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Like most birth controls, you're going to want to use back up protection like a condom for at least the first month. After that you body is generally adjusted to it and you can decide whether or not you still want to use condoms or other method of contraceptives.

The shot works better than the pill, and you don't have to worry about it longer.. Just throwing it out there,, I recommend it; it's what I'm on. redface

lol I understand that. You could also use a vaginal form of spermicides. I know Encare is a capsule that forms a gel of spermicide around the cervix within ten minutes of insertion and you have up to three hours to make use of it. So, that's an option too. Pill, condom, and spermicide. Pretty awesome combo.

I understand that you're on it and that you like it. But that doesn't mean that it's safe or appropriate for the original poster, or even for you for that matter.

Depo's side effects are so serious that the FDA gave Depo a black box warning ("A black box warning means that medical studies indicate that the drug carries a significant risk of serious or even life-threatening adverse effects." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_box_warning ). And with Depo, just because you haven't noticed side effects doesn't mean they're not there. Since Depo was tested in some pretty sketchy ways (it was forced onto illiterate women, women in poor countries, and developmentally disabled women and wasn't even always followed up on), there is actually still a lot that we don't know about it. The black box warning was just issued a few years ago. We still don't know for sure whether the side effects are reversible when a woman gets off Depo. Some studies say one thing, others say the opposite. We don't know exactly how much worse the side effects are for teens and young women. And we don't know if there are still some side effects that haven't been found yet. A lot of women are claiming to have side effects that are not listed.

Your doctor should have discussed the known side effects and the black box warning with you before giving you Depo. Sadly, some doctors make it sound like it's not a big deal and push Depo onto girls simply because the doctors don't trust the girls to use other methods correctly. Sometimes they even push it on them for longer than the two years that the FDA says not to exceed unless there are no other birth control options. Sadly, the problem is the biggest in clinics or in low income areas.

I was on Depo for five years before the black box warning was issued. I have been off it for about seven years now. My hair is still thin in one spot (hair loss is a known and listed side effect). My partner and I have not been able to conceive (infertility is not a listed side effect, but many former Depo users are struggling with infertility years after getting off Depo and suspect that it may be a side effect). I haven't had my bones looked at, but since I was on it for so long and at such a young age, there is a good chance that I did suffer bone density loss. And there could even be other issues that I haven't noticed yet.

I still remember my health teacher in college saying, "I would never let a woman that I love take Depo," and that was even before the black box warning was issued. I personally do not recommend Depo whether I love the woman or not! There are so many other methods that have been tested better, that are safer, and that are just about as effective. I don't think Depo is worth the risk at this time.

Wow. My doctor never told me any of this and I've been on Depo for about a year and a half now since I decided it was time to use birth control. I have noticed that my hair has been falling out more often than usual since I started using, but I had always assumed that was because I did something wrong. When I brought this to my doctor's attention she said that it was nothing. The only thing my doctor told me to do was take a Calcium supplement. I have a private doctor too. I feel outraged she never told me this! After I find a new doctor do you have any recommendations on what to take instead of Depo?

I also apologize to the initial poster for saying anything about Depo, and turning this into a Depo discussion. I didn't know this information.

No need to be sorry! 3nodding That's what this guild is here for. I used Depo myself for the 2 year limit (on and off, I used the Patch briefly in between), and then stopped because I'd learned by that point how serious the side effects were.

As for how the Ortho Evra patch works, this thread sums it up pretty well. (But feel free to make a new thread and ask any questions if you have more once you've finished with the linked thread. smile )

~

To the OP - I would wait the full month before considering your birth control to be fully effective. So, as others have already suggested, use condoms or another back-up method until the end of your first month on the Pill. Better yet, if pregnancy is a concern, keep using condoms and/or another method - there's spermicide, a diaphram/cervical cap, contraceptive sponge, vaginal film, etc.

You're most welcome. smile