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| What are
the common side effects of the Shot? |
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irregular bleeding |
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Almost
all women who use Depo-Provera
will experience changes in their
period, including irregular
or unpredictable bleeding or
spotting, and occasionally heavy
or continuous bleeding. This
tends to subside the longer
you use this method. After a
year of use, one-half of women
will stop having a period altogether.
This is an expected side effect
from the shot and is NOT a medical
problem. The constant release
of hormone in your body from
the injection prevents the lining
of the uterus from building
up; therefore, there is nothing
to bleed off each month. If
the irregular bleeding is interfering
with your lifestyle, talk to
your health care provider.
This condition can be treated
by either taking a short course
of estrogen (i.e. taking the
birth control pill) or medications
such as Motrin or Advil to regulate
your cycle for a few months
until the irregular bleeding
resolves. |
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weight gain |
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Depo-Provera
has been shown to be associated
with weight gain. As much as
3 to 5 lbs. in the first year
of use. This is most likely
due to increased appetite from
the progestin. If you watch
what you eat and exercise regularly
you can offset this weight gain. |
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delay in the return
of your period |
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Although
the shot does NOT cause infertility,
it may take 12 to18 months from
your last injection for your
normal menstrual function to
return (the average is 10 months).
Thus, if you are considering
pregnancy in the near future
you may want to consider an
alternative method of birth
control. |
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no immediate discontinuation |
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Unlike,
the pill or mini pill, the hormone
given as an injection can take
several months to clear from
your body. Thus, you may be
"stuck" with some of the other
side effects such as irregular
bleeding, weight gain, etc.
for several months. |
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reversible loss
of bone mass |
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Women
who use Depo-Provera for a long
period of time may have lower
density than non-users. This
will reverse after stopping
the Depo-Provera and has not
been shown to cause osteoporosis
or associated fractures. Women
over 40 who continue this method
for greater than 2 years would
benefit from having their bone
density checked. |
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mood changes |
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Some women experience
mood changes on the shot-depression,
irritability, and change in sex drive.
These are infrequent side effects |
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|
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| What
are the benefits of the Shot? |
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easy to use--all you
have to remember is to go to your health
care provider for a shot 4 times a year |
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extremely reliable-this
form of birth control has one of the
lowest failure rates |
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confidential--no one
other than your health care provider
needs to know you are using it |
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decreases menstrual
cramps and blood loss--after 1 year
of use 50% of women will no longer get
their period |
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reversible--although
expect a delay in the return of your
period of 10 months on average |
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| When can
I start taking the Shot? |
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We
will only give you the Depo-Provera
within 5 days of the start of your
menstrual period. This ensures that
you are NOT pregnant when you receive
the shot and it will be effective
immediately. Before you get each
shot, we will check that you have
a negative urine pregnancy test.
Another
time to start this method is after
the end of a pregnancy; either at
the time of termination of pregnancy
or within 5 days postpartum if NOT
breastfeeding. If you plan to breastfeed,
Depo-Provera is a safe method of birth
control, but we recommend waiting
until 6 weeks postpartum when the
milk supply is fully established.
If you initiate Depo-Provera after
the birth of a child, keep in mind
the delay in return of your menstrual
cycle. If you are planning to have
another baby within the next year
or so, you may want to select a different
form of birth control.
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| What If
I am late for my next Shot? |
If
you are late for your Depo-Provera,
we want to make sure that you are
NOT pregnant. However, now we need
to do a blood pregnancy test to make
sure you are not pregnant. This is
much more sensitive test than a urine
test. The blood test usually takes
one day for results. If negative,
you could return the next day for
your injection but you should use
condoms as a backup method for the
next two weeks. |
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