Birth Control with Depo-Provera ®

Depo-Provera ®, which is an injection of the hormone progestin, offers 99 percent effectiveness for preventing pregnancy .

Injections of Depo-Provera are given every three months in the doctor's office.

These are advantages of this method of birth control:

• The cost is comparable to the pill.
• It is as effective as the pill without having to be taken every day or interfering with spontaneity.
• The effects of Depo-Provera ® are easily reversible.
• Because it contains only a progestin hormone, not the mix of estrogen and progestin in birth control pills, women who are unable to take estrogen may find it appealing.

With its progestin make-up, however, Depo-Provera ® often causes women to gain about 4 to 6 pounds in the first year and to have irregular or even absent periods. Also, if women wish to stop taking Depo-Provera ® and become pregnant, some may not resume fertile cycles for six to 18 months.

Depo-Provera ® isn't for everyone, but many women, especially those who have completed their families or can accept a potential delay in regaining fertility may find it a good choice.

For information about obstetrics/gynecology services at WPAHS:

AGH Women's Health

WPH Women's Health

WPH-Forbes Campus Women's Health

 

Last Updated: February 26, 2009