Gordon Clark MD

So Easy

If you’re like most women trying to avoid pregnancy, you’ve probably at least considered the Depo shot. After all, it’s incredibly effective, simple, and inexpensive. It offers relief from pregnancy fears and so can be sex-life-changing…in a good way, of course. So why haven’t you taken steps to learn more?

If you’re like a lot of women, the answer is that you don’t know how easy Depo is…EASY AS 1,2,3.

1. Find a Doctor.
2. Schedule your first appointment so that it occurs during your menses, if possible.
3. Get your Depo and return every 3 months for another. It’s that simple.

Other options always seem more complicated: painful IUDs, remembering to take your pill daily, messy condoms. The worst of all of course is ’chancing it’ with no protection at all. So add some order to your life. Make the call, it’s SO EASY.

About Depo Medroxy

DEPO Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DEPO) is a medication that can be injected every 3 months in order to prevent pregnancy. It is a popular form of birth control which has been in use for decades. DEPO is a derivative of progesterone which acts to inhibit ovulation and hence prevent pregnancy. When it is used properly, every 3 months, pregnancy is extremely rare.

Starting

Your healthcare provider will ensure that you are not pregnant at the time of your first injection. Routinely your first injection is given during the first five days of normal menstruation. Subsequent injections are recommended at 12-14 week intervals. If you are late for an injection it cannot be given until you are proven not to be pregnant. If you are switching to DEPO from another form of birth control (perhaps the pill’) your healthcare provider will help you coordinate the switch in order to ensure continuous contraceptive coverage.

Side Effects

The use of DEPO may cause a decrease in the mineral density of your bones. This is a concern for some healthcare providers, and they may recommend using it no longer than 2 years. Most women beginning DEPO experience abnormal bleeding patterns which may include spotting, irregular periods, absent periods and occasionally heavy bleeding. With continued use, few women experience abnormal bleeding.

Is it For You?

Unfortunately, no form of birth control is perfect. DEPO is an attractive form of birth control because it is convenient, effective, inexpensive, and safe. Like all forms of birth control it does have some side effects, but these are generally mild. The ultimate decision as to whether DEPO is for you rests with you and your healthcare provider.

FAQ

What Is the Birth Control Shot?

The birth control shot is an injection of a hormone that prevents pregnancy. Each shot prevents pregnancy for three months. The shot is a chemical called medroxyprogesterone acetate.

How Does It Work?

Like other methods of birth control, the birth control shot releases a hormone — progestin — into the body. Hormones are chemicals made in our bodies. They control how different parts of our bodies work. The progestin in the shot works by keeping a woman’s ovaries from releasing eggs — ovulation. Pregnancy cannot happen if there is no egg to join with a sperm. The progestin in the shot also prevents pregnancy by thickening a woman’s cervical mucus. The mucus blocks sperm and keeps it from joining with an egg.

How Effective Is It?

Effectiveness is an important and common concern when choosing a birth control method. The birth control shot is one of the most effective methods of birth control available. It works best when you receive the birth control shot regularly, every 12-13 weeks. Less than 1 out of 100 women will get pregnant each year if they always use the birth control shot as directed. About 3 out of 100 women will get pregnant each year if they don’t always use the birth control shot as directed. Keep in mind the birth control shot doesn’t protect against sexually transmitted infections. Use a latex or female condom to reduce the risk of infection.

If you get the birth control shot within the first seven days after the start of your period, you are protected from pregnancy immediately. If you get the shot within five days after miscarriage or an abortion, or within three weeks after giving birth, you are protected from pregnancy immediately. Otherwise, you need to use some form of backup birth control — like a condom, female condom, diaphragm, sponge, or emergency contraception (morning after pill) — for the first week after getting the shot.

Each shot of Depo-Provera will protect you from pregnancy for 12-13 weeks. So you will need to go to your health care provider every 12-13 weeks for a shot. If you are a week or more late getting your shot, your health care provider may ask you to take a pregnancy test, or may advise you to use emergency contraception if you had vaginal intercourse in the previous 120 hours (five days).

How Safe Is It?

Most women can use the birth control shot safely. But all medications have some risks, so safety is a concern when choosing a birth control method. Certain conditions increase the risk of serious side effects.

You should not use the shot if you:

• are taking medicine for Cushing’s syndrome
• are pregnant
• have breast cancer
• have a blood clot in a vein or artery and are not taking medicine for it
• have had fragility bone fractures (breaks)

Talk with your health care provider about your health and whether the shot is likely to be safe for you.

There are many other methods of birth control that may be safe for you if you cannot use the shot. Read about other methods to find one that may be right for you.

What Are the Benefits of the Birth Control Shot?

Using the birth control shot is safe, simple, and convenient. The shot provides very effective, long-lasting pregnancy protection.There is no daily pill to remember. There is nothing to do right before having sex.

Some women say it improves their sex lives because it helps them feel more spontaneous.

It is also a very private method of birth control — there is no packaging or other evidence that might be embarrassing for some people.

The birth control shot does not contain estrogen, another type of hormone that is in many types of birth control, including the pill, patch, and ring. This means the shot can be a good choice for women who cannot take estrogen and for women who are breastfeeding. The shot can help prevent cancer of the lining of the uterus.

What Are the Disadvantages of the Birth Control Shot?

Some women may have undesirable side effects while using the birth control shot. But many women adjust to it with few or no problems. Serious problems do not occur often. Irregular bleeding is the most common side effect, especially in the first 6 to 12 months of use. For most women, periods become fewer and lighter. After one year, half of the women who use the birth control shot will stop having periods completely. Some women have longer, heavier periods. Some women have increased spotting and light bleeding between periods.

These side effects are completely normal. Some woman may worry that they are pregnant if they do not have a regular period. But when the birth control shot is used correctly, it is very effective. If you are concerned about a possible pregnancy, you can always take a pregnancy test.

There are also some less common side effects:

• change in sex drive
• change in appetite or weight gain
• depression
• hair loss or increased hair on the face or body
• headache
• nausea
• sore breasts

There is no way to stop the side effects of medroxyprogesterone — they may continue until the shot wears off, in 12 to 14 weeks.

It’s important that you find a method that won’t make you feel sick or uncomfortable. If the side effects from the birth control shot continue to bother you, talk with your health care provider.

Because the birth control shot is long lasting, it can take a long time to get pregnant after getting your last shot — anywhere from nine months to more than a year. So, medroxyprogesterone is not a good birth control method for you if you’re thinking of getting pregnant soon.

Serious problems usually have warning signs. Report any of these signs to your health care provider immediately:

• a new lump in your breast
• major depression
• migraine with aura — seeing bright, flashing zigzags,
• usually before a very bad headache
• pus, pain for many days, or bleeding where you were given the shot
• unusually heavy or prolonged vaginal bleeding
• yellowing of the skin or eyes

Although medroxyprogesterone is highly effective in preventing pregnancy, in the very rare cases where pregnancy does occur, it is more likely to be an ectopic pregnancy, which can be life threatening.

Women who use the birth control shot may have temporary bone thinning. It increases the longer they use it. Bone growth begins again when women stop using the shot. Talk with your health care provider about the risks. You can help protect your bones by exercising regularly and getting extra calcium and vitamin D, either through the food you eat or from vitamin supplements.

How can I get started?

It’s easy to get started. Simply go to our Find a Doctor page and find one. Make an appointment to tell him/her that you want a DEPO injection for birth control. If you go to the office during the first 5 days of your period, he/she can usually begin your birth control immediately.

Resources

Wikipedia.org Depo-Provera Info
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depo-Provera

Depo-Provera: An Injectable Contraceptive
http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/contraceptive/043.html

Depo-Provera: Quarterly Injection
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/preventingpregnancy/depoprovera.html

About Gordon Clark