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Published online 25 January 2006 | Nature | doi:10.1038/news060123-4

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Contraceptive pill 'does not cause weight gain'

Fattening fears are an 'urban myth', say medics.

The contraceptive pill does not cause women to put on weight, say researchers who have surveyed data from more than 40 studies.

"The word on the street is that if you take the pill, you're gonna get fat," says reproductive health expert David Grimes of Family Health International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

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