Depo Shot

So we have looked the pill, the Nuva Ring and the Implanon that are all forms of birth control, yet in many ways they are very different from each other. So now I’m going to take a look into another method. If any of the methods we talked about didn’t feel right for you, this one may. Lets take a look at the Depo shot. First we will review the assumptions of weight gain, then go over the dangers and the precautions and lastly the pros of the injection.

According to On Women by Deborah Kotz, when women use the Depo shot they gain an average of 11 pounds over three years. This is three percent increase in body fat. Cynthia Olson a Reproductive Health Clinician says that weight gain has been seen among Depo users but it is not consistent for all women. “Research has been done in regards to Depo and weight gain. Some studies show no weight gain among users and other studies have shown that if an individual gains weight the first three months of Depo use, they will continue to gain weight throughout their use.” Olson explains why weight gain is common and what can keep the weight off. “Weight gain is caused by the hormone progestin and its reaction to the body therefore a woman who gains weight using Depo cant “diet” to keep it off. Eating healthy and exercise is helpful but most women will not lose the weight until they stop using depo.”


Now that we tackled the weight gain, lets look at the dangers and precautions of the Depo shot. Luckily there aren’t very many. Olson says there aren’t few precautions compared to the other methods because the shot doesn’t use both progestin and estrogen. “Caution is used but does not restrict usage if a woman suffers from depression because it can escalate her problems.” If you are considering getting the Depo shot you need to be aware of your allergies. Olson says, “Although it is rare, some allergic reactions have occurred. If there are concerns the client must wait 20 minutes after the injection before they can leave the clinic”.

Finally, lets discuss the advantages of using Depo. A pro according to Olson is the Depo is ranked in the top tier of contraceptive effectiveness. “Therefore nursing mothers are able to this form without concerns to breast milk, no estrogen therefore it can be used by smokers over the age of 35 or woman who have high blood pressure and no pills to remember to take daily.”