Official Depo Thread

[jme84]

Thanks guys! I have lost all trust in the first response digital opks. Past two days I have gotten "?" instead of yes no.

 

[sammyjo]

Hello everybody. I'm new here, and glad I found somewhere where I can chat and vent to people with similar experiences. (Also, I'm new to a lot of the initials for things so it might take me a minute to understand everything.)


Time on depo: 3 months
End date: April 2010
Time it took AF to come back: January 2011
Time it took to regulate: February '11 (mostly regular, but a little wacky)
bfp: never (not including the mc I experienced BEFORE depo)


I will try to make this short, even though its rather complex.
We all know how depo can affect our bodies, our recovery, self esteem, and even relationships.... Because of that one shot, it became the root of all me and my hubbys problems. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to jump into bed with him before the depo shot. So we have been experiencing... a very negative sex life. Not only have we lacked physical connection, due to loss of libido, but mainly due to vaginal dryness. I never had the problem in my life before, why I made the decision to get the shot right after the best person I've ever met walks right into my life, I'll never know. But it has been tearing us apart. For the longest time, he took it personally. We all know that thats not the case... In short. Because of these physical and emotional weights, my self-esteem is shot, along with my confidence... my sex life the majority of the time leaves me crying either during or after. I've had to try to mentally shut both out negative feelings out- which bottle up and explode shortly after! but on occasion, fireworks spark. But its like I have to focus, SO... HARD... just to get a little wet down there. I wish I could explain how this has really affected me, my husband, and our relationship.

We just got married in April.... and this is supposed to be one of the happiest moments in our lives... but its been... dissapointing. More because I feel like, less of a woman, and that I can't satisfy his needs... almost like I cannot meet his standards... I feel like total crap most the time. It takes a lot of my energy to start everyday trying to be as positive as I can, but end up getting teared down usually by the end of the day.
My heart hurts.

 

[sherylb]

I can't help you with most of your problem but I do have a suggestion. There is a fertility lubricant called pre-seed. We got one tube of it (the non-premeasured one) and it is still sitting mostly full on our bedside. It will help a lot with the dryness. And most other lubes act as a barrier to sperm so this may also be causing an issue if you are using anything now.

Added later: You will see on the instructions that they want you to insert it before but it worked for us just fine externally. A little bit goes a long way and if we use too much it makes it difficult for DH (dear hubby) to finish.

 

[Mommy2be20]

Hello everybody. I'm new here, and glad I found somewhere where I can chat and vent to people with similar experiences. (Also, I'm new to a lot of the initials for things so it might take me a minute to understand everything.)


Time on depo: 3 months
End date: April 2010
Time it took AF to come back: January 2011
Time it took to regulate: February '11 (mostly regular, but a little wacky)
bfp: never (not including the mc I experienced BEFORE depo)


I will try to make this short, even though its rather complex.
We all know how depo can affect our bodies, our recovery, self esteem, and even relationships.... Because of that one shot, it became the root of all me and my hubbys problems. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to jump into bed with him before the depo shot. So we have been experiencing... a very negative sex life. Not only have we lacked physical connection, due to loss of libido, but mainly due to vaginal dryness. I never had the problem in my life before, why I made the decision to get the shot right after the best person I've ever met walks right into my life, I'll never know. But it has been tearing us apart. For the longest time, he took it personally. We all know that thats not the case... In short. Because of these physical and emotional weights, my self-esteem is shot, along with my confidence... my sex life the majority of the time leaves me crying either during or after. I've had to try to mentally shut both out negative feelings out- which bottle up and explode shortly after! but on occasion, fireworks spark. But its like I have to focus, SO... HARD... just to get a little wet down there. I wish I could explain how this has really affected me, my husband, and our relationship.

We just got married in April.... and this is supposed to be one of the happiest moments in our lives... but its been... dissapointing. More because I feel like, less of a woman, and that I can't satisfy his needs... almost like I cannot meet his standards... I feel like total crap most the time. It takes a lot of my energy to start everyday trying to be as positive as I can, but end up getting teared down usually by the end of the day.
My heart hurts.

Welcome :wave: and so sorry you've had such a rough time, my goodness. But you've come to the right place, you'll find lots of support and advice in here, these ladies are fantastic.
Quick background on me, I also had gotten the shot as soon as I met my OH (other half), I bled almost nonstop for quite sometime which affected our sex life tremendously, I also felt like less of a woman
Once you really regulate again and that nasty Depo is gone, everything will feel so much better. And if you're ttc, I'd recommend looking into PreSeed (it's lube that doesn't harm sperm and mimics our body's natural fertile secretions, so it can actually help keep spermy alive until ovulation as well as help the dryness). Depo is a terrible drug, I don't think there's one single lady in here (pregnant or not) that does not regret having the shot! Just keep your chin up, it'll get better, it just takes lots of patience, but we're all here for eachother

 

[sammyjo]

Thanks, yeah I've heard of that stuff. I was going to buy some at Walgreens today, but they were all out! (figures, right.)
I know this may sound gross, but I heard of this working for lots of women who are dry, if you do it right, it's not so risky unless you're really prone to infections.

But you know how our cm during ovulation is called ewcm...
You get out an egg, (preferably organic, vegetarian-fed), let it sit out for about an hour till it gets room temp, then crack it, remove the yolk, and insert the eggwhites inside you. (You must take extra caution when doing so, once the egg is cracked, you must insert it no later than a few minutes, or you're at risk for an infection.. which is the last thing you want to do while ttc.)

Of course I'd be much more comfortable with the pre-seed... which I do intend to get my hands on asap.

 

[sammyjo]

Hello everybody. I'm new here, and glad I found somewhere where I can chat and vent to people with similar experiences. (Also, I'm new to a lot of the initials for things so it might take me a minute to understand everything.)


Time on depo: 3 months
End date: April 2010
Time it took AF to come back: January 2011
Time it took to regulate: February '11 (mostly regular, but a little wacky)
bfp: never (not including the mc I experienced BEFORE depo)


I will try to make this short, even though its rather complex.
We all know how depo can affect our bodies, our recovery, self esteem, and even relationships.... Because of that one shot, it became the root of all me and my hubbys problems. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to jump into bed with him before the depo shot. So we have been experiencing... a very negative sex life. Not only have we lacked physical connection, due to loss of libido, but mainly due to vaginal dryness. I never had the problem in my life before, why I made the decision to get the shot right after the best person I've ever met walks right into my life, I'll never know. But it has been tearing us apart. For the longest time, he took it personally. We all know that thats not the case... In short. Because of these physical and emotional weights, my self-esteem is shot, along with my confidence... my sex life the majority of the time leaves me crying either during or after. I've had to try to mentally shut both out negative feelings out- which bottle up and explode shortly after! but on occasion, fireworks spark. But its like I have to focus, SO... HARD... just to get a little wet down there. I wish I could explain how this has really affected me, my husband, and our relationship.

We just got married in April.... and this is supposed to be one of the happiest moments in our lives... but its been... dissapointing. More because I feel like, less of a woman, and that I can't satisfy his needs... almost like I cannot meet his standards... I feel like total crap most the time. It takes a lot of my energy to start everyday trying to be as positive as I can, but end up getting teared down usually by the end of the day.
My heart hurts.

Welcome :wave: and so sorry you've had such a rough time, my goodness. But you've come to the right place, you'll find lots of support and advice in here, these ladies are fantastic.
Quick background on me, I also had gotten the shot as soon as I met my OH (other half), I bled almost nonstop for quite sometime which affected our sex life tremendously, I also felt like less of a woman
Once you really regulate again and that nasty Depo is gone, everything will feel so much better. And if you're ttc, I'd recommend looking into PreSeed (it's lube that doesn't harm sperm and mimics our body's natural fertile secretions, so it can actually help keep spermy alive until ovulation as well as help the dryness). Depo is a terrible drug, I don't think there's one single lady in here (pregnant or not) that does not regret having the shot! Just keep your chin up, it'll get better, it just takes lots of patience, but we're all here for eachother

Aw why couldnt I have found this place sooner. Have you really read into depo? How they used to give it to sex offenders/rapists to reduce their libido, and also in some places make women and men infertile. I can't remember exactly where I found that piece of info... But I try not to think too much about the mistake I made and focus on becoming as healthy as possible.
I also have a terrible anxiety of another mc. <-- that being said, I'm afraid my anxiety/stress will play a big role in the first tri-mester, when I do conceive... I am hoping soon though, bc I'm starting to think theres something wrong with me! --Like maybe I'm not O'ing. I just today bought the Answers brand of ovulation test strips... I've heard a lot of good reviews, but also a lot of bad. And if some of the more expensive ones arent working for you guys... I may have just wasted 20 bucks.

 

[Mommy2be20]

Aw why couldnt I have found this place sooner. Have you really read into depo? How they used to give it to sex offenders/rapists to reduce their libido, and also in some places make women and men infertile. I can't remember exactly where I found that piece of info... But I try not to think too much about the mistake I made and focus on becoming as healthy as possible.
I also have a terrible anxiety of another mc. <-- that being said, I'm afraid my anxiety/stress will play a big role in the first tri-mester, when I do conceive... I am hoping soon though, bc I'm starting to think theres something wrong with me! --Like maybe I'm not O'ing. I just today bought the Answers brand of ovulation test strips... I've heard a lot of good reviews, but also a lot of bad. And if some of the more expensive ones arent working for you guys... I may have just wasted 20 bucks.

YES, I have read that before!! It absolutely DISGUSTED me!!! I'm sorry, but us women should NOT be offered (or in some cases, including mine, pushed) onto a drug that is used for such things!
And, I can relate to your anxiety/stress.. I actually have an anxiety disorder .. along with a past ectopic pregnancy.. here I am in early pregnancy again and terrified of losing my last tube. BUT you just have to have faith and stay positive.. it's really not that bad, you kinda get caught up in being so happy, you just go with it.
Also, I swore by CB Digi OPKs.. I loved the smiley and I didn't have to stare at lines and guess, but I also used IC's (internet cheapies) one month to see what my lines looked like, they were clear positives too, no guessing. You may wanna play around, try different kinds, but you'll find one you like the best soon enough.

 

[sammyjo]

Aw why couldnt I have found this place sooner. Have you really read into depo? How they used to give it to sex offenders/rapists to reduce their libido, and also in some places make women and men infertile. I can't remember exactly where I found that piece of info... But I try not to think too much about the mistake I made and focus on becoming as healthy as possible.
I also have a terrible anxiety of another mc. <-- that being said, I'm afraid my anxiety/stress will play a big role in the first tri-mester, when I do conceive... I am hoping soon though, bc I'm starting to think theres something wrong with me! --Like maybe I'm not O'ing. I just today bought the Answers brand of ovulation test strips... I've heard a lot of good reviews, but also a lot of bad. And if some of the more expensive ones arent working for you guys... I may have just wasted 20 bucks.

YES, I have read that before!! It absolutely DISGUSTED me!!! I'm sorry, but us women should NOT be offered (or in some cases, including mine, pushed) onto a drug that is used for such things!
And, I can relate to your anxiety/stress.. I actually have an anxiety disorder .. along with a past ectopic pregnancy.. here I am in early pregnancy again and terrified of losing my last tube. BUT you just have to have faith and stay positive.. it's really not that bad, you kinda get caught up in being so happy, you just go with it.
Also, I swore by CB Digi OPKs.. I loved the smiley and I didn't have to stare at lines and guess, but I also used IC's (internet cheapies) one month to see what my lines looked like, they were clear positives too, no guessing. You may wanna play around, try different kinds, but you'll find one you like the best soon enough.

And sadly, doctors that convince us into taking this shot, MUST know all about it. I can't imagine they're THAT ignorent. I mean, its their job to know, right.
It is my first time using OPKs. I hope the lines arent too confusing.
So... my shot was supposed wear of last late July. So, it being days from when it was supposed to wear off, do you think I'm ovulating by now? I've been getting mostly regular periods for about 7 months now... so I like to think that I've been ovulating at least for a few months, I just havent been able to notice any ewcm, of course, being all dried up n all.

BUT.... I am kind of secretly hoping that I'll miss AF this cycle... I was able to produce some CM and have more enjoyable sex this month.. a few times around when I was expecting O... I am supposed to start in about a week. Annddd... yesterday, I had such a small amount of darkbrown discharge/or spotting, that it didn't even come out. (I do daily cm checks.) So no blood or discharge or whatever it was was visable on the outside.. I was kind of hoping it was implantation bleeding. (but knowing to not get hopes up.)

 

[sammyjo]

I also was 'pushed' into getting the shot. My doctor made me feel like a irresponsible young lady otherwise. I just have never liked the thought of using chemicals to prevent what is completely natural. It's not... natural. I have tried many birth controls, and been lied to many times about them.
My first pregnancy, was unexpected. They gave me the pill, Lutera, which is a lower dose of hormones. Told me it takes a week to kick it. Ok. Well I'm pg. Then MC. Then find out only recently that that specific pill takes two weeks to kick it-- BUT WAIT! From another doc, it takes 1 month. So I'm like... ??? I could have prevented all this heartbreak if it werent for you assholes...

 

[Mommy2be20]

And sadly, doctors that convince us into taking this shot, MUST know all about it. I can't imagine they're THAT ignorent. I mean, its their job to know, right.
It is my first time using OPKs. I hope the lines arent too confusing.
So... my shot was supposed wear of last late July. So, it being days from when it was supposed to wear off, do you think I'm ovulating by now? I've been getting mostly regular periods for about 7 months now... so I like to think that I've been ovulating at least for a few months, I just havent been able to notice any ewcm, of course, being all dried up n all.

BUT.... I am kind of secretly hoping that I'll miss AF this cycle... I was able to produce some CM and have more enjoyable sex this month.. a few times around when I was expecting O... I am supposed to start in about a week. Annddd... yesterday, I had such a small amount of darkbrown discharge/or spotting, that it didn't even come out. (I do daily cm checks.) So no blood or discharge or whatever it was was visable on the outside.. I was kind of hoping it was implantation bleeding. (but knowing to not get hopes up.)

I'm gonna assume they know.. like you said, it's their JOB to know!
If you've had fairly regular cycles for that long now, I'm gonna say it's quite safe to say that you're prob O'ing by now, I can't see why not! Also, from my experience, not every woman gets EWCM, I've never had it before.. I'd get a bit more clear stuff, but nothing like what I could stretch between my fingers.. so don't sweat it if you don't get it, that's totally ok.
Fx'd (fingers crossed) that was implantation bleeding! Keep us posted

 

[sherylb]

If you would like to confirm that you are indeed ovulating you should look into charting. OPKs can read the hormone levels but they don't mean that you actually have ovulated. When you chart your temperature every morning you will see a pattern when you ovulate and shows the temperature and chemical levels being related. I think if you did it a few days before you expect to ovulate and a few days after that would probably be enough to confirm.

 

[sammyjo]

And sadly, doctors that convince us into taking this shot, MUST know all about it. I can't imagine they're THAT ignorent. I mean, its their job to know, right.
It is my first time using OPKs. I hope the lines arent too confusing.
So... my shot was supposed wear of last late July. So, it being days from when it was supposed to wear off, do you think I'm ovulating by now? I've been getting mostly regular periods for about 7 months now... so I like to think that I've been ovulating at least for a few months, I just havent been able to notice any ewcm, of course, being all dried up n all.

BUT.... I am kind of secretly hoping that I'll miss AF this cycle... I was able to produce some CM and have more enjoyable sex this month.. a few times around when I was expecting O... I am supposed to start in about a week. Annddd... yesterday, I had such a small amount of darkbrown discharge/or spotting, that it didn't even come out. (I do daily cm checks.) So no blood or discharge or whatever it was was visable on the outside.. I was kind of hoping it was implantation bleeding. (but knowing to not get hopes up.)

I'm gonna assume they know.. like you said, it's their JOB to know!
If you've had fairly regular cycles for that long now, I'm gonna say it's quite safe to say that you're prob O'ing by now, I can't see why not! Also, from my experience, not every woman gets EWCM, I've never had it before.. I'd get a bit more clear stuff, but nothing like what I could stretch between my fingers.. so don't sweat it if you don't get it, that's totally ok.
Fx'd (fingers crossed) that was implantation bleeding! Keep us posted

Will do! I REALLY wanna get my hand on some of that pre-seed.. and it would be excellent to start taking prenatals as well.
My hubby is really into things happening naturally, and is stubborn about lube, and this or that, blah blah. He probably thinks I'm being obsessive about wanting to take vitamins, and get as prepared as possible for something thats not there yet... but I just dont wanna feel guilty if something happens, and then something doesnt turn out right. You know how it is..
I dont think he'll ever understand the pain of loosing a child in the womb. Bc my experience was from a previous relationship, regardless, it was still emotionally damaging. I dont ever want to feel like... I failed? I guess thats how I felt about it.

 

[sherylb]

You're supposed to already be on prenatals when you are TTC. At least folic acid (which is cheap by itself) for a bottle.

 

[sammyjo]

If you would like to confirm that you are indeed ovulating you should look into charting. OPKs can read the hormone levels but they don't mean that you actually have ovulated. When you chart your temperature every morning you will see a pattern when you ovulate and shows the temperature and chemical levels being related. I think if you did it a few days before you expect to ovulate and a few days after that would probably be enough to confirm.

I'll probably start that soon, if things don't go as planned in the next two months. I'm starting new things that I think will improve my chances greatly. (I dont know for sure if I've been ovulating, but I have this sense that I have been for at least two or three months... so if all else fails, and my hope gets shot down with these opks, and preseed lube, I'm gonna probably start basal temp checking.)

 

[sammyjo]

You're supposed to already be on prenatals when you are TTC. At least folic acid (which is cheap by itself) for a bottle.

I know! And DHA. I've been looking up a good affordable brand. I'm thinking Rainbow Light one a days. Which is still a little pricey, but could be worse.
I'm reading this AWESOME book, called "YOU Having a Baby", and one of the main topics in it is Epigenetics. Have you heard about it??

 

[sherylb]

I have no idea what Epigenetics are.

 

[sammyjo]

I have no idea what Epigenetics are.

Trust me, its way complex. But I really think you should check out that book, or at least look into what epigenetics are. It is very interesting.

Pregnancy is.. science, of course. (and a complete miracle)
Theres a controlled variable. And an uncontrolled variable.
Mmm... I'm not going to be able explain it. But recent studies show just how much you can impact what qualitys your child expresses, even all the way down the road to adulthood. Including mental, and physical problems. Its complex. Check it out...

 

[Lilbynon]

I too was pretty much forced into getting this shot. When i became pregnant with my daughter it was sugested that i start going to this state program called Best Beginings. Its a program for first time moms, (it fallows you through pregnancy and from birth to age 2) three months after i had my baby they told me it was required if i wanted to continue the program or receive state beneifets for my child. Getting the shot was a HUGE mistake

 

[sherylb]

That's really sad that programs anywhere can force you to choose a specific type of b/c or threaten to withhold benefits.

DH has a skills test for a refinery job today. He has his third interview for a position at a technical college Wednesday (admissions). FXd we won't be collecting unemployment for too much longer.

 

[sammyjo]

So, I did my first OPK today even though AF is just around the corner, anywhere from 4-5 days. I just wanted to do one.. I had a positive OPK which I though was weird, so I decided to take one again two or three hours later and it was negative.. I got anxious today and took a hpt test. it could be early, but I doubt it so I went and ordered pre-seed, should be here on fifth right when af supposed to leave so we'll see! wish me luck! I've been ttc exactly 1 year today...