I am so excited to get back on birth control again. I think I’m going to try the shot. It is going to be such a relief to not worry about taking a pill anymore.
Are Depo shot users more likely to break a bone?
Whoa. Some very interesting news in our latest “Get on Top”:
For women who use the shot (a.k.a. Depo-Provera), there’s good news and there’s weird news. For years women have been warned that the shot can cause loss of minerals in their bones—which could mean they’re more prone to bone fractures. A new study from England found that women using the shot did have a higher risk of broken bones compared to women using other types of birth control—but that was the case before they ever used the shot.
A break is definitely the best thing for your body right after a pregnancy, but if you’re not exclusively breastfeeding in a very particular way, you can ovulate (or release an egg) as soon as three weeks after birth. So what’s a new mom to do? For starters, I’d recommend looking into the IUD, the implant, or the shot for birth control. All three of these methods are low-maintenance, effective, safe for new moms, and totally fine to use while breastfeeding.
Well…seems our Daily Twist submission didn’t make it to Times Square, but we wanted to share our Oreo art anyway. Which would you eat first?
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!
impressive collection of birth control methods into one easy chart.
It tells you all about each type, pros and cons, and general costs.
source: http://bedsider.org/methods
Why thank you!
Love Your Birth Control? Tell Me About It…
Bedsider wants to know what you love about your birth control. And if you’re 18 to 24, live in the U.S., and use the IUD, the implant, the ring, the patch or the shot, you could end up with $1000 ($2000 if you get your guy involved) or a 64G iPad to show for it. Not too shabby, right?
We’re teaming up with ISIS to sponsor the “Works Like a Charm” contest—the idea is to get the word out about some great methods of birth control that might not be so well-known. So whether you’re up for entering the contest, viewing the contest gallery and voting for your favorite entry, or supporting the contest more broadly, we hope you’ll help yourself to this super-cute “i ♥ my birth control” twibbon and help us spread the word!
*long acting reversible contraception
