The new study negates the well-liked credence that taking oral contraceptives can put on weight and claims that birth control pills are not linked to weight gain so women should not be concerned. Oral contraceptives are the most common method of contraception used by more than one hundred women all over the world.
The contraceptive pills are more than ninety percent effective in preventing pregnancy if taken appropriately and consistently. One of the reasons to avoid or discontinue usage is concern about weight gain, which in turn put them at higher risk of an unplanned pregnancy, explained lead researcher Dr. Alison Edelman from Oregon Health and Science University.
To verify the effects of oral contraceptive, researchers at the Oregon National Primate Research Center carried out a study on the rhesus monkeys for eight months period, during those period monkeys were given oral contraceptives analogous to those taken by women. They were separated in two groups, one having obese monkeys and other with normal weight.
This breed of monkeys has similar reproductive system as that of human beings. Their weight, activity, food intake, body fat and lean muscle mass were noted regularly. After completing study tenure, it was found that obese group lost more than eight percent of their weight and twelve percent body fat, where as normal weight group put on some weight.
However, birth control pills were linked to numerous health benefits. Their intake made women nearly fifty percent less prone to develop endometrial and ovarian cancer in comparison to those who never used them. According to CDC report, contraceptive use did not seem to raise the risk of breast cancer. The gain in weight could be due to extra calories not due to contraceptives.