depo provera

[myshad0ws.livejournal.com]

hey everyone, i have a question.. on Monday (Jan 10th) I have an appointment at Planned Parenthood to get a consultation for Depo. I was going to get my shot the same day, but I won't be on my period at the time. Does anyone know why you have to be on your period to recieve your Depo shot? Also, my friend was telling me that she got severe weight gain from it, and then she didn't get her period for a whole year after she stopped getting her shots. Then another friend told me she loved it, and only spotted the first month and everything was gravy from there on out. I know it may be different for every person, but what were some of your experiences with it? I've taken birth control in the form of a pill for about 6 years so I'm wondering if the weight gain will affect me? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

[sterlingspider.livejournal.com]

As with everything else to do with birthcontrol and hormones, the answer is "your mileage may vary".

One thing about Depo though, while it works just fine and dandy for some people, if it DOESNT work for you it's likely that you will have to deal with some very nasty after effects for a very very very long time. I wont beat around the bush, I think the stuff is horrible and wouldnt suggest ANYONE take it.

If nothing else the idea of quarterly appointments is daunting. It's annoying enough to go bi-yearly for normal BC pills.
There is also some new evidence that it causes potentially permanent drops in bone density (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20041223/hl_nm/depo_bones_dc) and shouldnt be used for longer then 2 years.

I suggest looking at a google search on the words Depo Provera and Poison (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&safe=off&q=%22depo+provera%22+poison) before making your final decision. There are some very compelling reasons out there to contemplate using a different form of birth control.

Ultimately the decision is up to you, but there are just too many horror stories out there for my comfort. While I'm glad things have changed since then, I wouldnt want to have been in the first decade of trials for hormonal birth control; and while I'm sure eventually they'll get the dosage cleared up, thats about where depo is developmentally now.

[sterlingspider.livejournal.com]

Oh, and incedentally, reportedly 70% of women on depo provera gain weight (http://www.fwhc.org/birth-control/bcdepo.htm).

[caliblackwolf.livejournal.com]

I never had any problems with depo and started my period the following month after going off depo and on to BCP. I was on for 12 years. the only thing is that if you are having side effects (headaches, weight gain, ect...) you have to wait for that shot to wear off before you lose the side effects. I would talk to your doctor and ask lots of questions before starting the injections.