TikToker's birth control weight gain story fact-checked

What does this video actually claim?

Jannene Raquel (@jannene.raquel) posted a before-and-after video showing significant weight gain while on birth control, claiming she gained 30-40 pounds between late 2022 and summer 2024. She says birth control made her body constantly hurt and affected her mental state, warning other women not to expect weight loss from hormonal contraceptives just because it happens to some people.

The video's categorized under peptides, though Raquel doesn't mention any peptide therapies. Her main message is that birth control affects everyone differently, particularly regarding weight changes.

Does the science back up weight gain from birth control?

The research on this is more nuanced than Raquel suggests. A 2014 Cochrane review analyzed 49 studies and found that most combination birth control pills cause minimal weight change, typically under 4.4 pounds over 6-12 months.

However, the injectable contraceptive Depo-Provera (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate) does cause significant weight gain. A 2009 study by Berenson et al. in Obstetrics & Gynecology found women gained an average of 11.2 pounds over three years on Depo, with some gaining much more.

Progestin-only methods generally cause more weight gain than combination pills. The implant Nexplanon led to average gains of 3.1 pounds at one year in clinical trials, but individual variation was huge.

What's missing from her story?

Raquel doesn't specify which birth control method she used, and that matters enormously. Saying "birth control caused 30-40 pounds of weight gain" without naming the specific hormone, dose, or delivery method isn't particularly useful for other women trying to make informed choices.

She also doesn't mention other factors that could contribute to weight changes over an 18-month period. The timeline she describes (late 2022 to summer 2024) spans nearly two years, during which diet, activity levels, stress, sleep, and other medications could all play roles.

Her pain and mood symptoms could be related to hormonal changes, but they could also indicate other health issues that warrant medical evaluation rather than simply stopping birth control.

What did she get right?

Raquel's core message is actually solid: individual responses to hormonal contraceptives vary wildly, and what works for one person won't necessarily work for another. This is backed by real data showing enormous individual variation in side effects.

Her emphasis on listening to your body is also reasonable. The 2016 WHO guidelines on contraceptive eligibility stress that side effects significantly impacting quality of life are valid reasons to switch methods.

She's also right that some women do lose weight on certain birth control methods, though this isn't the norm for most hormonal contraceptives.

What should you actually know?

If you're experiencing significant weight gain, pain, or mood changes on birth control, document the timeline and discuss alternatives with a healthcare provider. There are over a dozen different hormonal contraceptive options with varying hormone types and doses.

Weight gain from birth control is real but varies dramatically by method and individual. Depo shots cause the most weight gain, combination pills cause the least, and everything else falls somewhere in between.

Don't expect birth control to help you lose weight. While some women do experience weight loss, particularly those switching from higher-dose methods to lower-dose ones, contraceptives aren't weight loss medications.