Chelsea89

I have really bad cramping and PMS with my menstrual cycle. My doctor wants to put me on birth control to stop my periods. Depo Provera. Is it really worth it? Is it safe and will there be any side effects? I have never been on birth control so it is a little scary trying to decide what to do. Would any of the other kinds help with my cramping and be a little less strong? Hmmm...

kak7112

Don't go on depo!! It's too harsh. Thing about all the chemicals that would have to go in your body to stop your period.

If you've never been on birth control you should just tell her to put you on something less harsh and see if it works.

I was like you when i was young and thats why I went on birth control, and I didn't go on depo but my cramps weren't as bad on a reg birth control pill.

ElleP

I started Depo at 16 to prevent pregnancy because every pill I tried made me sick and realized it stopped my period. Every Doctor has their own opinon of whether or not its safe to not have a period. Some say its not natural to have one (a period) every month cause 200 years ago we didn't (i actually had a doc tell me that, that's not my stupid idea), while others says its the only way to cleanse our bodies blah blah blah. I've had them and not had them, both seem fine. I prefer not to, less mess and I didn't realize how much it cost to have a period until I started having them on the regular again. I was told its okay to trick your body into thinking its pregnant (which is what I was told Depo does) because before BC women stayed pregnant most of the time anyway- now that I think about it that actually sounds kinda sexist and having a period all the time is not healthy for our bodies. I'm not really sure what to believe. Like I said I've done both and prefer not to menstrate. The only down side to Depo I found is that when I came off of it I bleed for 30 days straight each time and it took a bit of work to get pregnant because it can take up to 18 months to wear off and my periods were not regular until then but I've had friends who still menstrated, got pregnant right away and never had these 'issues'. But I would recommend it for someone with cramps. It really helped mine. No period, no cramps. And as far as the comment another member made about putting chemicals into your body that is the silliest thing I've heard, alot of the pills on the market are stronger than Depo.

molliesha

I don't reccomend depo either just take a pill like loesterin 24 or seasonale or seasonique to lessen the cramps and amount of blood you will loose on your cycle. There are too many side effects with depo

vgg07

I haven't really heard anything positive about Depo as of yet. The type of oral contraceptives that I've tried and have liked is Yaz. Also, I have heard amazing things about the Nuva Ring. My doctor strongly recommended it, but I am more comfortable with the pill.

Either way, Yaz (and from what I hear) the Nuva Ring seem like two options you might want to consider.

dawn9800

I was on Depo for about 5 years and my only complaint was like someone else said slow weight gain, but if you are suffering or cant stand your period go for it, I recommend getting the shot in your hiney more fat there!! Just be careful of what you eat and get plenty of exercise! I have now switched to the ring and I have only been on it a month with no complaints, I really want to loose weight and I used be able to eat what I wanted w/o gaining a lb. I would love to go back to that, and Im hoping I will be as soon as I get used to the ring Good Luck let us know what you decide to do!!

__________________
[♥]Jessica Dawn[♥]

HennaFlowers

I have been on depo on and off since I was 16. There are extreme pros and cons.

The best pros are that depo completely stopped my horrible cramps. It was very effective as birth control also, I have no children so far. It was so easy, you don't have to mess with it. I can not remember to take a pill at the same time everyday. I didn't want a patch or anything like that. Depo is just one injection every three months. Easy.

The cons are that for the longest time my periods were so irregular. I couldnt kep up with them at all! After a while they finally came under control and then I stopped having them at all, which to me is more of a pro than a con.. but in the end, it ends up being a con. I'm 22 now an stopped using depo at the beginning of the year (Its October), I was due for my shot in April and didnt go back to get it. Over the summer my breast started growing... alot... Which again, I didnt mind, but they were so tender! Recently, I still have not had a period and my breast are so tender I cant stand it! All my bras are too small, I had to get new ones, which let me tell you, VS isnt going to give you a discount to replace all your bras for this reason. It was expensive.
Oh yeah, and then there is bone density loss too. though, I havent broken anything so I cant really comment on that.

I am currently looking for a birth control method which is safe and hassle free. Let me know what you come up with.

TWills32

Oh. . .depo. . .how I hated thee. I would not recommend it. I had one depo shot a few years ago, and I will NEVER try it again. For one, it's an injection, so it's not like you can stop taking it like a pill if you need to, it's in your system for a long time. For another, it made me terribly ill.

I bled constantly, for 3 months. Yes, THREE MONTHS. My doctor had to check my hemoglobin every few weeks, because it was getting lower and lower. I was very close to a blood transfusion. . .I'm not joking. If I hadn't stopped bleeding, I would have needed one.

I was sickly at first. I was pale, never felt like doing anything, just felt horrible.

My sex drive was non-existent. So I guess it worked -_-

Also, once I was out of the "sickly" stage, I gained some major weight. I'm still trying to get rid of it. So, I really don't recommend depo. Try the pill or nuva ring first. At least you can take the nuva ring out, or stop taking the pill if it doesn't work.

__________________