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Taking the Pill makes women more likely to need the help of weight loss jabs to shift stubborn fat, a new study suggests.
Danish researchers found that women who’ve used hormonal birth control are up to 63 per cent more likely to be prescribed slimming injections like Wegovy and Ozempic in later life.
Those who try multiple contraceptives throughout life face a two-fold risk of using weight loss treatment.
Women have long reported weight changes after starting birth control, but scientific studies have yet to prove the link.
But the study authors, led by Copenhagen University Hospital, say their findings align with the experience of many women across the globe.
The findings echo the results of a study published last year in the National Library of Medicine that found 73 per cent of British women reported weight gain linked to taking the pill.
Some experts have suggested that the disruption of natural levels of oestrogen and progesterone caused by birth control can trigger water retention and a surge in appetite.
Around a quarter of UK women aged 16-49 use hormonal contraception, data suggests – most commonly the combined pill.
Women who have used hormonal contraceptives are far more likely to start weight-loss jabs than those who have not, a major study suggests
For the study, scientists analysed the health records of around 250,000 women in Denmark aged 12 to 49.
This included 22,694 women who, at some point, used semaglutide – otherwise known as Ozempic and Wegovy – and 229,640 who did not.
The researchers did not have access to every woman’s BMI information, but they noted that 75 per cent of the weight loss jab users were overweight or obese.
By comparison, only 11.5 per cent of women who did not start semaglutide were obese and about 20 per cent were overweight.
Their study looked at use of the combined pill, which contains the hormones oestrogen and a progestogen – the synthetic version of the hormone progesterone – and the mini pill, a tablet containing only a progestogen.
It also included hormonal intrauterine devices – known as coils – as well as implants, vaginal rings, and patches – all of which are used to prevent pregnancy.
The team discovered that women who had used the combined pill were 42 per cent more likely to start semaglutide.
Those who had taken the mini pill were 55 per cent more likely, while women who had used a hormonal coil were 63 per cent more likely.
Women who switched from the combined pill to the mini pill, meanwhile, were 64 per cent more likely, rising to 70 per cent among those who switched tablets in the opposite direction.
Those who switched from the combined pill to a hormonal coil were also 80 per cent more likely to start the weight loss injections.
The biggest link, however, appeared to come from women who had taken multiple different contraceptives, whose use of semaglutide was 111 per cent more likely.
The authors of the study – published in the journal Jama Network Open – suggested their findings could be explained by women on contraceptives having more facetime with healthcare professionals – and therefore increased opportunities to access weight loss treatment.
