anyone got any experience of coming off depo provera injection?

Question

I started the injection in september 2005 and got the last one in May 2006 as I was putting on lots of weight. I would have been thus due the following one in August 2006. I hadn't totally lost my periods, but got them every 2-3 months. I did get a decent one in August just after I would have been due the injection but I still haven't got one since. I also get tender breasts every month as if it is coming since I came off injection. it never comes though. I never got this symptom with pms before. i did a pregnancy test in october which was negative and I have no other signs of pregnancy at all. is it normal to take this long to get periods back? I am sure it varies from person to person too. all help appreciated.

Answer 1

I came of the injection in October '04, after 4 years on it. Took me about 18 months to get in to a reasonably normal cycle, and it still a bit off now. One thing that can affect how long it takes your cycle to get back to normal is your weight, it seems that the more overweight you are, the longer it can take. When I spoke to my doctor, he said not to worry unless I didn't have a period for 2 years, so I wouldn't worry. You can always go to your doctor, they can do blood tests to see what your hormones are like.
Hope this helps :)

Answer 2

I honestly do not know why the doctors use this form of contraceptive, I had my first injection Feb 2006 and had nothing but problems, I had a major outburst in spots, i was getting very bad stomach and back pains and instead of not having a period i was getting periods every 2 weeks lasting for 2 weeks, i had another injection in the may to see if there was an improvement, the doctor said it may be because it is new to my body, the problems still continued. I was due to have the third injection in the Aug but didnt bother, i have been off it ever since however the problems are still here, im bleeding all the time, one of my periods lasted approx 5 weeks, a normal period for me now is 2 weeks, I get tender breast like yourself. The doctor put it to me like this, I weight just over 8 1/2 stone and the hormorne they use is very strong, if im 8 1/2 stone or 18 1/2 stone they would use the same dosage, so it could have more of a reaction if your are a small person, It does varie from person to person and the doctor advised me it could take along time for my cycle to get back to normal....xx

Answer 3

Hi
My last depo injection was also in May 2006, due to trying for a baby. My periods was really irregular after (every few weeks), and then a few normal ones lasting around 25/26 days.

I haven't had a period for 33 days now, so thought i was pregnant, after experiencing very sore breasts and tiredness. I have taken some pregnancy tests but all came back negative.

I was worried at first, but i think your periods will just take a bit more time to go back to normal.
I was advised by my doctor to wait a few months and see how they go, but its very normal.

I have also known a few people that have had very irregular periods after the depo.

Hope that helps, and good luck!

Answer 4

I came off the injection a while back... my periods took 4 months to come back and then i'd say another 2 before they settled down and were back to normal. I too put on a lot of weight with it and I can now say, that since i've come off I'm back to my normal weight. Don't worry, they will come back.

Answer 5

Hia I sympathise with you... I came off a couple of years ago and my periods took about 6 months to get normal again. Even then, my periods were more painful, heavier and longer for another 6 months. Now I'm fine and all nice and regular again, but I don't think I would go on it again after that experience -although it is nice not having to worry about taking a pill every day!
Stick with it and get in the painkillers!

Answer 6

I was put on the shots following surgery for Endometriosis, to get rid of the constant pain & prevent any estrogen being left in my system-the idea being to starve any non-visible Endo. cells so that they would die off.
This "low dose" meds increased my pain & gave me about 25 "rare" and gradually intolerable side effects, including monstrous untreatable migraine, hot flashes & other menopause symptoms- at age 26!
After stopping the shots, symptoms gradually subsided & I self treated for pain with slowlybegining/ increasingexercise over time.
My lessons from all this were #1 Learning that I cannot tolerate this or any other hormonal therapy, and #2 permanent cystic acne, oh joy!(But totally clears up if I stay with Acne Statin skin cleanser system).
I am learning about bio-identical hormones, and if I need HRT at menopause, then that would be what I would try.
My personal opinion is that Dr.'s are too willing to play with our hormones- there is so much that is unknown re. their effects and side efects.
The perfect example is how for years "studies" were used to push HRT treatment for menopausal symptoms & touted as reducing Cancer.
Now we learn that -surprise!-the rising rate of breast Cancer since the 80's strongly correlates with HRT, and that it actually increases your risk for some Cancers.
The more I learn about bio-identical hormones and alternative approaches, the healthier I am!
Best of luck to you on this, knowledge is indeed power, and I hope you can learn more about this & find a more helpful treatment to clear things up.

Answer 7

You should start by not wanting to get pregnant, just have sex everyday or every other day and don't think about getting pregnant, just have fun with your partner. Get more useful information and guides to get pregnant here https://tr.im/TqXjZ
after sex-put a pillow under your butt or prop your feet up on the wall so your pelvis is tilted
eat healthy
back off caffiene
workout, even if its just a 20 minute walk a day, be active.

Answer 8

I came of Depo last year after having a blood test that came back as very low oestrogen levels,Back on pill but only had one period.