[ARF777]

Hello, I am 23 years old and have two children. According to my BMI, I am obese. I heard that birth control pills are less effective on obese women. What are my options aside from an IUD? Would it be pointless to take birth control pills? I would like to hear some knowledge and experiences on this subject from all of you. Thank you in advance for the responses!

[kira]

I think most people are obese by BMI standards lol My stupid bodyfat reading scale says I'm grossly overweight at 5'2 and 150lbs when I'm about average and most people wouldn't even call me overweight. It's a very rough guide. I'd discuss with your doctor how much your weight is really a concern. Plus it also depends what your weight exactly is. If you are shorter than the average person you can be more overweight and still come in close to the average weight used to dose birth control pills.

[andreawantstolose]

It is definitely NOT pointless to take birth control pills if you are overweight.

The BMI system is a poor way to tell if a person is overweight.

Basically, birth control pills become less effective if you have a high percentage of body fat. BMI does not calculate body fat percentage or take muscle into account.

I have read that if an overweight woman takes her pills PERFECTLY, same time, every single day, the failure rate is around 3%, while the failure rate for a woman who is not overweight that has perfect use is only 1%.

So you see, it is definitely not pointless, and you may not be losing effectiveness after all- even if your BMI is over 30.

As for other methods, I do believe the Nuva Ring is not affected by weight at all- but I would definitely see a doctor to discuss it and other options.