overweight=not so effective?

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-30-2004
overweight=not so effective?
4
Sat, 05-22-2004 - 10:42pm
I just saw a thing on my local news about the pill being less effective for women who are overweight. I guess some doc in Seattle did a study ( I don't know how big) and her classification for overweight was 155+. It said that those people who were within their ideal weight by 30lbs or less had an effectiveness of only 95%, an increase (according to the study), of 60% more likely to get preg. Has anyone heard of this?! I am overweight by a lot more than 30lbs, so needless to say I am a *bit* concerned. It went on to say that since more fat = more estrogen, essentially the pills can just be absorbed. Any advice would be fantastic!!
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Sat, 05-22-2004 - 11:19pm
Reread that again-- ONE researcher (she's a Ph'D, not a physician) found, through asking subjects questions after a prior study, determined that --statistically-- the women in her group that got pregnant on the pill weighed 155 pounds or more. She did not do a study on how effective the pill is for various weights!

Reading this article may make you feel better: http://www.contraceptiononline.org/contrareport/article01.cfm?art=261

In my own experience being here, doing my own research on the pill, and watching the nightly news, I'd say that women's magazines and my local news are about equal as far as reporting just enough information to incite a riot and leaving out the stuff that doesn't cause alarm. I don't trust the mass media to accurately report anything, particularly if it involves medicine or technology!

I hope that helps you, I've been "battling" this issue since it was first reported in the October 2002 Cosmo, at least now Contraception Online has an article about it! :)

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-30-2004
Mon, 05-24-2004 - 5:44pm
This is a transcript from the feature I saw, yes, it was very fast, as you will see. I am not all freaked out about it, but concerned enough. I talked to my dr today and she said that it is totally possible for it not to be as effective, and I asked her why she hadn't mentioned this to me before, and she said she didn't feel the need to raise the subject. I lost all trust in her at that moment. I felt very let down that she didn't see my being at a greater risk for pregnancy was not worth mentioning, when it was obviously one of two reasons I wanted on it.

" IT'S THE LAST THING ANY WOMAN ON BIRTH CONTROL WANTS TO HEAR

THAT THE MORE YOU WEIGH - THE LESS EFFECTIVE THE PILL IS.

AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT SEATTLE RESEARCHER VICTORIA HOLT FOUND IN A FIRST OF ITS KIND OF STUDY....

...WOMEN WHO ARE OVERWEIGHT HAVE A GREATER CHANCE OF GETTING PREGNANT WHILE ON THE PILL...

THIS STUDY IS GETTING A LOT OF ATTENTION - JUST OPEN UP YOUR FAVORITE MAGAZINE.

(VICTORIA HOLT "we did find that women over 155 pounds or so had a 60% higher risk of getting pregnant while using the pill")

WHEN DRUG COMPANIES TEST THE PILL - IT'S EFFECTIVE OVER 99% OF THE TIME.

BUT WHEN REAL WOMEN USE IT - IN REAL LIFE ...IT WORKS 97% OF THE TIME.

HOLT FOUND THAT IF YOU WEIGH OVER 155 POUNDS - THE PILL ONLY WORKS 95% OF THE TIME.

(VICTORIA HOLT " so it's still a very effective birth control method it's just not as effective as one might believe")

THE TREND IN BIRTH CONTROL PILLS IS TAKE THE LOWEST DOSE POSSIBLE - BUT IF YOU'RE

OVERWEIGHT THAT LOWER DOSE MAY GIVE YOU AN UNPLANNED PREGNANCY.

THAT'S BECUASE THE PILL METABOLIZES DIFFENTLY IN OVERWEIGHT PEOPLE - IT CAN ACTUALLY STOP WORKING AND GET STORED IN THE FAT...

(VICTORIA HOLT "and therefore they have a lower dose in their bloodstream")

(ROBIN COLE "but it's still better then nothing")

DR ROBIN COLE WITH SWEEDISH MEDICAL CENTER AGREES WITH THE STUDY BUT WAS SURPRISED TO FIND OUT WHAT CLASSIFIES AS 'OVERWEIGHT'

(ROBIN COLE "the weight they stated in the article was 155 pounds most people would not consider that to be obese or overweight so we have a huge population of women that could potentially have an unplanned pregnancy") "

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-01-2004
Fri, 06-04-2004 - 11:35am
I agree with your post about one person's research. However, I wouldn't compare the Ph.D. to a Doctor. In my undergraduate career I was exposed to both and I have met people who were accpeted into medical school that seriously scared me inside (these people are becoming doctors). Likewise, some Ph.D. students are not meant for their program of study.

As a Ph.D. student, the partner of one, and the daughter of one, I get upset by people who undermine the degree. In all of our cases, we three have worked very hard to make materials for the greater good of medicine. Our degree takes an extreme amount of effort and stress. Additionally, I tend not to rely on data from "just a doctor." There are medical Ph.D.s (even combo M.D. Ph.D. degrees) who have been trained in the art of research.

Sorry to rant, it just upsets me when I get comments like "not a doctor" made about me. My partner had plans to be a doctor and he would make and excellent doctor...however, he has a passion for our degree and he switched fields (though he still may go to medical school). It is very annoying how people look at him and say "oh what are you going to do with that" when they find out he switched. Excuse me, but it is Ph.D.s who do the research that doctors implement. Each are capable in their own feild and each are essential to what we know as modern medicine today.

But I will say that you are COMPLETELY right about this being only one person's research. Findings are best when they are repeatable.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Fri, 06-04-2004 - 2:06pm
Did someone undermine the validity of a Ph'D? I know I made the statement that Dr. Holt was a Ph'D and not a physician, but I never stated that one was preferential to the other. The background of the researcher may very well influence the results of any study (because of how the study was constructed, its purpose, etc.), which is why the differentiation was relevant. This particular study _was not_ a specific study on how effective the pill is in women of various weights.

The interesting thing about message boards is that one never knows the background of the person writing each post...degrees of education and professional licenses aren't automatically obvious, but that doesn't mean that they aren't there...

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control