Can You Still Get Pregnant On Birth Control Shot

How Does Depo Provera Work

Is it possible to get pregnant while on the Depo shot?

When a woman has Depo Provera, her body senses the presence of the hormone so that her own hormone production is switched off. Because of this, her ovaries will not release an egg and this is how pregnancy is prevented. This is very similar to how the Pill works. Depo Provera is also sometimes used in the treatment of endometriosis.

Fertility Does Not Equal Pregnancy

You may not get pregnant right away even after your fertility returns. Some people become pregnant within a month. Others may try to get pregnant for a long time.

At this point, your ability to get pregnant has nothing to do with previous birth control use. Your age, health, and lifestyle can all make it harder to get pregnant. You may also experience infertility.

You may have concerns after you stop birth control. Talk to your healthcare provider if:

  • Your period doesnt come back after three months
  • The number of days you have your period changes
  • Your cycle is irregular
  • There is a major change in how heavy your bleeding is
  • You are younger than 35 and have been trying to get pregnant for 12 months
  • You are over 35 and have been trying to get pregnant for six months

What Is A Birth Control Shot

This birth control method is commonly known by the brand name Depo-Provera . The hormone shot comes in the form of an injection. It prevents pregnancy for up to three months after injection.

There have also been some studies and research done behind a male birth control shot that has shown some process in recent months.

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Can You Get Pregnant On The Pill

Oral contraceptives a pill taken daily that contains two hormones, estrogen and progesterone are 99.7 percent effective with perfect use. This means that fewer than one out of 100 women who take the pill become pregnant in a year.

But with typical use, the effectiveness of the pill drops down to 91 percent. There are a few reasons for this: If you forget and skip a day, especially with one of the newer, lower-dose pills, your hormone levels may not remain at consistent enough levels to prevent you from getting pregnant.

While its rare for medications to interfere with the pill, the antibiotic rifampin, the antifungal drug griseofulvin, the herb St. Johns Wort and some epilepsy drugs and anti-viral medications, can make the pill less effective. The pill has also been shown to be less effective in women who are overweight or obese, in which case your doctor may recommend going on a higher-dose pill.

Return Of Your Regular Menstrual Cycle

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If your periods resume, it means that you are ovulating normally. Regular monthly cycles should be between 21 to 35 days from the start of one period to the start of the next period. Your cycles should also be consistent, with a small variation of 2 to 5 days. If there is a wide variation between your monthly cycles, it means you may not be ovulating regularly. Talk to your doctor if this is the case. The amount of bleeding should be normal neither too light nor too heavy. If there is only spotting or very heavy bleeding, it is a sign of irregular menstruation.

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Does The Depo Shot Cause Temporary Infertility

The Depo shot suppresses ovulation by increasing the level of progesterone in the body. As a result, it can cause temporary infertility for up to 2 years. Once all the progesterone in the body is eliminated, your fertility will return, and your body will resume ovulating and menstruating. Many women tend to resume their regular monthly cycle 5 months after their last Depo injections. However, it may take up to 22 months for some women to regain their fertility post the last injection.

Another aspect that comes into play with regards to fertility is the weight of the woman. It appears that fertility returns more quickly in women of healthy weight than those who are overweight. Also, it doesnt matter whether youve used the Depo-Provera shot for about 6 months or even for a couple of years your fertility will most likely return in the same time period, in both cases.

Can A Breastfeeding Person Get A Flu Vaccine

Yes. People who are breastfeeding should get a flu vaccine to protect themselves from flu. Getting vaccinated reduces pregnant parents risk of getting sick and of passing the flu on to their babies, thus protecting their babies from flu also. This is especially important for children younger than 6 months old since they are too young to receive flu vaccine themselves.

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Unique Experience For Everyone

Why do some women take longer than others to return to normal fertility? We dont know for sure. There are likely many factors that contribute to each womans response to depo, making it hard to pinpoint one specific issue. Just like anything else in life, every patient has a unique experience.

One important factor to consider, though, is weight. The FDA includes on the depo label that women of a healthy weight tend to return to normal fertility faster than those who are overweight and obese. This has to do with absorption of progesterone which differs based on each persons metabolism. With the newer, subcutaneous version of depo , the delay in ovulation appears to be substantially decreased, with one study showing return to ovulation for 97% of women who received subcutaneous depo.

Who Can Use The Injection

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Most women can have a contraceptive injection.

But it may not be suitable if you:

  • think you might be pregnant
  • do not want your periods to change
  • want to have a baby in the next year
  • have unexplained bleeding in between periods or after sex
  • have arterial disease or a history of heart disease or stroke
  • have breast cancer or have had it in the past
  • are at risk of osteoporosis

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What Is The Depo

Depo-Provera is a birth control method that women can get as a shot. You might hear people call it a contraceptive injection or birth control shot. Itâs a manmade hormone, medroxyprogesterone, which is similar to the natural female hormone progesterone.

You get the shot in your arm or buttock. It works for up to 12 to 14 weeks. You have to get it every 12 weeks to get full protection..

How Effective Is The Birth Control Shot

When used perfectly, the birth control shot effectiveness is more than 99%, meaning less than 1 out of every 100 people who use it will get pregnant each year. But when it comes to real life, the shot is about 94% effective, because sometimes people forget to get their shots on time. So, in reality, about 6 out of every 100 shot users will get pregnant each year.

The better you are about getting your shot on time, the better it will work. But theres a very small chance that you could still get pregnant, even if you always get the shot on time.

If effectiveness is the most important thing to you when picking what birth control to use, you might want to check out IUDs and the implant. Theyre the most effective kinds of birth control. But if you decide the shot is right for you, make sure you always get your follow-up shots on time.

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Risks Of Taking Birth Control While Pregnant

If you were taking birth control to prevent pregnancy but find out weeks later that youre indeed pregnant, its natural to wonder what effect your birth control may have on a developing fetus. The good news is that birth control has been shown to be safe in early pregnancy.

Of course, no guarantee can be made that the medication hasnt affected the babys development, so be sure to see your doctor as soon as you suspect or find out that youre pregnant. If you test positive, you should stop taking your birth control pill.

Becoming pregnant while on birth control does increase your risk of ectopic pregnancy. An ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized embryo attaches outside the uterus, often in the fallopian tube. This is a very serious, life-threatening problem and should be cared for immediately.

Birth Control In A Nutshell

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First up, a reminder of what birth control is and how it works so you can better understand its effects on pregnancy.

Birth control is any method you use to prevent pregnancy. There are plenty of options out there: barrier birth control , surgical methods , and hormonal birth control are some of your options.

The most common form of hormonal birth control is the pill. Birth control pills are more than 99 percent effective when used correctly. Sounds almost foolproof, right? Not quite. Were human and sometimes we skip doses. That means the pill is only 91 percent effective in reality .

Those who want to avoid daily pills may prefer intrauterine devices or implants. These are more than

So lets say that youre among the number of women who do get pregnant while taking the pill. Youve got questions buzzing round your head. We got you:

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Where Can I Get Depo

This type of birth control is a prescription medication that must be ordered by your healthcare provider . In many cases, the injection is given in your providers office by a nurse or a nurse that can come to your home. There is a different brand of the birth control shot that can be administered by patients at home. This shot is called Depo-subQ Provera 104. Unlike the Depo-Provera® shot that you may receive in your providers office, this version doesnt need to go into your muscular tissue. Your provider will teach you how to properly give yourself this shot before you start doing it on your own. Currently, theres no generic version of this medication. For cost reasons, many patients plan for intramuscular injections given by nurses.

The Birth Control Pill

Oral contraceptives contain hormones that stop ovulation. If you use them perfectly, theyâre a great way to prevent pregnancy, with a 99.7% effectiveness rate. But in reality, a lot of women forget to take them every day, so the typical use rate is only 91%. Other reasons why your pill might not work include:

If you have any of these issues, talk to your doctor about using condoms as a backup method, or switch to another form of birth control entirely.

If you skip a dose, take it as soon as you can. If youâve missed more than two pills, take them as soon as you remember, and continue to take pills daily while you use a backup method of birth control like condoms for the next week. If youâre on the mini-pill or the progestin-only pill, take it within the same 3 hours every day .

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What Are The Chances Of Getting Pregnant After Receiving Only One Depo Shot

A single shot of Depo gives you 3 months of protection against unplanned pregnancy. However, getting pregnant after one Depo shot can take some time. Some women have become pregnant just four months after their last Depo shot. However, it has been found that it takes an average of at least 10 months for women to get pregnant after a single Depo shot. This is because it takes that long for all the excess synthetic progesterone to get eliminated from the body.

Depo Detox Diet To Get Pregnant

I was only on the Depo shot for 3 months. When can I get pregnant?

Many women try out a Depo detox diet to get pregnant after stopping the Depo shot. This is supposed to help your body eliminate all the excess synthetic progesterone from the liver faster. However, while naturopathy prescribes this diet, it hasnt been confirmed how effective it actually is. The detox diet includes:

  • Drinking a lot of water
  • Consuming fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Staying off spicy, oily junk food
  • Drinking herbal teas
  • Including dandelion root, milk thistle, and turmeric in your diet

Check with your obstetrician before going on a detox diet and including any new foods in your daily menu. This is because some of the herbs and new foods may not be suitable for you and may also aggravate any underlying condition that you already have. You could also be allergic to one or more of these herbs. Having an allergic reaction is not good for your body if you are trying to get pregnant.

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After Your Partner Has Had A Vasectomy

While you have a less than one percent chance of getting pregnant by a man whos had a vasectomy, you might have a much larger chance if you dont wait until your partners been tested to see if it worked. Your partners sperm should be checked three months after the procedure, and he needs to have had a minimum of 20 ejaculations. Make sure to use other protection until you get the OK from your doctor after three months.

How Soon Can You Get Pregnant

This is a different question just because your fertility has returned doesnt mean pregnancy will happen right away.

This can be a really odd experience for someone who has spent years preventing pregnancy. You might assume that without birth control, you would have conceived immediatelybut thats not entirely accurate.

Once you stop contraceptives, you may conceive the very first fertile month, or you may need to try for up to a year. This is the same as for those who have not used any birth control.

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Iud’s And Injections As Contraception

Let’s talk about an IUD that has hormones in it. For women who have an IUD with hormones in it, many of those women have very light periods or no periods at all so you may not know that you’re in menopause. You may have some hot flushes because your estrogens have gone away. You may use a blood test, which doesn’t work very well for women on the pill, but it can work for people with a hormone-containing IUD. You could do a blood test called FSH and if that is really high, then it’s likely, not guaranteed, but likely, that you’ve run out of eggs and you’re in menopause.

Or you can just stay on that IUD that has some hormones in it until you’re about 54. And many women in their early 50s who have hot flushes may want to take a little estrogen and they have the progestin protection. They protect their uterus lining against abnormalities with that little hormonal IUD. So wait until you’re a little older and then take your hormonal IUD out.

If you’re taking a shot like Depo-Provera, about 80% of women on Depo-Provera don’t have periods so you won’t know when you’re in menopause. Well, the same kind of strategy goes with Depo-Provera as it does with the hormone-containing IUD. You can just wait till you’re a little older or you can stop, use a backup method. You can stop your shots, use a backup method, and wait and see if you start your periods again.

What Are The Side Effects Or Health Risks

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Irregular bleeding is the most common side effect. For some, there may be increased light spotting and breakthrough bleeding, whereas others may experience longer and heavier bleeding. For most women, after a year of use periods usually, become fewer and lighter or may stop altogether.Depo-Provera has side effects similar to those experienced by users of oral or other hormonal types of contraception which include:

  • History of liver disease

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Who Can Use The Birth Control Shot

Girls who have trouble remembering to take birth control pills and who want extremely good protection against pregnancy may want to use the birth control shot. Also, nursing mothers can use the birth control shot.

Not all girls can or should use the birth control shot. Some medical conditions make the use of the shot less effective or more risky. For example, it is not recommended for girls who have had blood clots, some types of cancers, or liver disease. Girls who have had unexplained vaginal bleeding or who suspect they may be pregnant should not get the birth control shot and should talk to their doctors.

How To Prevent Your Birth Control From Failing

The best way to make sure your birth control works is to pick the method thats right for you. For example, if you dont think youll be able to remember to take a pill every day, you’d be better off using a semi-permanent option, such as an IUD or implant. These also are the most effective options.

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How Long Does It Take To Get Pregnant After Stopping Birth Control

Getting pregnant after birth control pills can occur right away or it may take awhile. Thats why understanding how your body works can help set realistic expectations about whats going to happen.

Heres some information about different contraceptives and how they affect a womans body if youre wondering how long does it take to get pregnant after birth control.

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