Depo-provera Before Leaving the Hospital

Hi K.,

I got on Depo a couple years after my second child, and a little over a year after being on it, we decided to try for a third. It took many months for my period to return, and then when I did research, I discovered that it can take a year -- sometimes a few -- for your fertility to be regained. I have a friend who was also on it who got off after her daughter was two and it took her until she was 5 to get pregnant again. Depending on the spacing your looking for on your second child, you may want to stick with the BC pill or try natural planning. I hate to see women go through the heartache of not being able to conceive, as we experienced that with our first. Best of luck to you!

Hi K.~
I used the patch for 3 years after my son was born. It's only once a week that you have to change it. I got pregnant IMMEDIATELY when I removed it...I mean like even before my first non-birth control period, I was pregnant!! I am extremely fertile, but at least I now know it doesn't stick too long. BUT, you can't take this if you plan on nursing!!! Also, I wore it either on my very lower back, or on my butt, that way it's not visible when you have on shorts, tank top, bathing suit, etc.
Good luck & congrats on the baby-to-be!!!
~J.~

If you are planning to breastfeed I would hold off on a hormonal method of birth control for at least a couple of weeks until you have an established milk supply. Although they say some of them (including depo) do not significantly affect milk supply there is some effect in most women, just not a really significant one.

Mirena is fine to use for just one year except it may not be cost-effective depending on if your insurance covers it or not. It is cheaper than the pill over the long run but not for the short term.

I work in L & D and rarely do we deal with birth control, that is usually something that providers take care of in their office, so I would definitely ask your doctor or midwife about it before you deliver so you are not taken by surprise.

Perhaps para guard would work well for you. Its like mirena, but you can become pregnant again right away once it is removed. The reason why you can become pregnant the same day as it is taken out is that it is hormone free! Perfect if you want to breast feed also. Just a thought.

There are risks to the shot. My future SIL is having a hard time getting pregnant, they failed to tell her at planned parenthood that it may cause perminate infertility. And if you have a reaction there is no way to stop it...the shot is in and you have to wait for it to work its way out. Not like a pill you can stop taking. Also I have seen women have VERY BAD acne reactions from the shot and if your body is trying to regulate itself after birth your homones are going to be crazy already. Just some things to think about.

I have used the Depo shot several times. The first time (for over a year)it was wonderful! No major side effects and a decreased to no period. The second time (6 monthsof use) I used it my periods were light to normal but SEVERE migraines!!! The 3rd time (1 shot is it)I tried it I had my period for 4 months!

As much as I used to praise this I now really warn everyone of the possible side effects! Also, it does take approx a year of being off of it to get pregnant.

If you do decide to do this shot do it when you go for your first post- natal check up! It takes about a week I want to say until it is effective (been about 4 years since I last used it) Since you won't be able to resume your relations right away you might as well wait instead of adding more hormones to your body when it will be going through such a great change!

Good luck to you in whatever you decide and many blessings to you and your soon to be here baby!

I know people don't like them (particularly men), but you could use a condom.

I would not recommend the depo at all! I went on it after my first baby before I left the hospital. Loved it for a while (No monthly visitor). We wanted to try for another baby when our daughter was about two. Took me two years to get pregnant after going off the shot. Not to mention all the other side effects. Weight gain, I actually did'nt gain while I was on it but within 1- 1 1/2 from going off I had gained almost 25 pounds. I have know of others to gain alot more while on it. I had absoultly no sex drive when I was on it, which doesn't help starting out a marriage. When I would wash and brush my hair I would always have alot more coming out then what you normally would have.
After we had our second baby, I just used a spermaside (? spelling) not wanting to go on anything again. However, after a few months due to other medical reasons (polysitic overie disease) I had to go on a birth control pill. I hate taking a pill everyday, but I got pregnant with our third within a month of going off it.
Everything reacts to everyone differently, but I have never heard anything good about the depo shot and I personally had a bed experience with it.
Hope my story helps you out. Good luck and congratulations on your little angel.

If you are planning to get pregnant soon, DO NOT get the Depo shot! I did the injections ~8 years ago & everything was great the first 6 months but then I had nothing but problems, everything from heavey weight gain to constant spotting. It took my body almost 3 years to get back to normal. I've talked to other women who have also had the shot and I'm not alone in this. Just be careful & good luck!!! :)

K.,

I was on the depo shot in the past, and while I loved the convenience of not having to remember a pill - and lighter (and eventually disappearing) periods - I GAINED SO MUCH WEIGHT IN MY THIGHS AND HIPS it was horrible! Then I started reading on the net about how it can prevent you from future pregnancies and other side effects. I caution against it.

W.

First off...if you want to become pregnant once this one is one...you don't want to do depo provera - your body needs almost a year to get that hormone out of your system in order to get pregnant again. Also, if you want to get pregnant at that time frame, you don't want to use a hormonal birth control because it takes a while to get out of your system. Like some of the others mentioned as well, the hormones could alter being able to breastfeed.
Also, one of the other women mentioned the patch - I don't even think they have that as an available method right now because of the problems it caused for a lot of women.
If you want to not worry about birth control you need to take everyday you have a few options...there is the ring (which you insert yourself - sounds gross, but it's not bad at all - & uses hormones) and there are a few IUDs that are non-hormonal that can be inserted and taken out at any point and you'd be able to get pregnant as soon as you took them out. It would be best to talk to your OB since they know your body better than we do and they can give you all your options that would fit with what you want to accomplish.

I would try the nuva ring. I used it for several months and it is a lot easier than a pill. I could never tell that it was there, but sometimes my husband could feel it. Good luck!

I just talked to my doctor about this last week. I am due in 10 days with my third child. I will be nursing, so I needed a birth control method that would be safe while breastfeeding. I had previously used the Nuva Ring for four years before this pregancy and I loved it!!! But the doc said that I shouldn't use it while nursing. I thought about mirena and the doctor suggested getting the Depo shot before I leave the hospital. I didn't even know that was an option or that it was safe for nuring. But I think I am going to try it.

I wouldn't recommend depo! It can really mess with your body and if your planning on getting pregnant in a year I wouldn't bother with it. I heard it has a lot of side effects and I think that is one of the birth controls that could take a while to get out of your system. If you are breastfeeding why not just use condoms?? I have a mirena IUD (the 5 year one) but I am done with having children. If your not breastfeeding then I would try the nuvaring. Since you plan on getting pregnant soon after it wouldn't be worth it to do the IUD, or Depo. You don't want to do the pill so I would say either condoms or the nuvaring. I was just in this predictement a few months ago when I had my 3rd. I'm breastfeeding and don't want any more children but am not ready to get my tubes tied. The 10 year IUD (paragard) shouldn't be used if you are sensitive to copper, and it can cause heavy periods. I looked into all of the different options, but for you I would try those 2 things if you are wanting another one soon. Good luck! And congrats on the baby!
J.

I had the depo shot before I left the hospital and was able to breastfeed my daughter for the entire time I desired. Two months after she was born, I had the Mirena IUD inserted (17 mo ago). No problems with any of it! Super Smart chose!