Depo-Provera

The hormone from the shot does three things:

• Makes the mucous in the cervix thicker (making it harder for sperm to go inside the uterus).
• Sends a message to your ovary to stop an egg from releasing (meaning sperm cannot find the egg when it goes inside your uterus).
• Causes the walls of the uterus to become thinner; this physical reaction prevents a fertilized egg from attaching to the walls of the uterus.

The shot can be very effective if used perfectly. Only about 1 to 6 women out of 100 may get pregnant.

The shot is safe for most women. There may be better birth control methods if you have had any of these conditions:

• Unknown cause of abnormal vaginal bleeding.
• Breast cancer or liver disease.
• High blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis or heart disease.

• It lasts for 12 weeks.
• The shot is all you need to prevent pregnancy.
• It can be used while breastfeeding.
• It is not visible to others.

• Changes to their periods.
• It can take up to 18 months after the last dose to get pregnant.
• They must go to a health care provider every 12 weeks to get the shot.

**The shot does not protect against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) nor human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). **

• Make an appointment with a health educator to sign a consent.
• Your medical provider needs to confirm that the shot is safe for you to use.
• You will need to leave a urine sample before the procedure. Please arrive at your appointment with a full bladder.

• The shot needs to be given by a health care provider every 12 weeks.
• The shot is given in the upper arm or on the buttock (you may feel sore a few hours after at the site where the injection was given).

The shot takes up to seven days to start working. A backup method, such as condoms, is needed for the first seven days after the first dose of the shot is given.

Common symptoms may occur, but are not dangerous:

• Changes in you period are normal. You may:
  • Not have your period at all.
  • Have shorter or longer periods.
  • Have spotting between periods.
• Mood changes.
• Breast tenderness.
• Headaches.
• Changes in appetite: loss or increase of appetite (weight loss or weight gain).

If the shot is used continuously over two years, you may experience bone loss density over time. You can protect your bones while using the shot by:

• Eating foods high in calcium, such as:
  • Dairy products (milk, yogurt, etc.).
  • Green leafy vegetables.
• Staying active and getting plenty of regular exercise.

**If you do experience any of these, it may take until the effects of the shot wear off to feel better. **

Call your medical provider immediately if you are experiencing any of the following complications or warning signs:

• Severe abdominal pain.
• Severe vaginal bleeding.
• Severe headaches.
• Depression.
• Unexplained fever or chills.
• Infection: at the sight of insertion which would appear as redness, swelling, heat and tenderness.

• If you no longer wish to keep using the shot, no need to return for your next shot.
• The effects of the shot will wear off over time.
• It can take anywhere from 0-18 months to return to fertility.

It is not recommended as a long-term birth control method (longer than two years) unless other methods are considered inadequate. If you want to use it for more than two years, you need to discuss it with your medical provider.

Fact: Every woman is different. Therefore, side effects are different for everyone. Some women may have increase in appetite (which may be the reason for the weight gain). Other women may experience loss in appetite (which may be the reason for losing weight). Some women do not experience any kind of appetite change nor weight change.

Fact: Every woman is different. 1% – 5% of women who use the depo shot experience hair loss or no growth. It is a rare and very small percentage. If you were to have hair loss or no growth, your hair can grow back after the depo shot use; the shot does not stay in your system forever.

Fact: The shot will not prevent your ability to have children in the future. You will not become sterile. But, because you cannot stop its use immediately (since the injection is in your system), it can take up to 18 months for it to wear off.