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I am in a show in 8 weeks. Should I be getting off the pill?
the pill or not?
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glutealina
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I was thinking the same thing. I hope someone else that competes can answer this.
VeggieLifterChick
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It would help you to figure out whether you're on a high or low dose pill. If it turns out to be low dose, it may not make much of a difference at all.
PowerPuffGirl
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Personally I've been debating whether or not to go on it because I'm afraid of the weight gain and water retention...although I guess I could go on it and do a few cycles of clen a month or so after...
VeggieLifterChick
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My personal experience has been with Lunelle, which is an injectable form of the same chemicals as a low dose pill. I gained about 3 pounds, most of which was water. It comes off every time I get my period.
PowerPuffGirl
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I dont know what dose is low exactly but I used to be on Mircette, and my doctor told me it is the lowest dose. Orthotricyclin is also fairly low
PowerPuffGirl
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So TV--you havent really noticed any weight gain or water retention or anything like that? If you had any acne or anything before, has it cleared your skin up at all?
Also, I heard that if you skip the last week of placebo pills and go straight into the next pack, you won't get periods at all...is this true and if so is it a good idea? Just wondering...
Also, I heard that if you skip the last week of placebo pills and go straight into the next pack, you won't get periods at all...is this true and if so is it a good idea? Just wondering...
PowerPuffGirl
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Condoms suck....but you should definately always use them no matter what, even if you are on the pill, unless you are in a serious relationship and you know you're both clean....then it's sooooo awesome not having to use them....just my opinion though.
Gladiola
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brwnidgrl said:
I have no idea!As for condoms... yes, they do kinda suck, but they are the second best option after pills (for those of us in a monogamous relationship) & actually the BEST option for those of us that can't remember to take the pill at the SAME TIME EVERY day (that is, if you don't want to consider an IUD).
They really are very effective if used properly & not that bad once you get used to it. Definitely BETTER than the pill if it's giving you problems.... just a trade off.
Here's a quick snip from a review on causes and treatments for hirsutism (facial hair) in women. I think it should be clear that birth control pills have no place in the medicine cabinet of a serious bodybuilder!
" Oral contraceptives are a safe, therapeutic modality commonly
used in women with androgen-mediated disorders including
hirsutism, acne, and androgenetic alopecia. The combination
(estrogen and progestin) oral contraceptives on the market today
have the net effect of being ANTIANDROGENIC. The estrogen
reduces ovarian androgen production by gonadotropin
suppression and decreases androgen availability by elevating
SHBG, leading to a DECREASE IN BIOAVAILABLE TESTOSTERONE. The estrogen-induced SHBG elevation is antagonized to varying
degrees by progestins. The newer combination oral
contraceptive formulations have reduced androgenicity by virtue
of improved progestin components, such as desogestrel and
norgestimate, which do not mitigate the estrogen effects........."
When I was sexually active I used an IUD plus condom. It's extremely effective birth control, and has the added bonus of protecting you from human papilloma virus, herpes, aids, chlamydia and all sort of nasties that your "faithful" partner might get accidentally exposed to.
However, if you insist on using hormonal contraceptives, a progestin-only one is your best bet.
" Oral contraceptives are a safe, therapeutic modality commonly
used in women with androgen-mediated disorders including
hirsutism, acne, and androgenetic alopecia. The combination
(estrogen and progestin) oral contraceptives on the market today
have the net effect of being ANTIANDROGENIC. The estrogen
reduces ovarian androgen production by gonadotropin
suppression and decreases androgen availability by elevating
SHBG, leading to a DECREASE IN BIOAVAILABLE TESTOSTERONE. The estrogen-induced SHBG elevation is antagonized to varying
degrees by progestins. The newer combination oral
contraceptive formulations have reduced androgenicity by virtue
of improved progestin components, such as desogestrel and
norgestimate, which do not mitigate the estrogen effects........."
When I was sexually active I used an IUD plus condom. It's extremely effective birth control, and has the added bonus of protecting you from human papilloma virus, herpes, aids, chlamydia and all sort of nasties that your "faithful" partner might get accidentally exposed to.
However, if you insist on using hormonal contraceptives, a progestin-only one is your best bet.
Gladiola
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MS said:
Personally, I'm not a competitive BB, so I'm happy to just make the most of my physique within the limitation of my choice to use BC - but I have never really heard anything about Progestin-only pills. Anyone on them? Doesn't lack of estrogen lead to loss of bone density?
Also known as the "mini pill" or "Depo-Provera". They can also make you gain weight like combo BC pills, but are less antiandrogenic than estrogen containing pills. Ideally a serious BB (not Gladiola!) could use progestins up until dieting time, then come off of the hormones for dieting. It's only for 12-16 weeks, it shouldn't be impossible to plan ahead and use alternative BC methods?
I think you'll find that dieting down to competition bodyfat levels is worse for your bone density than the mini pill combined with a healthy diet and plenty of weight bearing exercise!
I think you'll find that dieting down to competition bodyfat levels is worse for your bone density than the mini pill combined with a healthy diet and plenty of weight bearing exercise!
Found some info....
Hi all!
So this thread got me thinking, as I'm on a birth control pill containing 35 mcg of ethinyl estradiol and I'm wondering if it isn't what's making it extremely difficult for me to get leaner as I've been stuck at 17% body fat for the past month despite a VERY strict (competition type) and reduced calorie diet. So anyway, I've been doing some research and I found several sites that answer the questions that many of you have asked. So I thought I'd lend a hand and post the links. 
http://www.thepillonline.com/bcpeqiv.html
http://www.gynob.com/rad.htm
http://familydoctor.org/handouts/326.html
Unfortunately I've been unable to find any info linking birth control pills to getting leaner, like under 17% in my case. If anyone finds anything or has any info, please return the favor, thanks!
Hi all!
So this thread got me thinking, as I'm on a birth control pill containing 35 mcg of ethinyl estradiol and I'm wondering if it isn't what's making it extremely difficult for me to get leaner as I've been stuck at 17% body fat for the past month despite a VERY strict (competition type) and reduced calorie diet. So anyway, I've been doing some research and I found several sites that answer the questions that many of you have asked. So I thought I'd lend a hand and post the links. http://www.thepillonline.com/bcpeqiv.html
http://www.gynob.com/rad.htm
http://familydoctor.org/handouts/326.html
Unfortunately I've been unable to find any info linking birth control pills to getting leaner, like under 17% in my case. If anyone finds anything or has any info, please return the favor, thanks!
Blood Tests
In my saga to help my girlfriend break 16/17% by going off birth control pills I talked her into getting a before & after horomonal snapshot.
Remember, while on Bcontrol (especially high dose) your Estrogen levels will be artifically elevated usually along with lower T levels. By going to a gynacologist (or endo doctor) she can get an intelligent reading before, than after about 30 days off another reading to see how estrogen/Tesosterone has been affected. This way she can determine if there was a tangible benefit and that her hormones are within the normal range.
The goal is to see if after stopping Birth Control pills there's a beneficial drop in Estrogen levels but not so low they drop below the "low-normal" range.
In my saga to help my girlfriend break 16/17% by going off birth control pills I talked her into getting a before & after horomonal snapshot.
Remember, while on Bcontrol (especially high dose) your Estrogen levels will be artifically elevated usually along with lower T levels. By going to a gynacologist (or endo doctor) she can get an intelligent reading before, than after about 30 days off another reading to see how estrogen/Tesosterone has been affected. This way she can determine if there was a tangible benefit and that her hormones are within the normal range.
The goal is to see if after stopping Birth Control pills there's a beneficial drop in Estrogen levels but not so low they drop below the "low-normal" range.
Gladiola
New member
MS said:
I think I worded my last response wrong. I basically was thinking out loud & failed to include some of the thoughts pertinent to the entire post!
If estrogen aids the storage of fat - and it's possible to have effective hormonal birth control WITHOUT it- why would *any* woman want the estrogen??? Even non-competitive BBs want as little body fat as possible.
Then I thought there must be some reason it is GOOD to have that estrogen in our systems.. it must do things for us that are not purely negative (i.e. something besides make us fatter!) Bone density is one of the things that came to my mind... as a general reason an average lady wants estrogen.
Thinkin' out loud...
Estrogen....what's it good for? That's a very good question. As far as I can tell, the only thing that estrogen is good for at the levels seen in premenopausal women is establishing pregnancy (via ovulation) and assisting in amassing enough fat stores to maintain long term breast feeding post partum. Other than that, even males with their relatively low levels of circulating estrogen have more than enough estrogen for good bone growth and prevention of osteoporosis. Progesterone only pills are not without side effects though, and they are slightly less effective than combo pills. Ultimately estrogen is what makes females, uhhh, look like females (along with low test levels). If you don't want to look like a female then you should have your ovaries removed and take extra test, though the extra test alone will suffice if you take it for long enough at a high enough dose. This will also work as a form of BC! Now, what I I have just described is not unlike some female pro BBs........
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VeggieLifterChick
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Depo-Provera supposedly causes a weight gain of 8-10 #s per year, whereas the pill tends to be more like 3-5#s. Atleast thats what the literature says...so why would anyone want to take progesterone only?
Ceebs
New member
My two cents...
I have never had a good experience with the pill and cutting. I've tried Alesse, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, and Mircette, and found it very difficult to get lean in my lower body while on. I could lose weight reliably while on, but whatever I lost came off my arms or torso. After six weeks of this, I gave up and went off the pill. (I was taking it at my doctor's recommendation to help normalize my menstrual cycle, not for contraceptive reasons.)
So to answer the original poster's question, if you know that it's difficult for you to lose weight on the pill, or the pill makes you hold water that a diuretic won't get rid of, and you can simply use a different method of contraception, yes, it won't kill you to stop taking it while you're dieting for your competition.
I have never had a good experience with the pill and cutting. I've tried Alesse, Ortho Tri-Cyclen, and Mircette, and found it very difficult to get lean in my lower body while on. I could lose weight reliably while on, but whatever I lost came off my arms or torso. After six weeks of this, I gave up and went off the pill. (I was taking it at my doctor's recommendation to help normalize my menstrual cycle, not for contraceptive reasons.)
So to answer the original poster's question, if you know that it's difficult for you to lose weight on the pill, or the pill makes you hold water that a diuretic won't get rid of, and you can simply use a different method of contraception, yes, it won't kill you to stop taking it while you're dieting for your competition.
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