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Method Monday: The Shot

The star of today’s Method Monday show is the shot, a.k.a. Depo Provera. Our favorite things about this method: It’s easy to use and totally discreet if you want to keep your birth control private. It may or may not have an English accent. And it definitely makes us think of Pat Benatar.

Want to learn more?

You can see real people talk about their experiences with the shot in our Real Stories section, or on our YouTube channel.
Some scary headlines recently raised an alert about a study showing a connection between Depo use and HIV transmission, but there’s actually no reason to think that shot users in the U.S. should be worried. That said, the shot doesn’t protect against STIs so you still need condoms for that!
It tends to make your period lighter or non-existent. Which may seem weird but is actually totally safe. And, if you hate getting your period, potentially awesome.
The shot tops the list of secret methods of birth control. Of course we think a perfect world would involve everyone being able to be open about their method of choice, but for those who can’t be, the shot can be a great option.

To use the shot, the only thing you need to remember is to go to your provider every three months—and we’ve got appointment reminders to help with that. And if you think going to your provider is an even bigger pain than the shot itself you may want to look into DIY Depo (yep, you guessed it—you do it yourself).

Think the shot’s got a good thing going on? Show your support by “liking” it on our Facebook Method Explorer and/or tell us about your experience in the comments!