does depo provera cause long term infertility issues?

I was on the Depo shot for two years and have never been the same since.  I gained a total of 60 lbs. after taking the shot, although I was still exercising 7 days a week and changed nothing about my eating habits.  I stopped having periods and after four years of this, I decided something had to be done.  I went to the first doctor who told me the reason I wasn't having a period was because I was overweight without even thinking of doing any bloodwork on me.  The next doctor I went to tried many medications to start my period but nothing worked, she however did the bloodwork and found that my testosterone levels were high and after an Ultrasound diagnosed me with PCOS.  I was eventually put on Metformin which thankfully started my period however irregularly.  6 years after taking the Depo shot my husband and I started trying to have a baby, after 4 years of trying and one miscarriage I thankfully had a healthy baby boy.  No one can tell me that the Depo shot wasn't the culprit here, I had a normal period and never had a problem with my weight before taking the shot, and now can NOT lose weight no matter how hard I try.  I am sure that this is being covered up by the company and will eventually come out but I know for myself that the Depo shot ruined my life, and I have never been the same since taking that first shot.  I really think there should be a lawsuit against the manufacturers of Depo, it canNOT be a coincidence that this many women have been diagnosed with PCOS and fertility problems after taking it even though there is no family history.  PCOS is completely genetic, I think not!

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I'm 23 years old and I had my daughter when i was 13...I hopped on depo right after she was born and I got off March of 2010. Me and my fiance have been trying but nothing yet. Im worried because I ready to have another baby and my doctors just keep telling nothing is wrong with me. I feel like there is and it bothers me everyday. every month I take a pregnancy test hopping for a miracle. I WILL NEVER GET ON ANY BC

i share your pain!!! i have only been trying 7 months now since i have gotten off the shot and havent concieved it is ruining my marriage and causing me severe depression!!!!!

I am sorry to hear that this has happened to you. i also have a friend who has been having the same problem. i started on it last month and I plan to take a break after a year or perhaps not go back on it because my boyfriend isn't entirely upset that i did it but scared of the side and after effects.

For the sake of balance I'd like to add my own experiences. I was on depo for 6 years without a problem or any side effects. I came off it and did experience some withdrawal symptoms (very sore breasts which got bigger and stayed that way!) but my periods came back after 3 months and were regular after that. I'm 38 and I thought it was going to take ages to conceive because of my age and everything I'd read about fertility problems after Depo. It turned out that I got pregnant 3 months after my periods returned - 6 months from my missed injection. So for all of you looking up information like I did about trying to conceive after Depo, it's not all bad!

Hi my name is Amber, I am now 21 years old. I started the depo when I was about 16 and was on it for about 3/4 years. I've had problems getting pregnant.. and Ive never had kids. But ive been wanting one for awhile now.. I mean i dont party or hang out with friends like i use to.. now im ready to settle.. Im scared to go to a doctor.. bc i have no way of paying any doctor stuff,. and im also really scared they are going to tell me i can't have kids. I dont know anyone in my family who ever has had a problem conciving. But since the last few years ive tried on and off to have a kid, im starting to wonder maybe its the depo shot that is to blame. Ughh i hope not.. hopefully i can have a kid of my own sometime soon.. I really do hope and pray.. 

I hope that my URINSENSITIVE post did not sound insensitive or offensive in any manner. If it did, I apologize. I was simply replying to a very inappropriate post that a young lady had made regarding adoption. I have the utmost empathy for anyone having trouble trying to conceive. Many people in my family have been affected by this drug.

I just went to my OBGYN today because I thought I was pregnant. When my husband and I went in my dr refused to take a pregnancy test after I told him that I had taken one shot of the depo about 5-7months ago. He informed me that the depo had not agreed with my body. My husband and I really were hoping to be pregnant. He stated that it may last that i am not able to ovulate for another 4-5 months. This is hard as I watch the children that come into the foster care system and my husband and I want a child and we cant even have one. they are talking about putting me on fertility meds if I don't get pregnant in 4-5 months. This makes me feel like a bad woman and also a bad wife to my new husband

Reading over all your stories, I cannot believe my eyes. I have 2 daughters. One is 6years and one is going to be 2 years this month. I had depo-provera after my oldest daughter but I only stayed on the shot for 6 months, I never knew it had side effects. I had my youngest daughter without a problem, even though I was off depo for almost 4 years. My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for nearly a year. It's been 2 years since I was on depo. I decided to never go on it again because about a month after I got my shot I miscarried..and I never had before. I keep going to my doctor and all she keeps telling me is that depo can sometimes cause you to have irregular periods. She told me depo has nothing to do with infertility, yet I keep asking my husband how is it that we cannot get pregnant? I fear I'll never again be able to have another child. My heart cries out to all those who have been experiencing this...........

Hi,  I'd just like to reassure people.  Yes the depo caused me to be infertile for about 1.5 years after I stopped taking it.  I was on it over 13 years.   But I am now 9 weeks pregnant.  So doctors shouldn't be saying with any certainty that this drug a) makes yo infertile forever, b) will definitely prevent you from being pregnant.  All women are different and respond differently.  Which is why I think Pfizer need to do research on its' affects now.  If you think yo're pregnant take your own test.  If you can't get pregnant do everything else possible.  I did reflexology with a Reiki healer, had a laparoscopy, did visualisations and prayer - anything!  Don't accept your 'fate' is written - be positive and believe x

I just wanted to share my story...I came across this board while researching if Depo Provera can cause PCOS later in life. So this is my story.

I was told at an early age that I would never have children due to some internal scarring issues from my childhood. I pretty much figured from a young age that I was infertile.

I had painful irregular periods from the time I started at 12. I started on birth control pills at 14 to make my periods more managable. I was young and I could never remember to take my pills correctly, so when Depo Provera was offered, it seemed like a great idea. No periods seemed like a blessing to me because of how horrible my periods had always been. So I went on the shot when I was 15 (around 1999) and I stayed on it for about a year and a half. I had no periods at all while on the shot. I decided to get off of Depo at 16 because I had heard a rumor that it caused miscarraiges (I was 16 and loved babies). I took modicon (a type of pill) for about 6 months after my last shot. It took almost a year for my periods to resume after my last shot. When they came back, they were as bad or worse then before I took the first depo shot.

At 17, I got married and stopped taking all forms of birth control. We did not begin to really try to have a baby until I was 18 (2002). I concieved and had my oldest when I was 19. I used no birth control after having him. I went back to having irregular cycles 3 months after his birth, but they were no longer painful. We started trying for a second child around 9 months after my son was born. We tried for about 3 years before seeking the help of a doctor. After several tests, my doctor told me that it was a miracle that I was able to have a baby in the first place. I was diagnosed with metabolic syndrome (irregular periods, high cholesterol, overweight) and put on metformin. I was told that I did not process insulin correctly and the metformin might help me concieve. I stayed on metformin for 2 years and plotted my cycles each month. After 2 years, I was referred to an endocrynologist who did more tests and had my dr put me on clomid.

I did clomid for 8 cycles (the dr only perscribed 6, but I messed up when taking it and ended up with enough spare pills to do 2 extra months. By the 8th month I gave up and told myself I would accept the outcome regardless of what it was. I got pregnant with that last cycle and had my daughter in 2010. After I had my daughter I did not go on any birth control again. When she was 3 months old, I got pregnant again. Unfortunately, I had a miscarraige at 8 weeks. On a follow up visit for the miscarraige the OB specialist discovered that I have PCOS. I was told that I probably will never be able to have any more children. Since the miscarraige, I have had all kinds of fertility issues and post partum depression. My abdomen swelled to be very large (I was bigger with the cysts than with both my pregnancies.) and I had many months of horrible bleeding as a result of the cysts growing and bursting repeatedly. After almost a year of the painful cysts, the drs recommended that I take a Depo Provera shot to shut down my ovaries (and possibly stop the cysts). The shot did shrink the cysts within a week of taking it, but I bled for almost 60 days with the first shot.

I truely believe that taking the depo caused my fertility issues all of these years. These discussion boards make me suspect it even more. My story is not unique (just read the above postings). I am 30 yrs old with PCOS and a malfunctioning reproductive system. I never thought that I would have these problems (this does not run in my family). I think that the makers of Depo Provera should do more follow-ups with the women who have taken this as a teenager (while still developing) to see how it has affected us in early adulthood.

I wish everyone the best.

That is a really selfish insight,Being that I am one of the many women who have been effected by this drug.....I have been trying for 7yrs to conceive after being off the shot and have not been successful. Quite frankly I am beyond pissed and depressed! I wish I could just receive the medical attention to assist me!

I am so sorry to hear this.... This is just sooo sad!!!! I am exp'n the same thing off the shot for 7 yrs and still have not been able to conceive. And since I have medicaide they wont even talk to me about treatments or fertility drugs! They dont care! I have been taking depression meds for about 2 yrs and yet no results.....All I can say is God bless and thaks fr sharing ur story!

I also took depo for 3 years after 2 unplanned prgnancies. I would get pregnant if you touched me it seemed. I was older 33 when I stopped and tried to get prgnant even went through a round of IVF no result. I am 43 now and have given up having any children.