Depo-provera

I have 2 daughters 15 1/2 months apart from each other. My husband and I also want 2 have more kids but we want to wait a while. My Midwife recommended the Mirena IUD. She said with me wanting more the Depo would be a last choice. The average time to concieve after going off the Depo is 18 months. With the Mirena it is 3 months. I was on the Minipill after I had my last daughter and then tried the Nuvaring which was also good. I just have a bad reaction to estrogen thats why we changed again. I've had my Mirena in since November and I love it. I would recommend the Mirena to anyone! I know a few people who were on the Depo shot and hated it, especially when they wanted to have another baby. Good luck!

Hi Lauren,

Get an IUD device or a cap.

Or let your husband use condoms.

All the Best. D.

I also heard the same things but I never gained any weight but my sister did....it depends on you. As far as having a baby I didnt have a problem! I was on it for 3 years and missed my exam so I couldnt get my next shot. They told me my chance of getting pregnant was slim to none, so being young and dumb my husband and I didnt really try to use other methods. Well I never got another shot because I never started my period.....I was pregnant with my 5 year old! But if I wanted to try again so soon I wouldnt even use birth control at all. You could use spermicides, condoms or have your husband "pull out", that way you wouldnt chance the birth control messing with conception. Good luck with your newborn!

I was on Depo for a while...a few years or more and I absolutely loved it. I had no reactions, no weight gain...nothing! It was the greatest thing ever! After not being on it, i think it took about 2 months to get my normal cycle back. It was a great method for me, and it takes affect immediately, unlike some other methods. But it sounds like everyone has different reactions to it. you may want to do a bit more research on it before you get your first injection. i know with ANY birth control it will take you longer to conceive than with nothing.

I took depo-provera for an entire year (September 2007 - August 2008)and it has it's pluses and minuses.

I have two sons 17 months apart. After my first son, I took the mini pill as I nursed and it's a pill that is safe while nursing. Because I worked part-time evenings 3-4 nights a week, I had an irregular sleep schedule and couldn't remember to take the mini pill at the same time every day and hence ended up pregnant again when my son was 8 months old.

After my 2nd son was born, I wanted something where I wouldn't have to worry about remembering to take a pill everyday, but yet was safe to breastfeed. My doctor told me about Depo-Provera.

The nice thing about Depo-Provera was that it was safe to nurse and I only had to worry about seeing the doctor once every 3 months.

The downside, I was very irregular. I spotted all the time. A single pantyliner got me through each day, but I was still able to tell when it was my normal monthly because I'd bleed a little heavier 2-3 days a month. I was also pretty moody most of the year. I had my good days and my bad, but little things would get me upset more easy.

Another big downside to the Depo-Provera shot is most doctors will only allow you take it for 2 years your entire lifetime. A potential side effect is osteoperosis (I don't know how to spell that), so even though you don't have to take birth control daily, most doctors recommend that you take a calcium supplement twice daily.

Overall, I had the nuisance of the bleeding all the time, but it was great peace of mind that I could nurse and wouldn't get pregnant while my little one was under 1. When my youngest turned 1 last August, I switched to Loestrin 24 and am so happy with that. I stopped nursing and I know when I want to get pregnant, I just need to stop taking the pills.

I gained 40 pounds in six weeks on Depo. When I stopped it in Jan 06,. it took until Sept 06 for me to have a period again. I got pregnant in Jan 07' and had my son in Oct 07'. Weighed 20 pounds less after giving birth than I did when I got pregnant. Got on pill, gained 20 pounds. Now I will not use hormone birth control. Sick of being overweight. It was nice not to have a period, but not nice to gain 40 pounds.

I went on Depo years ago and I gained almost 40 lbs! My Dr. took me off and it took a long time for the weight to come off. So my personal opinion is that I don't recommend it.

I do not recommed it to anyone. I used it for 6 months and gained 25 lbs before I stopped using it. I never lost that weight. There are many other from of Birth control out there. I used the Nuva Ring and really liked that one. If you dont wanna go with daily pills, I recommend Nuva Ring.
Good Luck with your quest.

I probably would not do this if I were you. My sister did and had a bad reaction(weight gain/depression) and you can't do anything but wait for it to wear off. I would also worry about conception if you are trying for another so soon. Why not just go on the pill?

I was on it years ago and at the time loved it because I didn't get my period every month. But then I realized that I was gaining a lot of weight so I stopped it. It took me a long time to take that weight off- I regret being on it.

Add another "Hated It" to the thread! I break thru bled for a year. Therefore I didn't have sex for a year (it was just too icky for me) and it seriously damaged our marriage. I'd try an IUD, when you take it out you can go straight to trying.

Hi Lauren,

I was on Depo for 6 months. I had a pretty negative experience but we are all different. I actually had bleeding for the entire 6 months.. most women get none, I had it every day! Also, tried to get pregnant after going off and it took more than a year and 2 months of clomid. Not sure if the depo was to blame but I suspected.
A girlfriend takes it and loves it. No side effects, no period. It is wonderful for her.

S.

I am currently on the depo, and after reading some of these other responces, I now know why I have gained weight and can't get rid of it ever though I have started going to the gym and dieting for some time. It also answers some other things that I can now contribute to the depo as side effects. I have had only 3 periods in the last 13 months, and all random, some lasting a few days, and one lasting 2 weeks and counting. So it really does mess up your cycles. And my husband has told me that my moods have changed alot. Now that I just put all the puzzle pieces together I am going to switch birth control.

I can only tell you of one person I knew who used it. She was a young co-worker some years back. She gained allot of weight, maybe 20-30 pounds, no matter what she ate, but the biggest problem she had was how it effected her mind. She was forgetful, easily distracted, silly and goofy at times for no apparent reason, emotional, you name it, she went through it. Her doctor kept saying to give it time. After 6 months she became a complete wreck crying all the time because she didn't recognize herself and the boss was beginning to wonder if she was doing drugs. I talked her into going off the meds and she immediately dropped weight and became her old self.

Now, with all that said, this was several years ago and I'm assuming this would be an extreme case of side effects. I would suggest that if you start seeing any side effects to immediately go off and try again.

Oh, and on a side note, she rarely had periods and after going off of this she had a surprise pregnancy!

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat
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If you want another child, I DO NOT RECOMMEND DEPO_PROVERA!!!!

It took me years to conceive after getting off Depo, it might have been ME, but I did not have regular cycles for at least two years after being on Depo for 2 years.

Try something else, a pill or a blocking method if you can. Good luck!

I don't recommend depo. A lot of my friends who took it experienced those same side effects including "delayed" fertility (my term) - a friend gained some 40 lbs...
If you want to have another baby soon I'd stick to something non chemical or the standard pill since it clears the body quite a bit faster.
I hope you find a suitable answer.

Get off it as soon as possible!

I was on depo for 6 months and it didn't work for me though I hear really great things about it. I gained at least a pound a month which came off right away once I was off it, and the first three months I had a period for a week. The second three months I had my period for a month and it got heavy. At that point my dr took me off it and put me on a pill which has worked great. I am done having children though so I didn't have to worry about long term effects. Good luck!

I just heard on a program this morning that once you stop the depo treatment, it may take 6 months to a year to start ovulating again and I believe it. I had one shot only April 08 and I did not receive start ovulating again until 12/08.

Lauren,

If you want to have another baby in a short amount of time, ie a year, don't take depo. I gained 89 pounds the first year I was on it. Once I got off of it my periods were all messed. I was really depressed a lot and to top it all off I had two miscarriages after being off of depo. I warn everyone against the shot. Never let your doctor put you on something without researching it first. I warn all my friends to never take the depo shot. My one friend really likes the ring & another one is on the patch. Look into those options. Good luck and enjoy your new baby!!

My doctor also put me on depo after my 6 weeks. I had trouble with getting the right kind of birth control pills in the past because they all caused me to have hypertension(which I didn't while I was pregnant) and some caused me to gain lots of weight.
But depo was not good for me at all. I bled for about 8-9 weeks straight as soon as I started and I gained about 10 lbs within a month(I was on my way to lose some weight, but I gained even more back!).
I know different people react differently, but this was definitely for me and I regret being on that even I only got one shot.

I had a bad experience too, some bleeding, dryness, no libido, and even though I only had two shots it took at least 6 months for my cycle to regulate itself again.

I recommend the Nuva Ring -- I spoke with my midwife during my last gynie exam and I said that we may want to have another in a year or so and she said that depo wouldn't be a good option, nor would the IUD. I loved the Nuva Ring. At first I didn't know what to expect but it was extremely easy to use. The only downside is that three weeks would roll around so quickly! Then you take it out have a period and put one back in another week. This can be logistically challenging but well worth it every other respect.

Well first, everyones body acts different to the shot. I know with me I gained weight that i have not been able to get off and that has been over 6years ago. Also I was having break threw bleeding. More like spotting between periods. To a point that i wasn't sure what was normal and what wasn't anymore. Have you tried the nuva ring? That was nice and didn't take long for me to get prego when I stopped it both times.

I did not get my period while I was on Depo-Provera. I had my last shot in October and did not get my period again until the next September. I conceived my son that March, a year and a half after my shot. I would not recommend Depo-Provera if you'd like to get pregnant in a year.

Why not try Natural Family Planning? It is totally safe, in line with God's plan and has no negative side effects. Women do not understand the danger of chemical birth control. It is unhealthy for the body--may cause very early abortion, which is related to breast cancer. Do the research with an open mind and heart. Children are a blessing from the Lord. Our bodies are made beautifully, why do women want to chemically pollute it? Good luck. You are in my prayers.
J.