does depo provera cause long term infertility issues?

:'( I am so shocked of the amount of responses to this conversation!! I was on the Depo-Provera injections from the time I was 17 until I was about 20. I was married by then and was ready to start a family. Plus, my ob/gyn recommended I go off the birth control because he said it could take up to a year to conceive after I stopped the injections. Well, I have now been married for 10 years and I am now 30 years old and STILL haven't been able to conceive. Luckily, I have an amazing husband who has stood by me for all these years of medications, Clomid and injections to try and conceive. The mood swings, the tears, the sadness and the empty feeling that goes along with all of this. I feel like something has been taken from me - something that wasn't fully explained before I started the Depo-Provera injections. Now, as a nurse, I sometimes hate the medical field for what I feel has been done to me and I can't even go by the children's clothing department at the store without sadness. I know that the Depo-Provera injections are to blame for this! My doctor has even agreed "off the record"...

I have dreamt for a long time of starting a class-action lawsuit against the makers of Depo-Provera because I run into stories like this all the time, and this many people CAN'T be a coincidence - RIGHT???? If anyone else shares my opinion - let me know!!! I know nothing will fix what has been done and the "barrenness" that has been forced upon me but shouldn't we educate the masses???

im 33 and have 3 children,i have a new partner and after a yr of being together decided to try for a baby,i had 2 depo injections when we first got together,weve been trying for a 10 months now,after reading these stories i know its the depo,i was fine before i had that..my periods stopped all together while i was on the depo,i stopped taking it last june i had nothing until xmas now my periods are every 2 weeks..i went to see the dr and he said dont worry you will be pregnant by christmas..i am doubtful now and have just told my parner about this website he couldnt beleive it,the dr never told me of any side effects..but i strongly reccomend we tell every woman that wants children ever to never have the depo :-(

Don't take depo-provera in any form. It can permanently damage the endocrine system. The makers know this, but they're not telling anyone. If you want to have a healthy body and mind don't take this drug!

Hi! I too was on Depo Provera injections as a teen. For about 3 years. I've been off it almost 7 years and have been TTC for 4 years. I was put on Clomid starting at 50mg ending at 150mg, I did 7 rounds with no luck, not even a close call. I've seen an infertility specalist and they can't figure out why I'm unable to concieve. All tests including my very painful histocypeneogram showed nothing.I've also done Interuterine Inseminations with no luck.

destructionsrighthand26 wrote:

I am in complete disbelief at the moment. I am 18 (5'11" 140lbs) and have been on Depo Provera for 1.5yrs now... and I have never had a problem with it. I get my period once every three months, I have NOT gained nor lost any weight what so ever (mind you i don't exercise and am a junkfood lover...). My sister was on Depo Provera for 2-3 years, got off it... CLOSE to a year later BOOM Pregnant with my nephew who is now 1 year 1 month old. Everyone I know who has been on Depo Provera before, have NOT had any problems with it. Their periods are fine, they've had no problems conceiving... Nothing.
Sure it causes bone loss if you take it for too long, hence ALL of the sites about Depo warning about bone loss... But I'm sure if it were THAT much of a threat to infertility and pregnancies that the Medical corperations would have taken Depo off the market. So Obviously the Medical corperations think that the benefit to you is greater than the risks. I did my research before getting on Depo... and not one site said anything about infertility and difficulties getting pregnant. But as someone said everyone is different so perhaps everyone whose had a problem with Depo just have REALLY s***y luck.
Personally... If it is causing infertility... They should put all these dumb*** teenage girls on it! Because I know SO many girls that have gotten pregnant at a VERY young age and I think it is STUPID. Besides think about ALL of the children out there who DON'T have families... Whos parents abondoned them... I live in the U.S... and I am pretty sure there are hundreds of children here who can only DREAM of having parents... Perhaps we should not be so concerned about "OMG I can't get pregnant!!".... go adopt a child. Sure it's not THE SAME... but you're making a miracle for a little kid... THINK ABOUT IT!!!!! Stop being selfish... That's all the world is anymore... "I WANT This.. I WANT that... GIMMEGIMMEGIMME..." Get over yourselves. SERIOUSLY. There are children out there who can't find mommies.. and you think it's bad cuz you can't get pregnant. GO ADOPT... MAKE A CHILDS LIFE BETTER. BE A MIRACLE TO SOME LITTLE KID WITHOUT A MOM....

Do you have any idea how much it costs to adopt in the US? Do you know how long it takes? I know someone that has been trying to adopt for 5 years now. They were approved to adopt 3 years ago and are still waiting and they aren't even asking for an infant, so before you start preaching to people to adopt instead of being upset that a medication approved by our government may have damaged their ability to reproduce maybe you should read up on it and how difficult it is

I was on the depo between the ages of 17 and 18. I went back on it at age 24 after my longtime boyfriend and I broke up. I was on it for 2 cycles and before my 3rd cycle came up I was engaged and decided not to take the shot anymore. That was in May of 2006. My husband and I have been trying every since to no avail. I had the hysterosalpingogram and everything looked good along with an ultrasound. My cycles are fairly normal going anywhere from 28 to 31 days. I charted my BBT for a year and could see that I was ovulating. My husband has been checked out and he is fine. My Dr is at a loss as to what to tell me he doesn't even think I have PCOS so he doesn't think metformin or clomid would do anything for me. I asked him if he thought it could be from the depo and he flat out said no. My insurance doesn't cover any kind of infertility treatments unless it is something like sugery to unblock tubes. No Clomid or metformin. We are hoping we are able to conceive sometime soon because my husband is approaching 40 and he doesn't want to have anymore kids after 40( he has 2 from previos relationships)

I had 4 children with no complications. I went on the depo shot for 1 year after my 4th child and sinse I went off I have had 3 miscarriages and 1 tubal!!!

By the time I was 17, I had no birth control and had a miscarriage. I was 19 when i had my first baby. I had depo provera injection once a couple of years later but it made me feel violent and irritable the entire time. I tried a second round and felt absolutely awful. Afterwards, I had at least 2 miscarriages (one in the 3rd month) and a high risk pregnancy (amniotic sac was losing its integrity throughout the pregnancy). However, my mother and grandmothers all had miscarriages. A miscarriage is very hard on a woman emotionally. I got drop dead drunk because I had to carry my dead 3 month old fetus inside me an entire weekend before they could remove him. Miscarriages are nature's way of preventing a life of suffering. There are so many factors that can cause a miscarriage. Most of which we will never hear about. I am that "universal blood donor" O-. So, I thought that was wonderful in case any of my loved ones ever needed a transplant. Well, it turned out that the daddy of my babies had positive blood types and my body was rejecting the pregnancies as foreign and my immune system launched an all out attack on my own babies. Did you know this could happen>? I was devastated to find out. There is a shot given to first time mothers to help avoid a tragic loss of your own baby but even then, if your blood mixes with the baby's blood at birth, the baby will need a transfusion. This is only one of the countless reasons why a person can miscarry. Please accept that if your body is not willing to carry a baby, there may be a very good reason as your body and brain work together sometimes to figure out things your conscious mind can not perceive. If you have no blood type conflict and are otherwise healthy with a healthy man, just wait until your body agrees that it's capable of carrying such a huge responsibility around for 9 months and then some. You're not buying a puppy here. You're introducing someone into the world and then leaving them behind at some point. Be sure you know what you're doing and that you feel secure you can provide the right tools for them to survive until they leave their own offspring behind, and so on. Don't kid yourself. Some teenage mothers are much better mothers than some adult mothers. I've seen it with my own eyes. Humans are selfish and that's okay. We are what nature made us and self acceptance is important. If you have an incredible urge to conceive it's just a feeling unless you act upon it. It's your body going through the exact thing it was designed to do, at some point in life. And if not, not. Keep on moving until you find your purpose, whatever it is.

I started taking the shot about 2 years ago when i was 17. The birth control pill I was taking made me really sick. I was throwing up a couple times every day and losing a lot of weight (consider I was 5'7" and barely 120 lbs) I had done some research on the shot and knew some people who used it, and I ended up practically forcing my doctor to get me on the depo. It made the most sense to me because of several points. 1) I'm borderline ADD and have lots of trouble remembering to take a daily pill. 2) From the first period I ever had, I've never had a steady cycle, and menstrual cramps were unbearable. 3) Medicaid covered the full cost of the shot. I knew there were problems with bone density loss after long-term use, and weight gain wouldn't be a problem for me (after 2 years on the shot I've gained almost 15 lbs which brings me up to a whopping 135). My only concern now is infertility. Now I live with my fiance (5 years together) and plan on going off the depo after we finish college (which will have been 5 years on the shot). I've wanted kids for the longest time, but I'm concerned about whether or not to continue using Depo Provera. I can't take a normal birth control pill because of the side effects, but now wouldn't be the most opportune time to accidentally get pregnant. I know there are other forms of birth control, but weighing my options, is risking pregnancy before we're "ready" better than not getting pregnant at all?

--Chelsea--

THE DISBELIEF GROWS. "DESTRUCTIONSRIGHTHAND26" WHATS THAT ABOUT?? YOU ARE SERIOUSLY POSTING SUCH INFLAMMATORY REMARKS WITH THAT KIND OF USER NAME?? YOU ARE SUCH A BRAT, AND LOUSY AT COMPREHENSION. THESE WOMEN ARE DISTRAUGHT BECAUSE THEY DID DO THE RIGHT THING BY USING CONTRACEPTION, AND GOT BURNED. WE ARE NOT JUST COMPLAINING BECAUSE WE CAN'T HAVE KIDS. PLEASE TAKE YOUR ANGER AT TEENAGE PREGNANCY TO ANOTHER FORUM DISCUSSION.
WHEN I WAS 20, I GOT PREGNANT AND MARRIED. IT DIDN'T WORK OUT, AND WHEN MY SON WAS 10 MONTHS OLD, I STARTED DEPO. THAT WAS IN JANUARY OF 1999. IN 2008, MY NEW LOVE AND I DECIDED PREGNANCY WAS NO LONGER A BAD OR SCARY THING, AND I QUIT COLD TURKEY. SIX MONTHS AFTER, I HAD SUCH A HEAVY PERIOD IT LANDED ME IN THE E.R. THEY SAID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IS WRONG AND YOU ARE NOT MISCARRYING. WELL, THAT WAS 18 MONTHS AGO. I AM TRYING TO TRACK MY OVULATION, AND IT SEEMS THAT I HAVE SPOTTING ON THE DAYS I AM SUPPOSED TO BE FERTILE. SCARY. I KNOW OF TWO OTHER LADIES THAT WERE ON THE SHOT FOR MORE THAN 7 YEARS, AND AFTER LONG WAITING AND NO ANSWERS, MIRACULOUSLY CONCEIVED. THEY RETURNED TO NORMAL AND REGULAR CYCLES AFTER THE BIRTH OF THEIR KIDS. UNTIL SOMEONE ANSWERS OUR QUESTION, OR LUCK FINDS US, KEEP YOUR HEADS UP! TAKE RELIEF IN THE FACT THAT YOU ARE NOT IN THIS ALONE.
AND YES, I WOULD CERTAINLY BACK A CLASS ACTION SUIT!!!!!!!!!

I was on Depo Provera from age 16 to 19 when I stopped taking the shot my periods came back as normal but it took me 6 years to concieve my daughter who is now 2 years old and perfectly healthy. 9 months after my daughter was born I conceived my son who is now 8 months old. I do believe that Depo has long term affects on your body and fertility. However it is not a permanent thing. If you and your partner are healthy and fertile it will happen in time when your body is ready. You just have to have patience and faith. Soon as I had given up on ever being able to have kids, it happened. Im now 28 years old with 2 beautiful babies. Good luck to you as well. It will happen soon as you stop thinking about it. Stress is also a major factor in infertility.

I am so scared! I took the depo shot once when I was 18 and I think It screwed me up big time. I went off of it after the first time because I was bleeding non-stop. Since then I have never been regular. The first time I never had my period for 9 months. I am 26 now and have my period an average of two times a year. I am so scared I won't be able to have children. I have told every doctor I have ever seen since then and they don't seem to care. I'm not sure what to do. If Depo ruined my chances for having children I will sue the drug company and every doctor I saw and donate the money to the "save the mosquito" fund.

Since you only got the shot once I dont konw if that could be the reason for all of your menstraul problems. Sounds to me like you might have something else going on. I cant believe the doctors are'nt taking you seriously. I think you really should find a good obgyn in your area and get to the source of the problem. You could have something going on with your ovaries that can cause you to be so irregular and that in itself can definantly affect your fertility. Good Luck, I hope you can find a doctor to give you some answers.

It took me 4 years to get pregnant after receiving the shot. I think there is definitely a correlation here.

well after the birth of my daughter in 07 i took depo for 2 12 years. I went off in dec got my first period back in june and im currently 6 weeks along with #2 so everyone is different. Then again i was 27 when i started depo and im 30 now. So dont give up hope everyone just remember plot your periods and have lots of fun during your 10-15th days ok =)