Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with depoprovera

So the horror stories about Depo were true...

Anonymous — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:47:45 -0800

I was on depo briefly, reacted badly, went off as soon as I could, but the after-effects still linger. Do I wait for the drugs to flush out, or is this more serious? I went on Depo Provera in December of last year. The first 5 weeks or so were great, but then the bleeding started. It's pretty brutal - essentially I'd have 17-19 days of bleeding ranging anywhere from spotting to light-period, a 3-4 day breather, and it'd start all over again.

Naturally, I did not go in for my second shot. I was supposed to get it renewed on February 28th of this year. At the time of this writing, it is April 3rd, and the cycle of 19-days-3-days-19-days has not stopped, and it is driving me insane (I am on day 20). It's light enough that I only wear a liner, but it won't. Freaking. Stop.

I've read enough horror stories about women reacting badly to depo and the effects lingering long after, but those seemed to be more in long-term cases. I was on it for all of three months. I have no other symptoms to speak of. No fatigue that I can tell, no headaches, no cramps (not since February at least), I occasionally feel a bit bloated but even then it's a bit of a stretch. Normally I'm on a 29-35 day cycle depending on how stressed I am that month, with each period lasting around 6-8 days.

I am 19, not on any other forms of drugs (other than caffeine, ha-ha, and even then at most one cup a day), healthy, relatively fit, lower end of weight spectrum, etc. Fairly stressed, yes, but that usually manifests itself in slightly later periods and acne for me, not spotting/breakthrough bleeding.

Is it normal for the effects to linger THIS long after such a short time on the drug? When can I expect it to fully flush out? Or could it be something more serious?

Pregnancy and Depo Provera?

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 10:41:48 -0800

If you're on Depo Provera, how can you tell if you're pregnant? This seems like a completely asinine question and I apologize if the answer is obvious...

But. No method of contraception is 100% effective, etc... so in the 0.1% case where Depo actually fails and you become pregnant, how can you tell, short of using a home pregnancy test monthly (Ouch! Expensive!) or just waiting till your next period (or not)?

Thanks!

a shot in the dark?

kerning — Wed, 23 May 2007 20:17:25 -0800

is depo-provera affecting my ability to lose weight? so i'm overweight. by more than i'd like to be. more than a bit of chub, less than mama grape. in the past two years, since i've started and continued to be on depo-provera, i've steadily gained weight. about 7 months ago, i decided i was going to start eating more healthfully and exercising more.

i get a bit of exercise (a lot more than i used to) everyday from walking up and down the monstrous, steep flight of stairs at work about 8 times per day, plus i walk for awhile about once a week (though i truly do not have the time with my job to do it everyday. i know that's a copout excuse, but i work for a startup newspaper and i work roughly 60-65 hours a week at this point).

i'm eating things that are good for me -- i'm avoiding all trans fats, things with high-fructose corn syrup... i stopped drinking soda, i stopped eating fast-food and starting cooking meals. i started eating breakfast, and fruits, and vegetables. i stopped having seconds. since i took my new job (btw, thanks all you who answered that question), i find i have very little time to eat and i eat a LOT less than i used to. like, a LOT. i eat wheat, not white, and whole-wheat pastas with vegetables. i drink water, i take vitamins, i have 8,000 varieties of kashi foods. i keep a food journal! and no more mashed potatoes (sad face).

so why is the weight not coming off? i've only lost like, 5 pounds! the only thing i can think of that would be preventing it woudld be birth control. going off BC is not an option, as i'm pretty sure pregnancy makes you gain weight too, and i need it for medical reasons. is there anything else that could be preventing the weight from coming off?

Depo Provera Question

Mrs. Smith — Wed, 10 May 2006 06:55:03 -0800

After long term use... I recently went off of depo-provera after being on it for over 12 years. (The doctor said this was not a problem, BTW) Just wondering how long after the first missed injection things will "start up" again (periods, spotting, etc.) Also wondering what to expect...how the cramps are and how heavy the bleeding is when things do actually do start back up.

Depo-Provera and Pregnancy

heatherann — Sat, 25 Dec 2004 18:35:35 -0800

If someone became pregnant while on the shot, what would happen? This PDF says that the effects are minimal, but also sternly warns one to get off of Depo Provera immediately if pregnant, which leaves me thinking they're leaving something out. What are they afraid will happen? If birth controls change the uterine lining, doesn't that affect the fetus too? What happens to the children of the 3/1000 women who get pregnant on D-P? Note: I'm not pregnant. Just looking for more info.