anotheranon | Oversharing Re: Depo. You have been warned.

Can Depoprovera Destroy Your Sex Life? - semi-sensational story about the dangers of Depo, my most beloved birth control.

I agree that yes, some women do have bad side effects and should not use Depoprovera. It ISN'T for everyone and it can have a huge variety of pros and cons depending on the woman taking it. I do feel terribly sorry for those who try it, don't like it, and have to wait out the 3 months (or more) it takes to wear off - I think it would be good if perhaps some kind of test for, say, hormone sensitivity could be administered by doctors to their patients before recommending Depo (or any hormonally based b.c. for that matter).

However, I take enormous issue with this Dr. Lee who thinks that it is terrible for all women and has "no benefits". Hello? I'd say that having birth control success rates on a par with surgical sterilization is a BIG WHOPPING BENEFIT in my book! Yes, the side effects should be publicized - people have a right to medical information - but this guy seems like he'd want to ban it outright.

I am also uncomfortable with the overall tone of the article that women use birth control to "postpone" motherhood - some of us do not want to be mothers at all.

So why not get snipped? Believe me, I have thought about it and I think its highly likely that I will have a tubal sometime in the future. I am reluctant to do so RIGHT NOW because:

(warning, icky girly stuff)

Depo stops my period - a nice side effect that means I can buy nice underwear and don't have to check a calendar before I go to the beach ;)
An even nicer side effect is that Depo has eliminated mood swings so violent that I was practically foaming at the mouth, and cramps so painful that the first time I experienced them I was sure I had food poisoning.
At the end of the day, a tubal ligation is ultimately a barrier method - tubes tied/clipped/burned/combination thereof to prevent the egg going anywhere. With hormonal birth control it is statistically less likely that there is a mature ovum anywhere in my body, which are odds that I favor :) I simply do not trust barrier methods, no matter how permanent they may be.

Yes, I have gained weight - about 15-20 lbs in the past 6 years. However, given changes in my lifestyle at the time (going from being on my feet 8 hours a day to a desk job) and the normal processes of aging (I ain't a teenager anymore) the weight gain could have been for any number of reasons.

And yes, there are headaches to consider, but that's usually when I'm due for my next injection (like this Friday).

Sex drive? None of your business! But all systems seem to be functioning the same as when I was on the pill.

So maybe one day I'll consider surgery provided I can continue taking Depo/equivalent to stop my hellacious PMS. But not yet.