How Safe Is The Birth Control Shot?

Depends on how you define safe.

Assuming you’re in the US, Depo-Provera is the shot you’re referring to. There are other options in different countries.

Depo is a shot that’s given by a health care professional every 3 months. The shot is intramuscular and can be given in the butt or the upper arm.

There’s also an at home injection, called Depo-subQ. This is also done every 13 weeks. This one is under the skin, and you give yourself the shot in either the stomach or upper thigh. This version has fewer hormones than the regular Depo shot.

In terms of effectiveness, Depo is pretty effective. In perfect situations it’s more than 99% effective. But when you take into account human error, the effectiveness drops to 96%. This is less than other hormonal methods like the implant and IUD. But it’s better than pills, patches and rings. It’s also way better than external and internal condoms.

Depo doesn’t contain estrogen. So for people who don’t like using estrogen, or can’t use it, this may be a good option.

Like all other hormonal methods, the shot is 0% effective at protecting against STIs.

I want to mention a few things about Depo. They’re not safety issues, but I think they’re important to mention.

Weight gain is definitely a thing for people who use Depo. The average is around 5 pounds of weight gain for the first year. And then more for the second year.

Also some people have bleeding issues with this. Some people may stop getting their periods altogether, which some see as a positive side effect. But for others, it may cause irregular bleeding.

The last thing I want to mention is how soon you can get pregnant once you stop using it. Usually when you stop using a hormonal method you have a pretty quick return to fertility. But not with Depo. With the shot it’s a longer return to fertility. We usually say it can take up to 10 months (though this will be different for every person).

Now on to the safety issue.

People who use Depo report a wide variety of side effects. This is common for any hormonal method of contraception. But there is a major health concern we see with Depo that we don’t see with other methods.

It is not recommended you use Depo for more than 2 years because of its link to decrease in your bone density. At this time, we don’t know for sure if that decrease is reversible or not. There’s some research on this, but the research is a bit contradictory.

It’s worth it to point out that the US has the highest maternal mortality rate in the industrialized world. So when thinking about safety issues, you have to think about how the risks associated with any form of hormonal contraception compare to the risks of getting pregnant and giving birth in the US.

Until next time, be safe and have fun!

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