Depo Provera
Health Services > Birth Control Methods > Depo Provera

You will get written information explaining the use, effectiveness, and medically recognized benefits and risks of the available birth control methods and devices and you will also get the FDA-approved written information provided by the Depo Provera manufacturer. You should read these and ask questions about anything you do not understand.

Depo Provera is a man-made hormone like the hormone progesterone, which is normally made by a woman's body. After you have received Depo Provera, the hormone effects last for about 12 weeks. Depo Provera works by keeping eggs from being released from the ovaries, and by making the mucus from the cervix (the opening into the uterus) thick, so that it is hard for sperm to get through it.

Depo Provera provides highly effective pregnancy protection if you get the injections on time. For every 100 women who use Depo Provera, there will be fewer than one pregnancy per year. Depo Provera prevents pregnancy immediately if it is injected within the first 5 days after your period begins.

When you want to get pregnant, it can take an average of 9-10 months from the last injection to become pregnant, and possibly up to a year or more. However, some women get pregnant right away after stopping Depo Provera, so if you do not want to become pregnant, you must begin another method of birth control.

The advantages of using Depo Provera are:

• it prevents pregnancy very well;
• it lasts for 12 weeks;
• there is no medicine to take every day;
• there is nothing to do right before sex to make it work; 
• helps prevent cancer of the lining of the uterus.

You must not use Depo Provera if you are pregnant or think you might be pregnant, or if you have any of the following:

• abnormal bleeding from the vagina that has not been evaluated;
• known or suspected cancer of the breast;
• use of a drug (aminoglutethamide) for the treatment of Cushing's Syndrome.

Some past and/or present health conditions may increase your medical risk or make Depo Provera use inadvisable. In these cases, Depo Provera may not be the best birth control method for you to choose. You should tell the clinician if you smoke or take any medicines, or if you have now, or have had before, any of the following:

• diabetes, high blood pressure, or other cardiovascular disease risk factors;
• depression;
• recent history of liver disease (such as hepatitis) or liver function tests that are not normal, or liver tumors.

Most women using Depo Provera experience a change in menstrual periods, including bleeding more days than usual, spotting between periods, no periods, or more than one of these changes. These changes are common, particularly in the first 12 months of use. After 12 months of use, about half of women using Depo Provera experience a lack of menstrual periods. It may take several months for periods to return after stopping the injections.

Call the clinic if you missed a period after having periods every month on Depo Provera. An unusual period may be a sign of pregnancy.

Some women may also have the following side effects with Depo Provera:

• change of appetite; weight gain;
• headache;
• sore breasts;
• nausea; abdominal discomfort;
• nervousness; dizziness;
• depression;
• skin rash or spotty darkening of the skin;
• hair loss or increased hair on face or body;
• increased or decreased sex drive.

If you experience any of these side effects, there is no way to neutralize or reverse the Depo Provera, and the side effects may continue, and may need evaluation and/or treatment, until the Depo Provera shot wears off.

The danger signs to watch for (and report to your medical provider) are:

• lump in your breast;
• yellowing of the skin or eyes;
• severe depression;
• severe pain in the stomach or abdomen;
• unusually heavy or prolonged bleeding from the vagina;

The area where the Depo Provera was injected might be sore or bruised for a day or two. You must return for a check-up and another injection every 12 weeks. If you wait longer than 12 weeks for another injection, the Depo Provera will not be as effective in preventing pregnancy.

Using Depo Provera does not protect against sexually transmitted infections, and a serious infection could cause sterility. If you or your partner have other sexual partners, you also should use latex condoms to prevent infections, along with using Depo Provera to prevent pregnancy.

Regular physical examination for routine health care and for screening for sexually transmitted infections and for cancer are strongly recommended.