XP: Depo Provera

Sharpschruter22 · December 2012

Hi ladies, I have endometriosis and had been getting the depo shot for two years to stop my periods and hence stop the pain. I could only take so much of passing out in the shower so the shot was a Godsend. I have not had a shot for a full year and my period has not returned. Now that I am to be married in 5 months, it is time for me to think about BC for the reasons it was created. I am 27 and FI and I want to wait 3 years to have kids. I'm nervous about starting the shot again because I'm scared of how long it will take me to become fertile again. I know its not really true, but I feel like being on depo is more effective than pill forms. Not taking a pill every day is much easier and I like that I am not worried about forgetting and possibly becoming pregnant. There are 7 instances of aunts, cousins, and my mom getting pregnant while on bc. They claim they were taking it correctly and didn't have any medications that would have interacted. This terrifies me. We aren't ready for kids financially or mentally and need time as a couple first. I don't know what to do. Should I continue getting the Depo shot for the next year and a half, then stop and take a pill or other form of BC while waiting for my fertility to come back around the time we would like to have a baby?

Carson386 · December 2012

I hated my depo shot. I ended up getting the Implanton. It's like the size of a match stick, goes in your arm, and is good for 3 years. It's basically the same thing as depo, but instead of all of the hormones being injected at once, they slowly release. My Ob/GYN said the one and only pregnancy she has heard of with it, it someone in a different state, having unprotected intercourse right after having it put in (they say use a back up method for 7 days after). I still get a period but it lasts 2 days and that's it. I forgot to mention, I have PCOS, and the implant has been great for that too.

Swazzle · December 2012

I was on Depo for a few years and had a lot of complications from it. I tried the Nuva Ring after that and hated it so I've been on a few different BCPs since all of that (about 8 years now). I know a lot of women who swear by their IUD, maybe that could be an option for you if you don't want to do BCPs?

tlc35 · December 2012

If the Depo works for you I would keep using it for now. With any type of hormonal birth control it can take some time for your cycles to regulate after you go off it. This includes BC pilss, Nuva ring and Mirena so switching to the pill now won't really help you. I would wait until about 6mo to a year before you want to start trying to conceive and then go off birth control and use a barrier method instead so your cycles can regulate. BTW I use the nuva ring and I really like it so everybody has different methods that work better for them. Can you tell I have thought about this a lot since I am 35 and really want to have kids before my eggs dry up

RebCappon · December 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_may-2013-weddings_xp-depo-provera?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20Club%20BoardsForum:ea657a87-d1dc-4588-999f-31c9deeef720Discussion:0dd5c45e-44b8-4dff-bfcd-327e5f9efe41Post:a6e6a623-506c-4950-89dc-9f94cba01095">Re:XP: Depo Provera</a>:
[QUOTE]I hated my depo shot. I ended up getting the Implanton. It's like the size of a match stick, goes in your arm, and is good for 3 years. It's basically the same thing as depo, but instead of all of the hormones being injected at once, they slowly release. My Ob/GYN said the one and only pregnancy she has heard of with it, it someone in a different state, having unprotected intercourse right after having it put in (they say use a back up method for 7 days after). I still get a period but it lasts 2 days and that's it. I forgot to mention, I have PCOS, and the implant has been great for that too.
Posted by Carson386[/QUOTE]

<div>This. I always would forget to take the pill at the same time and sometimes would skip days. I hate needles so the shot was not an option for me. My doctor recommended implanon and I am so grateful that she did. I have had it in for 4 years now. It is good for 3 and then they can take it out and insert another if you want it in longer. </div><div>
</div><div>I have not had any complications with it, no weight gain moodiness or anything. </div>

jazzerinashorty · December 2012

I'm a chemist/pharmacist, and these questions come up a lot. My opinion:

Hormonal contraceptives don't really affect fertility long-term. After 1 month of actively trying to conceive, the percentage of people pregnant is pretty close in both women who have or have not used hormonal birth control, and after 1 year, the percentage is the same. The shots last for 3 months or so, I believe? So you would be fertile again about 3-4 months after the last shot. Since you have a family history of pregnancy while on the pill, that might not be the best choice for you. There are genes that can make certain people metabolize things differently (faster), which can lead to accidental pregnancy. The shot or implant might be better for you, because it would give a steady stream of hormones that would never quite be cleared out of your system, rather than a burst every 24 hours (on the pill).

Everyone has different side effects from various forms of hormonal contraception, so what works for one of us might not work for you. It's your call, do whatever is most comfortable and convenient for you!

Sharpschruter22 · December 2012

Thank you for the feedback, ladies. Are you fertile again shortly after taking the implant out? Jazz, yes Depo is good for three months, but after stopping it can take up to 2 years to start having regular cycles. I have known women who have gotten pregnant because they forgot to get their shot and also women who haven't had a shot in over a year and not get pregnant. Depo has been great for me. I haven't had the side effects that many have and it has been a solution for the endo. For those recommending an IUD, have you had a child? My gyno won't consider them for women who have never had any kids.

Carson386 · December 2012

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_may-2013-weddings_xp-depo-provera?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:ea657a87-d1dc-4588-999f-31c9deeef720Discussion:0dd5c45e-44b8-4dff-bfcd-327e5f9efe41Post:8bef2493-690c-4604-8023-211ef73d940e">Re:XP: Depo Provera</a>:
[QUOTE]Thank you for the feedback, ladies. <strong> Are you fertile again shortly after taking the implant out</strong>? Jazz, yes Depo is good for three months, but after stopping it can take up to 2 years to start having regular cycles. I have known women who have gotten pregnant because they forgot to get their shot and also women who haven't had a shot in over a year and not get pregnant. Depo has been great for me. I haven't had the side effects that many have and it has been a solution for the endo.<strong> For those recommending an IUD, have you had a child</strong>? My gyno won't consider them for women who have never had any kids.
Posted by Sharpschruter22[/QUOTE]

I asked my GYN because FI and I want kids right after it's out, she said it can take a few months to get pregnant and that typical time trying after it comes out is 2-4 months.

I had an IUD for 4 months, I actually had it taken out because of my PCOS, I had cysts clingling to it. A lot of Gyno's are doing it even if the person hasn't had a child. They have been using them in teenage girls in Europe for quite a while, it's just extremely uncomfortable to have it inserterd since your cervix has never been dialated by child birth.

turtleslove · December 2012

Personally love the nuvaring. I don't have to worry about it but it is not a long term commitment. lol
Everyone is different, so prolly stick with what works for you and your Dr. approves.

Have only heard bad about the mirena IUD from personal aquantiences, my MOH had it perforate her uteris and some other friends said their guys found the metal string uncomfortable. Just what I have heard tho..

My MOH was on depo for YEARS and got preggers almost right after stopping it. Twice. LOL She went from 1 kid to 3 in 2 years..

rlmarroc · December 2012

I liked the shot until I decided to go back on regular birth control. Like many, my period didn't return for about 6 months. But I was fine with that. The problem was my breasts. After I stopped the shot, they hurt so bad it was difficult to wear a bra for about two months. Just fabric up against them was excrutiating. It went away and I've been on a 3 month pill since then.

Although I hate having to take a pill every day, I have Crohn's disease which requires an immuno-suppressant infusion treatment every six weeks. Since my immune system is weakened, I have been told I should avoid the implants as I have a greater likelihood of complications.

Luckily, we have decided to immediately start trying for little ones. COME ON HONEYMOON BABY!!

EDIT: I forgot to mention, I'm so sorry you have endometriosis. I had a friend when I was younger who had it and she had to go through induced meopauses as a teenager and in her early twenties. She had terrible pain and health problems as a result. I know she was also very concerned about her prospects for child-bearing as your chances are reduced the older you get (I think that is what I remember her telling me?). I wish you the best of luck when you and FI are ready for children, although it sounds like you have a pretty fertile family!

jazzerinashorty · December 2012

Yes, you are fertile shortly after taking the implant out. It might happen a few weeks after, or a few months after. Keep in mind, even if you were on no birth control at all, it would probably take a few months to conceive.

I actually tried to get the copper IUD (Paragard) but my ob/gyn was adamant about NOT giving it to someone who had never had a child. I argued with him, lol. He said the chance of it coming out is slightly higher in women who had never been pregnant, and if it comes out, it's an ER visit.

DivaJenD · December 2012

Reading everyone's responses, I'm realizing how "behind the times" I am on this... I started taking BCPs when I was 15 or 16 due to awful cramps... and I've been taking them ever since... I've tried a few different brands, but it's always just been a pill... I have issues with spotting in b/n periods (sorry if TMI) and so my dr. has always just fiddled with various brands and estrogen levels to try to correct the issue (still an issue unfortunately)... She has never brought up the discussion of trying a diff method and I guess I just never thought to... The breakthrough bleeding is SUPER annoying (and has messed with our sex life, TBH... again, sorry if TMI.. haha)... but at this point, I feel like trying a new method is a moot point since we're probably going to start trying to get pregnant w/in the next year...

I wish I had thought to ask about alternatives earlier... ugh.

bburkel · December 2012

I too have had issues with endometriosis, but was never offered the shot or anything other than the pill. But, I'm on a pill where I take it for 3 months and then have my period 4 times a year. It's worked pretty well for me. If I screw up and miss a day, i just move up my off-week and adjust. I have an alarm set on my cell phone as a reminder to take it every day, and that seems to do the trick.

I did talk to my Dr about what we're going to do when we want to get pregnant, shortly after the wedding. He said I can go off the pill whenever, and it will probably take a couple months (2-4 months) of trying. But, because I am older (34), he said to try for 6 months and if nothing happens, they'll start looking at fertility treatments.

I am planning on staying on the pill until we return from our honeymoon, just because I don't want to have to deal with the hassel of my period while we are having fun.

unclaimedpants · December 2012

Funny all of this talk about IUD's not being inserted for women who haven't had a child... my doctor gave me the copper IUD several years ago and didn't even hesitate. I went through this phase in my early 20's where I didn't want horomones in my body, so decided to go copper. It wasn't for me. I kept it in for six months and then happily welcomed horomones back into my life.

I too have a myriad of gyno complications and I've learned to just stick with what works for me. For the last couple of years, it's been seasonique, a 90-day BC pill. It's not perfect, but it's effective.

My non-expert opinion is to go with what works for you and keep your doctor in the loop about your plans for children. He/she may have better advice or at least some facts to put your mind at ease.

chipmunk112511 · December 2012

I of course have a child but I got the Paraguard (copper) IUD 12 weeks after I gave birth and it has been a godsend. My periods are 3 days longer and heavier but I would take that ANYDAY over being a moody crazy Bia on hormonal birth control. My mom had a copper one after my brother was born and loved it, had no complications so I assumed it would be the same with me and so far so good.

My Dr is very hesistant to give it to anyone who hasnt previously had a child as your uterus can be smaller and your cervix much smaller which can make it harder to place/stay in (higher chance of preforating or going through the uterine wall since its never been stretched by pregnancy, and the insertion is much more painful (after 2.5hours of pushing a child out my cervix was good and I didnt feel a thing when she put it in!).

I think its a great option, but only if you have had a child or the Dr deems your uterus safe for it (which in 99% of people who havent had a child its not).

If I were you I would stick with the depo and cross that bridge when the time comes. There are things and RE can do to get your periods going if its too long after you stop the Depo shot that can help you to concieve so I would worry about right now and again worry about that when you are ready for it, b/c unplanned pregnancies are SCARY! (mine was totally unplanned BC failure)

unclaimedpants · December 2012

My curiosity got the best of me so I researched and found that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the World Health Organization both approve IUDs for women who have never given birth. So maybe this is an option afterall.

XP: Depo Provera

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