Birth Control - Chicago,IL

I did Depo from 18 - 21 and then stopped it (because I didn't like the side effects and because I didn't think it was good to not have a period for that long). The side effects I had were when I first went on it I had my period for 3 months...my doctor ended up having to give me a pill to make it stop after the three months...I gained A LOT of weight (went from size 5 to 11 and I was exercising and watching what I was eating)...I had a major decrease in my sex drive too. When I stopped it I went on to the pill and then the patch for a little bit - didn't like either of those at all. I switched to Nuva Ring and used that until my hubby and I conceived #1 (I was only off Nuva Ring for a month - after Depo we tried for over a year to end up miscarrying). Now I'm back on the Nuva Ring after #1...I won't switch...I LOVE it. I don't have any side effects from it at all, and my husband cannot feel it (nor can I) and it's NEVER fallen out.

Reliable, but I gained weight. I did like only having my period once every three months, though. After a year, i couldn't take the weight gain.

I bled for 16 wks straight on it (started 2 wks before I was due for a shot, continued bleeding throughout that entire 12 wks and then for another 2 wks after switching to the pill) and could not lose an ounce of weight.

I'm on Ortho Cyclen and love it!

I used it for around two years. My personal experience was loss of sex drive, weight gain, irregular bleeding. I did not like it. It was reliable though for the intended purpose and not hard to get/ didn't have to remember a pill every day.

I was on the depo shot for 2 rounds, the first 3 months I bled the entire time. I'm talking 3 months straight of bleeding. When it was time for my 3rd shot I decided against it, I had gained about 15 lbs since starting it and decided it wasn't worth all the side effects. I reccomend Mirena.

I did fine on the pill before I had my daughter, but now it just makes me moody and hate the idea of sex. So I quit and we went back to condoms. My husband doesnt love it, but he loves it a lot more than being yelled at for breathing funny and having a wife who never wanted sex. :-)

Check out the Nuva ring. It is low dose and inserts in the vagina. It can be taken out for a short amount of time if needed during intercourse but it's not really noticeable. It really doesn't go throughout the system like a pill and has really low side effects.

I used it from age 16-22, and the only side effect I had at that time in life was that I quit getting my period. So...hooray, right?

From 22-24 I was bc free, and got pregnant at 24. After that pregnancy, I used the Nuva Ring for 5 years...also with no side effects, but you still get your period with that one. Fortunately, you know exactly when you will get it...the ring is in for three weeks, and then out for a week while you have your period. It is easy to insert and remove, you cannot feel it (nor can your husband), and honestly, I had no side effects.

After the birth of my second child at age 30, I am back on depo because I am breastfeeding and it's one of the few that are compatible. (I think there is a mini pill, but I can't trust myself to take a pill every day.) The shot is incredibly convenient...a trip to the doctor every 12 weeks to get a shot, which they give in your upper buttocks near your hip. It can hurt or be pain free...it really depends on your "fat situation" in your rear. As a teen, it hurt a lot and I felt discomfort for days. Of course, I was thin then. Now, after two children I have what I will kindly call an "hourglass figure" (that's being nice...) and I don't feel a thing! :)

I have heard and read a lot of negative things about depo... Because of some health issues and other concerns, my husband and I actually use a natural method called NaPro Technology. It's like "going green" in a different way, and you don't have to worry about putting crazy stuff in your body that causes so many side effects. It is an easy method to learn and it is actually just as effective as artificial types.

I did Depo after I had my daughter and I admit it was a rushed decision, I loved that I did not get my period for awhile BUT I gained alot of weight and started to notice that my hair was falling out, talked to some of my friends and they had the same thing happen to them...

I was on it for a couple of years, I liked the fact that i did not get my period.