Apr 09
30
Birth Control Pills May Interfere with Muscle Building
Well, we’ve all heard of some friends that claim that being on the pill has made them gain weight, or maybe even in some cases increased the size of their breasts, but also various other parts of their body to their dismay, but there is new research coming out now that is showing that if you’re wanting one of those toned, sculpted and muscular physiques, and have been training to get that kind of body, then you may need to kick your oral contraceptive to the curb unfortunately. While there are other methods of birth control that are fairly effective, there are none yet that are as easy or as consistently effective as the oral contraceptive.
Believe me, when there is, I will be the first in line to get it, as I can’t stand being on the pill. The only thing it does for me is give me timely periods and help keep my skin clear, oh and not make me worry about getting pregnant. But other than that, I feel like it kills my libido and I also do feel that it makes it easier for me to gain weight and may even impact my food cravings. Tell that to any gynecologist though, especially a male gyno, and he’ll probably look at you with a condescending look (I had this happen, I’m not saying they’re all like that, but some definitely are).
The research that has come out on the pill shows that women who were put through a strength and muscle building training program, when divided into two groups, one that is on an oral contraceptive, and another that is not, the women in the non-oral contraceptive taking group gained almost 60% more muscle mass than those that were on the pill. Pretty depressing news if you’re on the pill, and happen to be training your little butt off to get those beautiful, sculpted muscles.
The reason they think this happens, but have not been able to be conclusive on this yet, is that the birth control pill increases estrogen and decreases testosterone. Testosterone is the primary muscle building hormone, and estrogen is a prime component in fat storage unfortunately, so those that are on the pill are supposedly at an automatic disadvantage when it comes to building those sleek, firm, muscles on their arms, legs and belly area.
There will be more to come on this study, but right now it looks like the results are pretty clear cut. Hmm, can I use this as an excuse that I don’t yet have those Jennifer Aniston sculpted arms yet even though I’ve been training for three months? 
