depo-provera (3 month contraceptive injection) anyone been on it?

[Smoke Jaguar]

Well, you haven't googled, you've asked here on BB for real life stories, and here they are!

[[M]umma[M]ia]

Well, you haven't googled, you've asked here on BB for real life stories, and here they are!

Exactly, u never know whats true or not on google. lol. I know u girls will tell me just how it is. Thanks

[[M]umma[M]ia]

so far so good tho.. u have not had any problems, not spotting, no bloating, no weight gain and no loss of sex drive.

[Smoke Jaguar]

Great to hear - I hope it doesn't sneak up on you like it did for me
I forgot about the rash. It arrived just in time for summer (first shot in July) and was itchy and all around my waist, mainly on my sides. It was an acne type of rash and highly attractive on my by-then expanded waist line and slowly disappeared when I stopped the injections. For ages I thought it was fabric softener, type of laundry wash, something I was eating...until I mentioned it to another GP who asked if I was on medication and I said no, just the Depo. That's when he informed me of all the side-effects I'd been having, so I just kept nodding as he listed them and he felt bad that the other GP hadn't informed me of it all.
So, add itchy, acneic rash to the list of possible side-effects. I stopped bleeding all together, which was the only upside to the whole thing and I decided that I would take bleeding over total loss of control over my body for the duration of the hormones in my body.
I probably didn't give a good timeline of effects. First shot in July, weight gain begins slowly in September, just in time for my 2nd shot. Keep putting on weight, DP getting bit sad that I no longer care whether I have sex or not and no matter what I do, there is no O. Have 3rd shot in November. By Christmas I've gone from regular, reliable size 8-10 to a size 14. Mind you, my sister had already bought bridesmaid dresses before the real ballooning and the weight kept coming on, no matter how many times I walked to work from home or walked the dog in the park! By February, my sister's wedding, I'm the absolute biggest I've ever been and not at all comfortable in my own skin. By now I fit into NONE of my old wardrobe adn the things I was trying to squeeze into until November have irreparable stretch damage to the stitching - it really did sneak up on me, rather than just ballooning in a couple of months from the start.
So, I was a bit naive to have these symptoms and never attribute them to the depo - I could have stopped the cycle months sooner had I copped on.
What I hope is, Hollye, that now you've asked the question, you can be right on top of any symptoms and if anything strange starts happening, point your finger at depo first, before looking at other possible causes - cos it's likely to be the depo and you won't have to wonder for months like a dummy (i.e. me!) what you've done wrong and why you can't fix it!
In hindsight, the symptoms were so obvious in origin, but to me depo was supposed to be the liberating wonder contraception that the GP willingly gave me when I asked about it...now, even for the simplest prescription or over the counter, I look at the side-effects list...lesson learned.
So, fingers crossed it stays stable for you!!

[Visitor8]

You have to remember it's only the 'bad' stories that are put on google like that Kitten.

[Kitt3n]

mel i know hun, but i am 99 % certain my miscarriages (not too mantion psychtic, irrational behaviour etc etc) were caused by the depo, and in my hours of hell going through them i just found way too many like stories and felt that i should say something to anyone considering depo.

please anyone on this just be very careful

[Smoke Jaguar]

Here's one extract from a journal article I found about conclusions of Depo:

Recent clinical issues related to the use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera?)
ISSN: 1040-872X
Accession: 10526923
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About this Journal ≫
Author(s):

Cromer, Barbara A
Issue:
Volume 11(5), October 1999, pp 467-471
DMPA appears to have no apparent deleterious effect on mood. Although galactorrhea has been observed in association with use of DMPA, it appears to be a benign effect. Weight gain has been reported among users of DMPA, lasting for up to 6 months after discontinuation. However, some studies have failed to show a significant difference compared with results using other hormonal methods. There does appear to be a negative effect of DMPA on bone mineral density, especially among young women with long duration of use. Bone loss may be mitigated by a short duration of use and the possibility of at least partial recovery after discontinuation. Women who initiate DMPA mid-cycle should use a back-up method for 7 days. Finally, a potentially attractive non-contraceptive benefit of DMPA is its prevention of dysmenorrhea.

There are loads of studies in my database search about low-bone density, throughout the lifespan - so in adolescents and in post-menopausal women. There is a strong link for long-term use. There are some other studies relating to women's experiences and (mainly) on bone density issues, as well as perceptions of protection from STD's (!!), but I thought this conclusion was a good overview of issues studied
Also, there was a study I found there (accidentally closed the search prematurely!) that said some women reported glactorrhea - production of milk in the absence of pregnancy, immediate post-pregnancy or abortion. It's likely to be an underreported side-effect and that's why it doesn't appear on side-effects lists.
I know I don't need to studies to convince me depo is not a stable enough form of contraception to be widely used (was used a lot decades ago for some cancer and renal treatments). Not enough is known about it and I refuse to be a guinea pig for its probably long-term effects ever again.