Should overweight women get larger dose of birth control pills?

[juventus]

Hello,

I read/heard that for women that are obese with a large BMI, the birth control pill is ineffective. If this is true, should we talk to our doctor about having a lrger dose of birth control as the regular.low dose ones may not be good enough?

[plusizetinkerbell]

Not sure what my BMI is but I am over weight and my doctor did put me on a higher dosage of birth control pills.. So there is such a thing..but would recommend you talk to your doctor about the side effects...and if a higher dosage is right for you. I have had no problems with the higher dosage... Except a less or sporting period. I have not gained any weight...actually have lost weight....but working out and diet can be the cause of that.

[thatquietgirl]

I don't know that there is a higher dose per se at this moment.  You'll have to ask your doctor about this and if there's any truth to what you've heard.  Keep in mind also that just because the BMI chart says someone's obese doesn't mean the person actually is at the percentage it displays.  It is a very flawed mechanism as it in no way differentiates between fat and muscle weight and only tests such as the pinch test will give you a *closer*-to-accurate view.

My assumption would be that IF obese people need a higher dose of birth control it would be quite a bit above the 30% range.  I was near that before I lost weight, and I didn't have any issue.

[juventus]

but will a higher dose help if a women is obese since I heard normal doses of Birth Control may be ineffective for obese women

Obese being BMI of I believe 27 and above

[thatquietgirl]

Addendum: I know Microgestin has two versions, but it's only a slight difference from what I understand.

[thatquietgirl]

Your doctor will know if it's needed and would have put you on a higher dose if it was necessary.  You can ask her and she will give you her reasoning.  I've never heard of anyone being on a higher dose of birth control, and I really don't think you'd need more hormones than anyone else to affect your cycle the way b.c. does.