A LOOK AT DEPO-PROVERA
By Ms. Sammie Ward
60 to 80% of sexually active women use no form of birth control and information on birth control has become a necessity. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved birth control methods that can help drastically reduce the risk of illness, death, and sexually transmitted diseases. In choosing a method of birth control, women should consider their health, sexual lifestyle, number of partners, and desire to have children in the past. One type of birth control that allows women to have total control over their sexual activities is Depo-Provera.
We will follow, Donna, on her visit to the doctor’s office. Donna is an attractive, intelligent, and single woman in her early thirties. Her appointment is to have a physical examination for Depo-Provera. From high school through college, she had used several birth control options, birth control pills and IUD. She admitted while on the pill, with her busy schedule, she would forget to take the pill. She became pregnant, but suffered a miscarriage. She then tried the IUD, but began having prolonged periods. A friend told her about Depo-Provera and four weeks later, she hopes she has found the proper birth control method.
WHAT IS DEPO-PROVERA?
Ten minutes later, Donna is led into the examination room. After receiving her examination and her medical history, the healthcare provider began to tell her about Depo-Provera. She explained, that although Depo-Provera has been in use since 1969, it was not available in the U.S. until 1992. Since its introduction more than 1,000,000 American women have begun using it.
Administered by a health official, the physician give contraceptive injection as an intra muscular injection (a shot) in the buttock or upper arm and Donna doesn’t have to return for another 3 months (13) weeks for another injection. She farther explained that Depo-Provera contains medroxyprogesterone acetate, a similiar chemical as the natural hormone progesterone, produced by her ovaries during the second half of her menustral cycle. Depo- Provera prevents pregnancy by preventing her eggs from ripening. If an egg is not released from the ovary during her menustral cycle, it cannot become fertilized by the sperm and result in pregnancy. Depo-Provera also changes the uterine lining of the uterus to prevent the fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF DEPO-PROVERA
Depo-Provera contraceptive injection is more than 99% effective, making it one of the most reliable methods of birth control available. Which means the pregnancy rate is 1 for every 100 women who use Depo-Provera. The provider went on to explain, that effectiveness depends on how reliable each woman uses the method. For example, while taking birth control pills, she failed to take the pill daily, resulting in pregnancy. Even though, she will not have to take a pill daily, the effectiveness of Depo-Provera will depend on her returning every 3 months (13 weeks) for her next injection.
COMMON SIDE EFFECTS
From using the IUD, Donna experienced a prolonged period. With Depo-Provera one of the most common side effects is irregular or unpredictable menstrual period. After one year of use, some women stopped having periods. However, the period returns 6 to 18 months after Donna stop taking the injection. Not having a period is not a medical problem, but the period stops because Depo-Provera causes a resting period in the ovaries. When the ovaries do not release a monthly egg, monthly growth of the lining does not occur, and normal menustrual bleeding does not occur.
The healthcare provider explained that weight gain is another common side-effect and about two thirds of women using Depo-Provera gained about 5 pounds during the first year of use. 8 pounds over 2 years of use, 13 pounds after 4 years of use, and women who continued using Depo-Provera for 6 years gained an average of 16 pounds.
OTHER SIDE EFFECTS:
Headaches, nervousness, abdominal cramps, dizziness, weakness or fatigue, decreased sexual desire, nausea, vaginal discharge or irritation, breast swelling and tenderness, bloating, swelling of the hands or feet, backache, depression, insomnia, acne, pelvic pain, no hair growth or excessive hair loss, delay of return of fertility, and a decrease in the amount of minerals stored in bones.
LIFE AFTER DEPO-PROVERA
Listening to the provider explain the pros and cons of Depo-Provera, Donna asked how soon can she get pregnant after she stops using Depo-Provera. The provider explaind that she can stop taking the injection anytime and that most women, who stop taking the injection get pregnant within one year. She further explained, that Donna could use Depo-Provera again after having a baby. If she doesn’t plan on breast feeding, she can begin having injection imediately after childbirth, even before going home from the hospital, and that mothers who plan on breast feeding can begin having shots 6 weeks after childbirth. The injections do not harm the baby or reduce the flow of milk.
To get more information about the benefits and risks of Depo-Provera, contact your doctor or health care provider, or call 1-888-844-DEPO or visit the www.depo-provera.com
About The Author:
Sammie Ward is a fiction and nonfiction writer living in Maryland. Beside writing health articles and short stories for confession magazines, she is the author of four novels, In The Name Of Love, Love To Behold, Seven Days, and It's In The Rhythm.
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