I have been on the Depo Prevera injection for birth control since my daughter was 6 weeks old. She will be 3 years old in a couple weeks. I know there has been information saying it affects your bone density and this concerns me. My question is about mensus. I nursed my daughter for 30 months, that combined with depo injection; I have not had any menstral bleeding. All the sudden a couple days ago I started bleeding. Is this normal? Does this mean that I ovulated? Has this happened to anyone else? I have considered changing back to the pill but I have to admit I like not having to take a pill everyday and not having a menstral cycle. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks.
You should check out:
for information on a natural, and God centered "method", and then pray about it.
God Bless
i was on depo for 5 yrs. i had the "normal" 4 months or so of bleeding when i got on it, but nothing after that. i got off it since i heard it was bad for your bones. i've been off for a year, and my periods have returned. i had a hard time with them though, pain and bloating that i wasn't accustomed to. in between my first and second precnancy i was on depo for three years and didnot have any side effects from getting off it, my periods just returned one day to "normal'. maybe i was on it too long the second time? don't know, but whatever you think is right for your body you have to go with. maybe you can call your gyno and speak tot he nurse about it, but i wouldn't worry too much. it's been in your system for so long that i'm sure you didn't avulate, it must be just hormone changes!
Im not exactly sure why you started bleeding out of the blue like that, but after I had my son I got the shot and I ended up having my period for literally a year! When I first got the shot and kept bleeding they said it was normal, but 3 months later I was still bleeding! Just something for you to think about. I hope you find what you are looking for!
I was on the shot for 13 years due to endometriosis, then came off of it to have a baby (and became pregnant with twins 18 months after coming off the shot!), then went back on it about 6 months after the boys were born. I had a bone density test done before trying to get pregnant, and my bones were in great shape. I had no issues or bleeding at all the first time I was on it, but this time is completely different. I have been on it for over two years, and just a couple of months ago, I started bleeding... and continued for 2 months (I was actually due for my injection 3 weeks after I started bleeding and decided to not get it since I thought it wasn't working anyway.) I gave more than one doctor the third degree over this and was told that the shot works 4 different ways, so even if I am bleeding, I shouldn't be ovulating. We did an ultrasound and found a follicle (which usually means 'ovulation'!), but it was not large enough to be carrying an egg. They also told me that my uterine lining gets very thin, so no fertilized eggs can attach to it, and there is one other thing it does that basically stops any 'little soldiers' from being able to get to the egg if there ever was one. Now I feel confident that it is still effective as birth control (despite all the weird things that are going on this time). Talk to your doc about how to keep your bones healthy and you should be fine as far as all of that goes. Hope this helps!
I have never been on the Depo so I can't help with the strange break through bleeding. However, if you want to go off the shot and have little, if any period as well as not worry about pills, I'd say go with an IUD. Mirena is the only one that can lessen or get rid of the bleeding. I've had mine for about six, maybe seven months and haven't had any problems with it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. And no, the company doesn't even know I endorse their product! haha Good luck with whatever you decide. I didn't go with the Depo for some of the reasons you mentioned as well as some others. (and I have a major phobia of needles!!)
J.
I was on the Depo shot for several years and then I was told that there was a new study that came out about the calcium. Since I was 20 when I started the OBGYN told me that they were worried because of this. They said I should have never been on the shot as long as I was. It is only suppose to be used as a more permanent method of birth control. Then they told me if I continued taking it I could turn out to be sterile for the rest of my life. I got off the shot right away and ended up pregnant 1 year after that.
Depo has been shown to leach calcium from the bones, and some doctors do recommend taking a 6 month break from it because of this, but other doctors point out that the calcium loss from the shot is not anywhere near the loss experienced during pregnancy so if depo is the birth control for you it's better than getting pregnant again. You can counteract the calcium loss by getting a dietary supplement that provides 100 percent of the recommended daily value of calcium. It is not uncommon for women to experience some bleeding while on depo, and it is notorious for messing with a woman's cycles even after she stops taking it. But unless you've been on antibiotics or missed a shot it's unlikely that you ovulated. It's most likely just the combination of you giving up breastfeeding and your body adjusting to the hormonal changes from that.
