The Shot

Amy:
I am so glad that people are responding with a resounding "NO". Anything you use to cause an imbalance in your cycle or normal body functions is a recipe for disaster - maybe not now, but your statistics are much higher for developing cancer, tumors, osteoporosis, etc. Is it really worth risking your life for that? We were born women and our body functions this way for a reason - like it or not. Adding chemicals such as manmade progesterone or estrogen, only causes the body to react - usually in a negative fashion. There is so much research and proof that the pill, HRT, the shot, etc. are merely ways to appease our discomfort level and only hurts our health in the end. Drug companies want you to take these things because it makes them money. They don't care what it may do to you in 20-30 years. Educate yourself BEFORE you make a decision. Your OB/GYN will usually do whatever the drug companies give them. They don't have the time to sit and research this, so YOU have to be the wise one. Don't count on your doctor to be the expert. No one is, so since we have access to so much research online, then let your fingers do the walking. If only you could hear the stories of women who have survived breast cancer, you would think twice. Best of luck to you and your family and here's to your health as well.

I was on the Depo shot 9 months then got pregnant with twin boys who I later miscarried but a good friend of mine is on it now with no problems other then bleeding very long stretches (14 & 17 days at a time)

Maybe the patch would work for you or going to the "seasonal" pill (i.e. periods only four times a year). Definitely talk to your ob/gyn. Good luck!

How about the NuvaRing? I have a friend who's an OB/GYN resident and she loves it. Maybe that weirds you out because it's inside of you too, though? YOu can always try the patch too (Ortho Evra I think it's called?)

Personally, I hate hormonal birth control. Once I"m done with kids I'm opting for the copper IUD (We used Natural Family Planning aka FAM between pregnancies and I was very happy with that method too). Depo can decrease your bone density too, putting you at slightly higher risk for osteoporosis later in life.

I also hated the shot. I was on it for about 9 mos. I gained 30 pounds and I had such terrible mood swings. It was awful. I know some people have recommended the patch, but I think it's actually been recalled. I'm pretty sure I saw an ad for a class action law suit for the patch. I've taken the pill (off and on) for almost 10 yrs. I had to incorporate the pill into a routine I did at the same time every day. I always take it when I brush my teeth before bed. I leave the pack on counter right next to my toothbrush, that way I see it. You could also talk to your doc about a low estrogen pill. I take OrthTriCycline (sp?) LO and I hardly have any side effects. If you really just can't work the pill into your routine, I would consider the ring or an IUD. I think those are your best options.

I took it a long time ago, at least 10 years ago if not more. I dinstinctly remember feeling crazy on it. I know that sounds weird but I was just soooo incredibly moody and usually bad moody. If I remember too it made me no longer have period or very infrequent periods and that was just weird to me. I know we all complain about getting it but when you dno't get something that's natural, it just feels strange to me. I stopped taking it and went to the pill. I stopped the pill just before my duaghter was born almost 3 years ago and now that I have a 4 month old son I too am looking at birth control options and I'm leaning heavily toward Mirena. It's an IUD that comes heavily recommended by my doctor so we'll see. I'm kind of like you, really not into IUD's or pills or anything but we have to do SOMETHING. Don't laugh but I'm even thinking about Natural Family Planning. Seems like a lot of hard work to do that though. Good luck!

I hated Depo. I was on it for 3 years, and I think I was crazy the whole time. I gained 20 lbs, and whenever I was due for another shot, I would be so unbelievably moody. I was miserable. So was my husband.

I switched to Ortho Evra (patches) as soon as they came on the market. I wouldn't recommend those either, especially if you are over 175 lbs. They give an official weight cap of 190 lbs for them to be effective, but the closer you get to that cap, the higher your chance of an oops. (Our oops is almost 18 months old.) I still have square shaped marks on my backside from the patches themselves, and it has been over 2 years.

I have been using NuvaRing for a little over a year now, and I'm quite fond of it. It is a little wierd learning to put it in and take it out, but it is pretty idiot-proof. It just needs to be in to work. I have had no breakthrough bleeding, and my periods are mercifully short and cramp-free, unlike with the Patch (or what mother nature gave me).

I used The Shot for almost two years. I will NOT recommend it to anyone!! First of all, I had a "fake pregnancy" on it - a dead egg was somehow "fertalized" and I had to have a D&C in order to take care of that...then after I came off it I have had major irregularity in my cycles - to the point where I have to have a laparoscopy to see what was going on (they found nothing except that I had "congestion of the pelvis" which is basically that I have extremely thick veins in that region so during that time of the month for me I was getting HEAVY bleeding - so they cauterized off the sides to make them thinner...nothing to do w/the shot). My doctor told me, though, that had I not been on the shot, that my cycles would be much more regular....an FYI.
I use the Nuva Ring - I LOVE it! You put it in once a month and take it out after 3 weeks (for you to get your period) and then put it back in again....I never feel it & neither does my husband - no it's NEVER come out while we were engaged in physical activities either.

Hi, I don't suggest the Depo shot. My sister was on it for like years. She had the biggest scare of her life because of it. They found lumps in both breasts. Went to find out thank goodness that it was not cancer but fibrodcystic diease. (spelling sorry). A bad side effect with taking the depo shot can cuase these bumps in women. She went through hell for weeks thinking that she has cancer. To find out that the bumps were from taking the depo shot for years.

J.

Depo is a nightmare, plain & simple. Between severe mood swings, weight gain, bad skin, & years of infertility, I tell anyone considering it to think again. I didn't have PCOS prior to it & now I do.

If you hate what the pill does to you--thats only one day of birth control & hormones at a time. Imagine getting a shot with THREE MONTHS worth. Its horrible.

I would not recommend the shot even if it's convenient. I would try an IUD or switch to taking your bc pills right before bed. Or try a lighter dosage.

I was on the shot for about 2 years, 5 years ago and do not have any complaints. It worked well for me with few side affects.

I have been on the shot for two years now.. and LOVE it. When I first get the shot, I sometimes have a higher instance of getting a migraine, but other than that.. I don't have many problems. I have felt HORRIBLE and "psycho" when taking the pill, and I have not had ANY of those side effects on the shot. It's pretty nice not having a period too, because when I did have them they were heavy and horrible, so nothing "fun" or good about it. They do recommend that you take calcium pills while on it to prevent any possible bone loss, but that's something they recommend anyway just for getting 'older'.

I too was on depro for 4 years, I ended up gaining over 60 pounds and I ended up with cysts. I do not recommend it.

I was on DepoProvera for almost 2 years. I felt like a stranger in my own body. I had crazy mood swings and was completely defenseless against when I "swung" out of control until the damage was done. I've never been regular with my menstrual cycle so that wasn't even a consideration when I tried this out. My thought pattern was completely about convenience of not taking a pill everyday. Guess what? I take the pill everyday now and think about the inconvenience of Depo. It was the weirdest time of my life and I would never try it again. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you choose. I know that there are women who have had great success on the shot but weigh your options before diving in.

A.

Hi Amy,
I wasn't going to respond, but I see that there are others who advised against the shot.

I was like Cybil when I was on birth control and then I read all the things that it does to your body. I also felt that I would be "claustrophobic" with an IUD.

Having said that, I have a copper IUD (paragard) and have had it for almost a year. I love it. I don't feel it, don't know its there and check it once a month to make sure its still in place (the string).

I also have a friend who used the nuvaring and she's pretty happy with that one too.

Good Luck with your decision!
B.

Don't do the shot, don't do the shot, don't do the shot!!! Okay, so now that you know how much against the shot I am, I will tell you I was the exact same way as you on the pill. I ended up having to set an alarm on a watch so that I took it as the exact same time of every single day. Once I started doing that, and I mean not even being 15 minutes late on it, I didn't have any issues. If I was ever 20 minutes late, I swear I'd spot for a week or two. I had never met anyone who was as sensitive to it as I was, and all my doctors throughout the years thought I was overexaggerating. Anyway, that's why I tried the shot. I was about 20 years old. Well, I bled for 9 months straight! It wasn't constant blood all the time, but I spotted every single day between my highly irregular periods. Because of that, I was highly irritable and very anemic. I told the nurse who had been telling me "Just give it another try, your body may just be taking longer to adjust to it", that I wasn't going to take any more shots...period! The kicker of the shot for me was when I started noticing that I was having trouble holding my bladder. It was so embarassing, but I had no health insurance, was a waitress, and had NO extra money to go to the doctor, plus I was in total denial about anything being wrong with me. One day, I felt a pain that I can tell you having had two kids of my own, totally went beyond the pains of labor! I couldn't walk, talk, and had to be carried to the car by a friend of mine and rushed to the hospital. I had an ovarian cyst that I was unaware of, that had grown so large, it was pushing against my bladder, and it ruptured in me! It hurt so bad! Once I was better, I talked to the ER doctor and they said that cysts are quite common with women who have taken or are taking the depo shot. I would say to go with the nuva ring. You may find it disturbing to have something in you, but if I remember right, it's either no or very low hormones, and as sensitive as our bodies are, I wouldn't want to put any extra hormones in my body that aren't absolutely necessary. Right after my second child, I had a tubal ligation because I know that my body just doesn't handle birth control well. Just don't get that shot!!!!!