Seeking an Alternative to the Pill? My Personal Experience with Depo Provera

Birth control is such an important part of so many women's lives that it is very important that women understand their many options. Many women know about the pill, but what about the other options. In this article, I will explain the pros and cons of Depo Provera.

When I decided that I needed birth control, I knew that I couldn't take the Pill. There was no way I was going to remember to take a pill every day. I decided that I needed another option. I was lucky. I was in college at the time so I was able to turn to my University's Student Health Center. I was looking for something that I did not need to think about. When I told this to my doctor, she suggested that I tried Depo-Provera. It is an injection that you take once every 12 weeks. The shot is usually given in the upper arm or the butt. It is a progestin shot that works to suppress ovulation. It maybe also thicken the mucus in the cervices so the sperm cannot reach the egg or thin the lining of the uterine so the egg cannot attach itself and grow.

At first, I thought I had found the perfect method. I only had to think about it once every three months and when I visited home I don't have to worry about my parents finding my pills. I soon found that not everything was perfect. The first problem was remembering to go to the doctors. Yeah great I didn't have to worry about the pill every day, but I had nothing to remind me about my appointment to get my shot. I would end up missing my shots and having to restart the treatment again. That meant I had to use an alternative birth control method until the shot kicked in.

Next was the price. There are a lot of programs to help low income women pay for the Pill, but unfortunately those programs don't exist for Depo. A three months supply of Depo, one injection, ended up costing me 40% more than a three month supply of the Pill. When you are a college sophomore price is a very important factor.

The cost wasn't the worst thing. There were significant changes to my body. My period became very irregular and eventually I just stop having a period. At first I was terrified. Every time my period didn't come on time, I thought I was pregnant. Eventually I stopped panicking. It was liberating to be free from my period- no pads or tampons, but my enthusiasm from being period free didn't last long. I was worried that something was wrong, plus I was getting different reactions from the doctors and nurses at the student health center. Some were saying that it was okay that I didn't have my period and that it was a normal side effect of the Depo. Others were saying that I should be worried because I should shed my uterine lining every three months.

Eventually my fears got the best of me. I missed an appointment and I decided to stop using the Depo. Unfortunately, the side effects did not stop there. It took nine months for my periods to return. I had a normal period for about six months, but then everything went downhill. I didn't stop bleeding for six months. Eventually my doctor prescribed a different birth control to control the bleeding. While the Depo had a few pros, I felt that cons far outweigh them. I was still having problems with my period for a few years after getting off the Depo. Not every woman will have the same problems as me, but I hope this article helps you make an