Depo-Provera: My Experience

 

*First off, I want to remind you all that I am not a medical practitioner. I've taken no medical classes and have very little knowledge except from my own experiences. That's all I'm sharing with you today, along with a little informational research I've done. 

    So, here we go, this is my journey with the semi-popular birth control drug: Depo-Provera. 

    When I first decided to get birth control, I was roughly a junior in high school. I was already experiencing a wide array of mental illness symptoms at this time. I, like many others in this critical stage, was terrified about having the "talk" with my highly conservative parents. Because of this, I tirelessly researched ways around this problem and actually went to Planned Parenthood, filled out a "form" so that I wouldn't have to pay the total full cost out of pocket (because I was a broke 17 year old who couldn't use her parents insurance, lest they find out and disown me) - and lastly, so I would be able to get solid medical advice. 

    I actually already had a Gynecologist from a private practice due to chronic yeast infections as well as chronically occurring BV, but, as I said, this wasn't really an option due to insurance. 

    So, with this in mind, I made my way to Planned Parenthood and was able to qualify for Depo-Provera and only pay about $60 per injection. 

    Typically, Depo costs much more, around the one to two-hundred dollar range. I was very lucky that I didn't have to pay the full price. (If you're reading this article and financially able, go donate to PP!) 

    Depo-Provera (the generic version being Medroxyprogesterone Acetate) is a progestin-class injectable birth control. It is a form of Progesterone, or the hormone that is responsible for preventing ovulation in females. This drug works in a variety of ways, making it very effective (anywhere from about 94-98%) if used correctly. 

    The drug works first and foremost by suppressing the user's ovulation, thus preventing the release of any eggs in the first place. On top of this, it also thickens the user's cervical mucus as well as uterine lining - making it much harder for sperm to reach an egg to fertilize it. 

    Depo is very good at doing what it does, though it is important to have a conversation with a medical professional first to make sure this birth control is right for you. It has been linked with increased chances of breast cancer, liver disease, as well as (due to the fact that it decreases the amount of calcium in your bones) a higher risk for developing Osteoporosis. The last issue typically is only a major problem when you use this drug for a long span of time, but you should still make sure to take vitamin supplements and exercise regularly while on Depo.

   Next, the question everyone wants to know: Will this birth control make me gain weight? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. 

    Technically speaking, there are few proven studies for most types of birth control that can confirm a particular type causes the user to gain weight. Depo-Provera, on the other hand, has showed the opposite. The longer one uses this drug, a higher weight gain usually correlates - and this is a proven fact. Again, though, this study results were formulated around longer-term users. So using this drug for just a few months to a year shouldn't effect you too much, so long as you take care of yourself and exercise regularly. With that, though, it's still possible you might experience weight changes. Putting any "foreign" substance in your body can do this.   

    Lastly, maintenance: 

    The Depo-Provera injection can be deposited in your arms or butt, though very rarely do people choose the latter. It needs to be injected by a medical professional every three months. The shot is placed deep within the muscle, so that the hormone is released slowly into the body as the months progress. By the end of the third month, a very low dose will remain there. It's important to try to switch arms every month, so if you get it in your right arm the first time, try getting it into your left arm the second time around. Continue to switch. 

    Now that you have the facts, I'll continue with the story from earlier:

    I had chosen Depo because I am terrible at remembering to take pills, couldn't afford nor really wanted an IUD, and figured everything else would be either too obvious to my parents and/or too high maintenance. I had no issues with needles or shots either, so I wasn't too worried about the actual injection process.

    So, I went ahead and got my first shot. First off, it's important to note that this doesn't feel like a normal shot. Picture the most painful shot you've ever received, and then maybe multiply the pain scale by 2. It wasn't the worst external pain I'd ever felt, but it definitely hurt. I could feel it go straight through my muscle. On the other hand, though, regular shots and blood work feels like a piece of cake now. 

    After taking the needle out, it's common for a little bit of the injection to leak out of the surface. Because of this, the syringe always includes a little bit extra of the drug, so this isn't anything to worry about. Your medical practitioner will wipe that away, along with the blood, (there may be a decent amount of blood - that's okay), and place a bandaid on the injection site. You don't need to clean this or anything, just treat it as you would a normal shot. 

    The muscle soreness, on the other hand, does need to be treated. Moving around will help decrease the soreness, and I also found I needed to take advil every 8 hours like clockwork.

    From what I've gathered, not everyone experiences extreme pain in the following hours, but the first injection I got left my arm useless for about 2 and a half days. I struggled even to shower that first night, because I had to raise my arm to wash my hair. It ached relentlessly. I was beyond thrilled on the third day, just because the ache faded and my arm felt a whole lot better. In all honesty, though, I don't believe my arm felt entirely normal for a good week or so. 

    Once the initial pain went away, another entirely different host of symptoms came on. These ones, unfortunately, were all mental. While I had definitely done my research before deciding on Depo, I hadn't really specifically searched out poor reviews. On the contrary, I wasn't able to find a lot of personal reviews at all. About a week or so in, however, I searched the internet ruthlessly upon finding myself sobbing, panicky, and struggling to quell a new round of merciless anxiety I'd never experienced before. I still have a vivid image in my head of myself sitting on my friends floor, surrounded by a few people, feeling dazed and slightly crazed, while tears pricked my eyes as I read through a series of horrifying reviews. People were blaming their ruined lives, marriages, physical appearances and more on Depo-Provera. And while it can take a while for your fertility to return after stopping the drug, some women were claiming they'd been failing to get pregnant for years after using the drug. It was after reading these reviews that I made the decision that this wasn't something I was going to do long term. As soon as I could, I would switch to something else, maybe an IUD.

    Unfortunately, I had to get this drug two more times. It was the same each time, upon the initial first couple weeks to a month and a half of receiving it, I felt terrible. By the third time, I was able to piece some connections together. As mentioned priorly, the injection within the muscle slowly disperses the hormone throughout a period of three months. Eventually, I realized that when I got an injection, I was way more emotionally unstable and anxious. By about the end of the third month, however, when there was a lot less of the hormones in my body, I felt almost sane again. I was a wreck each time I realized I had to get a new injection, as well as in the weeks following it. 

    I'm very happy to say I stopped it before I left for college, and was able to switch to the arm implant. The implant contains most of the same hormones, but distributes them at a much lower and consistent level, meaning it was much more suitable for me. I'll do another post about my experience with Nexplanon soon too.

    To wrap it up, I want to say that despite my horrible experience, it's important to note that not everyone has this same journey. While many people have had negative experiences with Depo-Provera, there are probably just as many people with positive experiences. Not everyone has side effects. It wasn't until I got to college and was able to share my story with a neighbor (who I'm now close friends with) that she told me her childhood best friend had been getting Depo for years, and swore it was the best thing that'd ever happened to her. I was incredulous at that, but have actually heard a few more success stories about it since then. Like all drugs, it's important to talk to your health care professional, or someone you trust about things like this first. Gather your facts and do your research, and consider keeping a symptom diary to track how you're feeling. This will help you in the first couple months realize if this is truly the right birth control to try. 

    And don't give up hope if its not the one for you - there are hundreds out there! Being a girl sucks, but your doctor should be excited and ready to help you find the right one for you! Best of luck.