Expert: Norman Solberg - 4/1/2011

Question
I'm 46 and stopped taking birth control pills approx. 3-4 weeks ago. Since then I've had an increase in my appetite. Could this change in appetite be from quitting the pill?

Answer
An increase in appetite would be an unusual symptom from stopping the pill.  Once a woman goes off the pill, her own hormones take over.  Hormones can have some effect on appetite, but usually it's minimal.  I think it's more likely that your increase in appetite is from something else, but it might be from stopping the pill.  If it persists, the way to know would be to go back on the pill and see if that makes a difference.