I've always wanted to gain weight. All my life I've been underweight and it was always a struggle to gain no matter how much I try to eat more. I even did some workouts and took whey protein supplements and it made me gain some but not to the point of me getting to the normal weight according to my BMI.

Until I recently got a birth control shot and who would have thought my problem with my weight would be gone this fast. XD

Trip to the doctor

A few months back, I visited a doctor to check what contraceptive method is best for my body. She did an overall check on me like physical and questions about my cycle, sexual activities, etc.

I already had a birth control in my mind that I wanted which was an implant - a device placed under the arm that releases hormones and is good for 3 years. Since this is hormonal, the doctor did some additional checks in case there are some things that make me unqualified for whatever hormones I might put in my body. That included the breast check.

The doctor found lumps in my breasts which was really scary at that time cos I thought the pain and bumps that I felt were normal. I then scheduled a sono-mammogram and thankfully they were non-cancerous, so I was already cleared for getting a hormonal birth control.

The doctor didn't have implants in the clinic so she suggested birth control pills. I automatically said no to that since I'm really not good at taking whatever pills and I will forget to take for sure. Taking medicines have a psychological effect on me that's why I avoid them as much as possible. For birth control pills to be effective, it has to be taken everyday at the same time. That would be torture for me.

Another one she suggested was the IUD. It is a device inserted in the uterus through the cervix. I already researched about that and have also considered this before since this can be effective for 5-10 years but I wasn't ready for that at that time. :P

Next option was the shot - which is like a vaccine but for hormones. It is good for 3 months which means I only have to remember to take it again every 3 months. Good! So that's what I took while I researched for a more long term one.

The shot

I didn't know much about the shot but I have a kind and understanding (and patient) doctor so she explained to me stuff that I needed to know. She was kind of not a big fan of the shot since some women aren't really into it because of the amount of hormones it has for 1 shot. 1 shot is good for 3 months (compared to the birth control pills which has to be taken everyday) so that is really quite strong for 1 go.

She explained to me the possible side effects like nausea, headaches, spotting, mood swings, and weight gain. Since I can change it in 3 months if ever I had negative effects, I went for it.

The shot was administered on my arm and my arm felt cold and heavy immediately. Kinda like a covid vaccine but twice as much and also a bit painful? The doctor prescribed me some pain relievers in case I experience heavy crampings and also for nausea as well. I went home and took a rest.

Some side effects

After a day, I didn't experience anything other than being sleepy. I was already preparing for some headaches but luckily I didn't feel them.

After a few weeks though I started experiencing random headaches, cramping, and nausea. It was not that bad. It was something I can tolerate and not bad enough to make me take medicines. I also noticed I started gaining some weight and I got excited for it for real. :P

I got spotting a month after that and boom, it was the whole fucking month of spotting. Literally. Everyday I had blood in my liners which was very annoying and costly but I understand it was my body still adjusting to it. Another month went by for my supposed period schedule is another 1 month of bleeding. So basically I only had a few days when I wasn't bleeding in the span of 2 months.

I felt sleepy and more tired than usual. My libido slowly decreased. I had random back pains as well which was getting a bit annoying and often times would make me lay down in bed for hours but I had Salonpas which helped ease it. The nauseous feeling though increased as the shot was starting to wear off.

I went back to the doctor after 3 months for my 2nd shot since I still wasn't ready to shift to IUD yet. After a week of the shot, I already felt some random cramps that became a bit more painful than before. My weight started increasing dramatically. :o I felt depressed and don't want to work anymore (can be noticed in my lack of blockchain activity). I slept even more. I was more tired. The back pains got more intense. I wasn't interested in doing anything other than watch tv series or eat.

Now these were something that made me quit. I literally can't deal with the back pains as it made me not want to stand or sit. It felt like I was on constant pain and sometimes my knees were painful at the same time. Perfect. :D

I'm on my last week before the shot wears off and my hormones start to go back to normal. I'm not going back to progestin-only method. I just had my IUD inserted just a few days ago and it's going well so far except the heavy bleeding.

The weight gain

Aside from not getting pregnant, gaining weight is the only side effect I enjoyed. :P

I gained 8kg for all the 6 months I was on the shot. This gain was also so fast that you can really notice it. I have stretch marks on my legs which is also a proof that I gain weight too fast. My cheeks are fuller and my arms got bigger. I gained mostly fat, of course, although I'm not sure if what I'm also having is water retention from the hormones or just pure fat.

_{Me back in February way before I started the injectables}

My weight has always been 38-39kg and it's pretty much underweight (Now I'm 47kg). I always had to sew my new pants to fit my waist. I almost always never find my perfect size even though it's Asian size already. I mean, it wasn't that bad. I was okay with my weight but it would still be better and ideal if I gained a bit more and be a normal weight for once.

_{Me now}

Gaining the ideal weight pretty much increased my confidence. My friends were telling me I look healthy and it looked better in me. I do agree. :D The disadvantage though was I had to unsew the pants I've sewn before since now they're almost perfect in size... and I will probably still sew them back again a few weeks from now since the injectables wearing off means my hormones will be back to "normal". xD

Dunno if I will be able to maintain this weight tho but it would be ideal if I could. If not then no pressure. :D

Sooo

Overall, this was an experience that I will remember. It was good that I tried it and not force myself to do the things I wasn't comfortable of doing at that time (the IUD). With the increasing amount of teenage pregnancies and STDs in my country, it is important to slowly remove the stigma and educate ourselves with practicing safe sex.

I'm grateful to have found the right doctor for me who isn't judgmental as I've heard many times from different people that their doctors will deny them contraceptives just cos they're not married and the doctors are pushing their own outdated personal ideas to their patients. Pretty unprofessional tbh and they're part of the reason why we have these problems now. Don't even get me started with the morning-after pills still banned here in my country. :D

Despite that, I'm happy that we're very slowly removing that stigma and actually encourage men and women to do some family planning. We recently had free vasectomy a few weeks ago and there are free contraceptives in health centers and non-government organizations. People just need to stop being embarrassed and just go there if they need. There are still some judgmental people everywhere but who cares at this point tbh, still a lot better than having a child you can't feed.