The pill ‘does not cause weight gain’

Women will not lose weight fast simply by stopping taking the contraceptive pill, a study has shown.

Ingela Lindh, a researcher from the University of Gothenburg, looked at 1,749 women and found that those who were on the pill did not put on any more weight before the age of 34 than their peers who were not on the oral contraceptive.

Ms Lindh, who is a registered midwife and researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy, also found that the combined pill is the most widely used contraceptive up to the age of 29.

“It’s important to let women know that the pill doesn’t affect their weight, as there’s a real fear that they will put on weight, especially among young women, and this can be one of the reasons why they don’t want to go on the pill,” she said.

Ms Lindh said that physicians should tell young women about the importance of lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise when giving advice about different types of contraception.

Last month, researchers from Sapienza University in Rome revealed that younger doctors offer less weight loss advice to their patients than their older colleagues.