Positives & Negatives About Depo Provera!

[MummyNovember]

I am contemplating going on the Depo instead of the pill as im not good at remembering to take tablets let alone remembering to take them on time. Ive done my research into the implant (all negative reports so far) & IUD's. Its alright reading on the NHS website about these things but they do not give you a real womans perspective.

What are other womens experiences of the depo?

What side effects did you get & are they any different from that of the contraceptive pill?

How long were you taking it for & if you came off it, how long did it take for your periods to return?

If your periods took more than a year to return, did you need any assistance from a GP to help them return? (Ive heard being put on the contraceptive pill can help them return)

& also, has anyone found that it has made concieving after it difficult? A friend of mine has put her infertility issues down to the depo injections (shes been trying for 7yrs & has a mountain of other issues. I doubt depo is the cause of anything tbh but its best to ask!). I may want another child in 2-3yrs times an if I do, everything will need to be planned (this time!)

Any help an experiences would be a great help!

Thank you in advance!​

 

[Jadie]

My personal experiences:

Implant: constant bleeding and mood swings, personally would not recommend to anyone but I have known people who it does agree with and they've had no problems including return to fertility.

Depo: I had one injection so over the three months it was active I gained lots of weight, lots of spots, irregular periods and insane mood swings. Also had trouble conceiving, it took us 2 years and 2 miscarriages. I had the shot in 2010 and I've only just had my baby boy.

One of my friends had depo for a year and has been off it for 18months. She had a year of no periods when injections were ceased and is still trying for a baby

I wouldn't recommend either.

Hope you get contraception that suits you

 

[optimistic1]

I was on the depo shot for 2 years and the first 6 months or less was fine ... no problems no crazy symptoms then out of no where I would randomly bleed a lot all over myself in-between periods and eventually I would bleed and spot the entire time between periods. I lost a ton of weight an unhealthy amount of weight and after I stopped getting it I wasn't actively trying to conceive the first 2 years but I wasn't protecting myself either and it took 3 years (2 years ntnp and 1 year ttc) before I got pregnant.

It can affect fertility.

 

[babyjan]

Don't get it!!!

It depends though, do you plan on concieving anytime soon? Either way I still wouldn't advice because if you say now you don't plan on anymore anytime soon and changed your mind the depo is irreversible and there's nothing you can do other than wait for it to leave your system which can take from around 6-18 months or more, everyone is different.

I went on it in November 2012 and was dead against having any babies for at least 2 years my next shot was due feb and its been 6 months post depo and still no period! My son is 19 months and I would love to give him a sibling and have changed my mind drastically. I was so scared of getting pregnant when my LO was 10 months but things have become slightly easier and now I'm stuck waiting for the shot to leave my system.

I didn't put on any weight if anything I've lost so much weight, it did give me pregnancy symptoms at times but now nothing and I have no idea what's going on.

I was also worried about forgetting the pill and thought the depo was the same thing and that I wouldn't have to worry about taking a pill everyday. It wasn't until I got home and read online all the horror stories that I regretted it.

I definitely advice you to stay away xx

 

[MummyMana]

Honestly, I strongly believe depo provera should be illegal! Some people are fine with it, but it really isn't worth the risk! Its still making me miserable and I'm not even on it anymore! It ran out on the 30th and I'm still bleeding! Avoid it like the plague, at least with other methods if they don't agree with you you can have them removed or discontinue use, but with this you just have to wait it out, which from what I've heard could take over a year!

 

[Butterball Ma]

I was on Depo for 3 yrs after DD. It was convenient and I did end up gaining some weight and lost my cycle. I also had absolutely no sex drive; I didn't even think about it. The reason I got off of it is because my insurance actually black boxed it. They stopped paying for it because it leaches calcium from your bones and increases risk of osteoporosis.

I ended up getting a non-hormonal (copper) IUD, which was great. It didn't mess up my cycle or sex drive. I had it for 7 yrs until I had it removed to ttc. I will likely get another after this lo is born.

 

[Jadie]

The reason I got off of it is because my insurance actually black boxed it. They stopped paying for it because it leaches calcium from your bones and increases risk of osteoporosis.

Interesting! Thanks for sharing this! It's pretty crazy how awful this drug is with its side effects and its still used!

 

[detterose]

I have heard nothing but terrible reviews and I work in a doctors surgery. Especially about it reducing bone density over time. I would personally be looking at something else

 

[cocosianelle]

I was on it for about 6 years and I swear its the reason it took us 2.5 years to conceive. We both thought we'd never have children.

But saying that one of my close friends was on it and she conceived a month after she stated trying and she is back on it now after we both just had our babies.

 

[broodyc]

I had implant fitted last week and so far so good. Going online I almost all reviews were negative but in real life, anyone whose had implant have had good things to say. I know it's early days fr me but I don't regret my decision one bit xx

 

[EverythingXd]

I was on Depo for 2 or 3 years before TTC 1st time. I didn't get periods (which was great at the time!), no spots or weight issues. I had mood swings with it, hubby always could tell when I was due a shot! I had mood swings on the pill too prior to that.

It took a year to get my periods back after it had run out, and then for the first month or two of periods they were very erratic, sometimes only a few days break from bleeding. Once normal periods had returned I only had 2 or 3 periods before I conceived. Sorry for vagueness, it was about 5 years ago now that I stopped taking it.

I will definitely never touch it again.