In 2004, the makes of Depo Provera birth control were required by the FDA to put a new warning label on the medication. Here is the what the actual label reads...


Women who use Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection may lose significant bone mineral density. Bone loss is greater with increasing duration of use and may not be completely reversible. It is unknown if use of Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection during adolescence or early adulthood, a critical period of bone accretion, will reduce peak bone mass and increase the risk of osteoporotic fracture in later life. Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection should be used as a long-term birth control method (eg, longer than 2 years) only if other birth control methods are inadequate (see WARNINGS).

I have been thinking about using depo provera. I used it before and it was really good, but know i know this information i will be considering other options.

hmmm, thats interesting, thanks for the info

Trust me when I say that this is NOT good for you!! I know there are some women who will swear that it's a wonder drug, but all you need to do is a search on Google or MSN for Depo Provera and you will find thousands of horror stories and tons of law suit information! I am suffering from the long term effects of this medication and believe me... they do NOT stop at Osteoporosis! Just check out this web site...

http://www.abcinternetmarketing.com/...era/index.html

hi i am fourteen years old and my doctor has just recommended depo provera to me. i cannot take the combined pill due to migraines. the progesterone only pill was no good and neither was the implanon. should i go through with it? please help me.. lv the very scared teen lol xx

I've had a positive experience with Depo, but there are several steps I took before getting on the drug.
I would like to mention that if you are young, I would really not recommend on using it! I've had my family, have no wish to have other children, but I wouldn't mess with such a potent drug if I wanted to get pregnant in the future.
1) I took a progesterone only pill to see how I would react to it. If you've reacted to this - do not take Depo - it will only get worse and you'll have the drug in your system for at least 3 months!
2) I had a baseline bone density test taken. Before starting the drug, I made sure I had healthy bones. If there are changes, I know Depo will be the culprit and I'll know to stop.
3) two years is the recommended time for consuming this drug; after that it's time for other options.

Hope this helps.

You know, women do not typically go in for regular bone density tests. In fact, most women do not even know to take a density test before taking Depo. The sad fact of the matter is that women do not know there are any "changes" in bone density until you start breaking your bones. Breakage and height shrinkage are the only noticeable signs and they are only experienced after the damage is done. By the time you notice "changes", it's too late and the bone loss is irreversable. So if you think it's ok to just wait until you notice "changes"... you might want to rethink that and ask yourself how you will be feeling when you discover you have Osteoporosis. Will you still feel like you made the right choice?

May I ask why you are taking birth control? I personally do not think that girls so young should take it unless it is medically necessary. You do know that if you need to prevent pregnancy there are other things you can use like condoms and diaphrams?

If none of those birth control methods worked well for you, I really would be hesitant to try Depo. The person before me mentioned that it stays in your system for three months, but it actually lingers for a lot longer then that. # months is just when you take your next shot. In fact, the doctor knows that women who stop having their period on Depo, are not likely to start again for at least a year after stopping the drug. So keep in mind that if you don't like how it makes you feel, you are stuck with those side effects until the drug leaves your body.

I also want to let you know that Depo is known to cause migraine headaches for many women. I personally was hospitalized many times for unbearable migraines. No one could figure out why I was getting them until I finally got off Depo and waiting the extra year for it to leave my system. I have not had a migraine headache since. So if you experienced them with other birth control, you might want to reconsider.

Depo is very strong and has long lasting side effects. If you are going to use birth control, pleeeeeeeease.... use something else.