I would really be careful about going off the BC pill with a history of atrophy, if you have a good OBGYN he/she would be a great resource to explore alternatives that work for you. My mother went of the BC pill, even under the supervision of her OBGYN, and she ended up having a bleed that caused her to lose about 1/2 of her blood and required an emergency hysterectomy. She was very weak for months after and lost 30 pounds off her 120-pound frame, is was very scary and a really awful experience for her.

Birth control pills, which have been blamed for weight gain and the creation of "stubborn weight", have actually shown to have way a less of an impact on weight than previously believed. Especially with the low-estrogen pills, it probably has a relatively low impact on your weight.

That being said, I have been off the BC pill for two years because I found that for some reason it created a lot of depression during PMS that was starting to interfere with my life. So, hopefully you have a good OBGYN that can supervise that transition if you'd like to be off the BC pill! Otherwise, if you have a healthy lifestyle, and are a non-smoker, the BC pill may be worth the benefits you get from allowing you to lead an unhindered life.

It sounds like you do need the estrogen therapy. I've been on prescriptions that also increase my tendency to gain and keep weight, but it is possible to work through them, or to counteract them with other drugs. I've had some success with coffee aiding my morning IF, as well as the appetite suppressant effects of Wellbutrin.

Don't let your vagina fall off for the possibility of losing a few more pounds! There are other ways. Redouble your efforts.

Try to find an OBGYN who works with post-menopausal women, ideally one who IS post-menopausal woman (or who is old enough to be heading that way soon). Most of them will be open to bioidentical and topical hormone supplementation.

Switch to bioidentical hormones and exercise. I went off the bcp this past May after 7 years and will never take chemical hormones ever again. BHRT isn't for everyone but I feel good about it and would not want to live life with even moderately low hormones. If you are a blood type O increase your butter some or at least make sure you eat plenty of saturated fat since cholesterol is a hormonal precusor.

You might want to read Healthy Sexy Happy by Nancy Deville, a "real food" advocate whose diet is Weston Price based. She uses BHRT.

http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sexy-Happy-Thrilling-Ultimate/dp/160832138X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319834092&sr=8-1

http://www.matakanasuperfoods.com/ms/products/suma.html Suma root powder is one of the best sources of sapponins, plant sterols and b-ectosterol - all help support male and female hormones.The link above has a lot of third party and pub med reseach links if you want to check that out.