Does using the same birth control over several years lessen the chance of getting pregnant later on?

Question

Using the injection Depo provera every three months for 4 years in a row.

Answer 1

If you read the patient insert for the depo-provera injection you will see it very strongly recommends not using it for more than 2 years for a variety of reasons.

Please, please request the insert for any injection you receive, read and understand it before accepting the shot and take a copy home with you.

(There is more but here are the key points)

Return of Fertility
Because DEPO-PROVERA Contraceptive Injection is a long-acting birth control method, it takes some time after your last injection for its effect to wear off. Based on the results from a large study done in the United States, of those women who stop using DEPO-PROVERA Contraceptive Injection in order to become pregnant, about half of those who become pregnant do so in about 10 months after their last injection; about two-thirds of those who become pregnant do so in about 12 months, about 83% of those who become pregnant do so in about 15 months, and about 93% of those who become pregnant do so in about 18 months after their last injection. The length of time you use DEPO-PROVERA Contraceptive Injection has no effect on how long it takes you to become pregnant after you stop using it.


Risks of Using DEPO-PROVERA Contraceptive Injection
1. Losing Calcium from Your Bones
Depo-Provera CI use may decrease the amount of calcium in your bones. The longer you are on Depo-Provera CI the more calcium you may lose. This increases the risk of your bones weakening if you use Depo-Provera CI continuously for a long time (for more than 2 years). The loss of calcium may increase your risk of osteoporosis and broken bones, particularly after your menopause.
Calcium is generally added to the bones during teenage years. The decrease of calcium in your bones is of most concern if you are a teenager or have the following risk factors:
- bone disease
- anorexia nervosa (an eating disorder)
- a strong family history of osteoporosis
- drug use that can lower the amount of calcium in bones (drugs for epilepsy or steroids), or
- drinking a lot of alcohol or smoking a lot.
If you need a birth control method for more than 2 years, your healthcare provider may ask you to switch to another birth control method or ask you to have a test of your bones before continuing Depo-Provera CI, especially if you have other risks for weak bones. When Depo-Provera CI is stopped, the calcium in bones begins to come back. Your healthcare provider may tell you take calcium and Vitamin D as this may lessen the loss of calcium from your bones.
2. Irregular Menstrual Bleeding
The side effect reported most frequently by women who use DEPO-PROVERA Contraceptive Injection for contraception is a change in their normal menstrual cycle. During the first year of using DEPO-PROVERA Contraceptive Injection, you might have one or more of the following changes:
irregular or unpredictable bleeding or spotting,
an increase or decrease in menstrual bleeding, or
no bleeding at all.

You can read the insert online here:
http://www.pfizer.com/pfizer/download/ppi_depo_provera_contraceptive.pdf

Answer 2

it can take a while to get pregnant after stopping birth control. But 80% of couples that simply stop using birth control conceive in 1 year. So if you are trying to get pregnant or want to get pregnant soon, I would stop the injections and give your body a chance to normalize. Check out the link below for some additional information. I wasn't on injectables, but the pill and I got pregnant 2 months after I stopped taking it. So don't worry, but you may want to stop it sooner rather than later.

Answer 3

Fact #7
Birth control choices have fertility implications.

It sounds like a cruel joke, but it's true, says Dr. Holmes. The method of contraception that a woman has used may also impact conception. Women who used progesterone injections of Depo-Provera may have to wait for normal fertility to resume after they've stopped using the drug for six to nine months or even a year. It may take women who use Lunelle, another injectable form of birth control, six months to a year to have a normal menstrual and ovulation cycle.

And while many women believe that the effects of the pill linger long after they stop using it, that's yet another myth. Furthermore, it's not necessary to wait several cycles to "wash out" oral contraceptives before getting started. In fact, immediately after the pill is stopped, there can be an ovulatory rebound effect, resulting in a super-fertile period. Despite the increased chances of conceiving right after stopping the pill, Dr. Holmes still recommends most of her patients go off it two or three months prior to trying to conceive. That way, you can more predictably determine the length of your cycle, identify your fertile days, and be able to better date when you conceived once you actually do get pregnant.

Oral contraceptives also help to preserve fertility -- pill users have a decreased risk of illnesses that harm fertility, such as endometriosis, PID, and ectopic pregnancy. The bottom line? Take stock of your birth control choices before you decide you want to get pregnant.

Answer 4

Yes, depo can cause infertility in some women there have been many law suits to that effect. I took depo for a year and then decided to stop when i got married. It took us two years of trying to conceive. Best wishes.

Answer 5

my friend was on depo shots for years. It took her over a year to get pregnant because of those shots!

Now some doctors aren't going to be giving them anymore due to their side effects and problems they cause

Answer 6

yes you should get off of that now if you want to get preggy just ask the doctor after taking ur last dose it could take anywhere from 18-90 months to start nesting in your uterus again. It will un-rippen ur ovaries as long as you continue with it if you want a baby in near future get off now go to condoms