Loestrin Fe 1/20 and Weight Gain: What Users Say

• tin...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 20, 2016

For Birth Control "I've been on Loestrin (and the other generic brands like Junel) for about a year and a half, and I'm satisfied with it. I haven't tried any other birth control prior to Loestrin, so maybe that's why it's hard for me to give a comparative judgment. I can say that in terms of excessive weight gain, acne, or mood swings, Loestrin didn't cause me to experience any of these, contrary to some of the posts that I've read on here. Also, I take my pill every morning on an empty stomach and don't experience any nausea or anything like that. It has also regulated my hormones, so my PMS is not as extreme as it used to be before taking the pill. Only con is that I have experienced occasional breakthrough spotting before my cycle some months."

• Cle...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 8, 2015

For Birth Control "I had been on Beyaz for 4 years before this pill until my health insurance changed and could no longer cover it. The pros and cons are about half and half for me for Loestrin. I did gain weight on this... about 7 pounds, of course, all around the love handle/lower stomach/thigh area. My acne is WAY worse. However, aside from those 2 negatives, I like this pill more than Beyaz because I definitely have a better mood, more energy, and a higher sex drive/wetness. My periods are also lighter and shorter."

• Fig...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 3, 2019

For Birth Control "Despite being a low hormone birth control, I have found a similar amount of side effects compared with other higher hormonal BC pill methods. Yet, knowing that less synthetic hormones is generally healthier for the body, I am staying on the pill and giving it higher stars. On a side note, I have sadly gained 10 pounds in one month; I am hoping my increased breast size may account for this in part. My acne has improved, but it is far from gone. No negative effects on my mood thus far."

• 28a...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 18, 2016

For Birth Control "Weight gain, severe depression during PMS, and intense itching. I was on Loestrin previously, and it was great for 2 months. I had no acne, my periods were better. As of the third month, I was itching uncontrollably and was told it was dry skin, but the itching coincided with the time I took the pill. I went off the pill for a year, then my doctor put me on LoLoestrin, trying to reduce the hormone. I'm not sure if weight gain was connected to that. I was having 2 periods a month. After 8 months of that, my doctor put me back on Loestrin. I hoped it was a bad reaction to one pack before. I had debilitating depression at least one day mid-month and one during PMS. During the second month, the itching came back. I always itched 20 minutes after."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 2, 2021

For Birth Control "I started taking Loestrin 1/20 in the middle of November, and I did not experience any weight gain, my weight stayed the same. However, I did notice more acne on my back as well as a few on my face. They went away, however, I still noticed that my skin was breaking out more, which defeated the purpose of taking the pill since I mainly like taking it for acne control. The worst side effect was bleeding for more than 2 and a half weeks, almost 3 weeks, on this pill. In the middle of December, I started bleeding even though I take the pills at the same time every single day. This is annoying. I will be switching to a new pill once this pack is finished. Overall, I would say that it is a good pill despite the constant bleeding, which is annoying."

• 199...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 29, 2019

For Birth Control "I was on this birth control pill in 1999 when I was 18. I took it for 6 months before I decided to stop using it. I did not have any problems with acne or cramps during use, but a serious increase in both directly after stopping. The problem for me was extreme nausea, depression, weight gain, mid-cycle bleeding, and dryness. I now realize that taking hormonal birth control, especially before having children, causes many bad side effects long-term. I would not recommend any hormonal birth control pills for anyone and wish I had never taken any."