Survey study, 2011
Does being on the birth control pill change how food cravings and hunger shift across the month?
Cravings and eating patterns were similar whether or not women were on the pill, both rising before and during the period. Hunger timing differed slightly: non-pill users felt hungrier only before their period, pill users felt hungrier both before and during the hormone-free bleed.
What they did
Researchers asked 67 women not using oral contraceptives and 81 women using oral contraceptives to look back and rate their food cravings, hunger, and amount eaten at different points across the menstrual cycle or pill cycle. They also looked at whether eating disorder related attitudes were linked to these ups and downs.
What they found
Both groups reported more food cravings and more food eaten in the week before and the week of their period or withdrawal bleed. Non-pill users felt hungrier only the week before their period, but pill users felt hungrier both the week before and during the withdrawal bleed. Fear of fatness and other eating disorder related traits were linked to bigger increases in cravings, hunger, and amount eaten before the period in non-pill users, but not in pill users.
What it means for you
The pattern of eating changes around the period looks fairly similar whether or not someone is on the pill, but the timing of hunger and its link to eating disorder traits may differ. Because this relied on women remembering and rating their own past experiences rather than tracking in real time, and did not follow anyone over time, the findings are an early clue rather than proof.
67
Women not using the pill
81
Women using the pill
About the study
- Original title
- Eating disorder pathology and menstrual cycle fluctuations in eating variables in oral contraceptive users and non-users
- Authors
- McVay MA, Copeland AL, Geiselman PJ
- Journal
- Eating behaviors
- Year
- 2011
- Study design
- Survey study
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2010.11.005
Topics
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