Steeplechaser07 you are exactly right. As another avid female runner, some of these comments are simply absurd. Studies on female athletes have actually shown that oral contraceptives may improve rather than hinder performance. For example, they may help reduce the incidence of stress fractures in female athletes. http://web.stanford.edu/~kcobb/bfit/book/ Either way, most low hormone OC pills now cause very minimal weight gain, if any.