drug. But the negative side effects far outweighed the positive. First, I started wearing this patch on my back and it gave me terrible dry skin and rashes (this went away when I switched to my arm). Second, the mood swings are so bad. I felt everything SO STRONGLY, and it usually manifested with tears. I'd swing from sad to happy to angry all day long. Third, this medication made me very hungry all the time, and I gained weight during the four months I used it."

• Pac...
• October 20, 2013

For Birth Control "Was 17 years old when switched from pill to patch. It gave me an amazing sex drive. I thought it was the love I have for my boyfriend that made it really amazing. Breast size slightly increased in as little as 2-3 months. Quickly gained 10 lbs in 3 months. The size of my butt became more plump with a little bit of glute workouts. The opposite of the reviews I read by others is I started breaking out and haven't experienced breaking out this badly. I'm trying to see how I am without the patch due to fatigue and mood swings. In as little as 4 days, my period became very heavy once I took it off. I had a bad migraine, which lasted for 3 days. And this is about my 2nd week off it, and my breast, hips, and butt shrunk."