Contraceptive Injection - Depo ??

[minxi]

Hi has anyone been on the 3 month contraceptive injection ? I went on it September 2003 and was due my next jab end Jan 2005, had no periods at all and have still had nothing, wanted to know of any experiences of getting body back to normal (reason for me is to have another baby), how long it takes etc....Help ??!!

[HelloMama]

If you have been on depo for a number of years you need to be aware that it can take 6-18 months for your cycle to return to normal. So if you are thinking of TTC in the next year, I would advise you not to have the next depo injection. In the meantime, if you still need to use contraception for a bit you can always switch to a less long-term method which is much more reversible, such as the progestogen-only pill (mini-pill). It may be that you conceive quickly and some women do get pregnant if they are a day late for their next injection, but this is quite unusual. I would also take this time to start taking the folic acid and getting everything else you need ready to prepare for a healthy pregnancy! Also, don't forget that you ovulate before you see a period, so if you come off depo and decide not to use anything else, you will have to look out for the signs of pregnancy and maybe invest in a stock of pregnancy test! HTH. Let me know if you need any other advice!

[HelloMama]

sorry, i just saw that you already didn't have your last injection which was due in jan. So don't worry if you haven't seen a period yet. That is a normal side effect of coming off depo.

[alux]

here is a recent thread on the same topic:

thread