My Experience with Depo-Provera

Depo-Provera is a tri-monthly progestin shot used for birth control purposes. It can have many side effects, including stopping the menstrual cycle. Some women experience significant weight gain while on Depo. It also causes temporary bone loss which can be combated by taking a calcium supplement. Bone density will return once a woman stops taking the shot. Once the shot is injected, there is no way to stop the effects until the injection wears off three months later. A woman simply needs to not get the next shot and the Depo will leave her system gradually over time. It may take several months for the menstrual cycle to return and for conception to occur. There is a two week window in which to get subsequent shots. If the next shot is not given within that window, the contraceptive effects may be compromised and break through bleeding may occur.

My first experience with Depo was in July 2003. Much to my delight, my menstrual period ceased within weeks of getting the shot. This might bother some women, but for those with severe cramps and pain every month, it is a blessing. The only negative aspect that came along with my first Depo shot was heavier than usual hair loss, a known side effect. I only stayed on the shot for those first three months. The hair loss was bothering me and I ended a relationship and was no longer sexually active.

Going off the shot that first time was a horrible experience. My menstrual cycle returned with a vengeance. I was bleeding heavily and constantly for more than three weeks with no signs of stopping. I finally contacted Planned Parenthood, who had given me the shot to begin with, and explained my situation. They seemed uninterested and unsympathetic to my situation. I was offered an appointment nearly a week away. Not satisfied with that, I went to the office and spoke to a nurse practitioner right at the sign-in window. She took my concern seriously and offered to see me right then. She explained that menstrual cycle irregularity can often be fixed with a one month supply of estrogen birth control pills. Due to my migraines, she was unwilling to prescribe them to me because estrogen can double the risk of stroke in women who have migraines with aura (hallucinations and sensory issues). She advised me to take 600mg of ibuprofen three times daily for about a week to stop the bleeding. It worked and I went on with my life.

I tried Depo a second time in January 2006 after an unsuccessful try at progestin-only birth control pills (often called the minipill). This time around there was no hair loss. My menstrual cycle also disappeared almost immediately. I have kept up on my shots this time. I get my shot on the first day of the two week window in order to prevent break through bleeding and have so far been successful. I have had no negative side effects from the shot and will continue to take it as long as I can.