Can Fat Burners Affect Birth Control?
If you’re trying to lose weight and using a hormonal contraceptive in the process, it is essential to pay attention to the signs that your birth control might not be 100% effective.
If you're taking a hormonal contraceptive while taking weight loss pills, it is essential to pay attention to the signs that your birth control might not be 100% effective.
We’ve compiled a list of things that can affect your hormonal contraceptives and whether or not fat burners are one of them.
What are Hormonal Contraceptives
Hormonal contraceptives, also known as “the pill”, are used by millions of women worldwide. Hormonal contraceptives work by emitting a combination of estrogen and progestin into the body.
These small doses of estrogen and progestin prevent the ovaries from releasing eggs. If you don’t ovulate, then naturally, you cannot get pregnant.
How Birth Control Pills Work
If you take the pill every single day, hormonal contraceptives are almost 100% effective. But, if you miss a single dose, it is still possible that your birth control is still working for you.
Most experts think that one missed pill should not impact effectiveness. However, if you miss two or more pills, there are chances of making your hormonal contraceptive less effective and increase chances of getting pregnant.
Types of birth control pills
There are several different types of birth control pills, each with pros and cons. You need to choose the one that suits your lifestyle, medical history, and health needs.
- Combination pills: These pills contain both estrogen and progestin. They work by preventing ovulation, thickening cervical mucus, so it becomes difficult for sperm to travel to the uterus, and thinning the lining of your uterus, so there is no place for an egg to implant itself in.
- Extended-cycle pills: This type of pill has progestin in it for a set number of months. It then switches to a one-month regimen where no progestin is present, and estrogen is in higher doses than usual. When the extended cycle starts again, progestin is also added to the mix. Overall, this gives you a lower estrogen level during each cycle or month than with combination pills and avoids the rest period than standard birth control pills include between your periods.
- Mini-pills: These pills are precisely like combination pills, except that they contain only progestin. The mini-pill is the most effective birth control pill for women who prefer it because there is no estrogen in the mix.
- Progestin-only pills: This birth control method contains a low dose of hormones, only 1.5mg of levonorgestrel to 3mg of Ethinylestradiol.
A lot of things can affect your hormonal contraceptive.
- Taking Medicines: If you take any over-the-counter or prescription medicines, including asthma medications, heartburn medications, or cold remedies that contain sildenafil, you might be putting your birth control at risk.
- Antibiotics: If you take an antibiotic while taking your birth control pills, it might interfere with the hormones in birth control pills and reduce their effectiveness.
- Herbal Remedies: Hormonal contraceptives can interact with St John’s Wort, a popular herbal remedy for depression.
- Alcohol: Even just one drink of alcohol consumed while on hormonal contraceptives may reduce their effectiveness. If you are a woman, do not consume alcohol when taking hormonal contraceptives because it can reduce their effectiveness.
Can Fat Burners Affect Your Chances of Getting Pregnant?
Some fat burners contain ingredients that can interfere with the way your hormonal contraceptives work. Therefore, it is essential to read the ingredients in fat burners before consuming them.
If you are using a hormonal contraceptive and are taking a fat burner, it is essential to watch for the possible side effects of your treatment.
Side Effects of Taking Fat Burners and Hormonal Contraceptives
- Interference with your menstrual cycle(s): Fat burners may affect your natural menstrual cycle and decrease the effectiveness of your hormonal contraceptives. It is because some fat burners contain ingredients that can interfere with the way your hormonal contraceptives work. It is essential to read the ingredients in fat burners before consuming.
- Interference with ovulation: Fat burners can also interfere with the hormones in your hormonal contraceptives and reduce their effectiveness.
- Gain weight: Fat burners which contain appetite suppressants can also affect your body’s natural hormones and increase the chances of gaining weight. Birth control pills cause weight gain as well, so if you are taking birth control pills and take a fat burner, you may be putting yourself at an even greater risk of gaining weight.
- Water retention: Because fat burners can increase the body’s natural water retention, they might also increase water in the body. If there is too much water in the body, it can interfere with hormonal contraceptives and make them less effective
Supplements and drugs that can stop birth control pills from working–
- St John’s Wort: Hormonal contraceptives can interact with St John’s Wort, a popular herbal remedy for depression.
- Alcohol: Even just one drink of alcohol consumed while on hormonal contraceptives may reduce their effectiveness.
- Anti-HIV drugs can also reduce the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives.
- Cancer drugs: Taking chemotherapy drugs for cancer treatment can also decrease the effectiveness of your birth control pills.
- General anaesthesia: Hormonal contraceptives can interfere with general anaesthesia, making it less effective.
- Diabetes medications: Hormonal contraceptives can interact with diabetes medications.
- Anticonvulsants: Hormonal contraceptives can interact with anticonvulsants that are taken for epilepsy.
So, do fat burners affect birth control?
- Firstly, they may interfere with the way the pill works. If you’re taking a hormonal contraceptive and trying to lose weight, it is essential to pay attention to the signs that your birth control might not be 100% effective.
- Secondly, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should avoid fat burners. Fat burners can affect your baby’s primary development, and they might also lead to premature birth. They may also change the way nutrients are absorbed into the body of nursing mothers.
- Finally, take the time to research all of the side effects of fat burners before buying them.
Fat burners that contain Yohimbine can interfere with the way your hormonal contraceptives work. Therefore, it is essential to read the instructions on fat burners and hormonal contraceptives before consuming either product.
Your doctor and their team will be able to guide you about the increased risk of unwanted pregnancy when you take fat burners with hormonal contraceptives.
Some fat burners contain ingredients that can interfere with the way your hormonal contraceptives work. Therefore, it is essential to read the ingredients in fat burners before consuming them.
We hope this article has answered all your queries regarding the effects of fat burners and birth control. If you still have some questions, leave a comment, and we’ll try to answer them for you.
Make sure you read the instructions on your hormonal contraceptive before taking any medicine with it.
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