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Depo-Provera and Pregnancy: Potential Risks & Miscarriage Concerns


Question
QUESTION: i was pregnant when i got my next depo then i lost the baby... does the depo make you lose the baby?

ANSWER: Hello, jenny,

Depo is birth control, so once you are pregnant, there is no reason to get another shot.

There is very little information on whether Depo causes miscarriage. If you lost the baby within a few days, there is a possibility. But there are other things that cause miscarriage as well. The only information I found is that Depo caused miscarriage in mice. But Depo is a synthetic form of progesterone, and progesterone is actually required to sustain a pregnancy. So whether it has any effect is anybody's guess, though the timing might be suspicious. An average woman will probably experience one or two miscarriages in a lifetime anyway. They can be caused by genetic abnormalities in the baby, or by other things.

If you want a baby, the best thing to do is stay off hormones altogether, and let nature take its course. Hormones change a woman's mucus, so using fertility awareness to time sex so that you will, or you will not, get pregnant, isn't possible until a woman's hormones revert back to a more normal state. However, I recommend you learn fertility awareness anyway, because you may recognize fertile mucus at some point. Fertile mucus is transparent, slippery, and stretches like raw egg white. You will observe it when wiping after using the bathroom. For more information, go to this web site:

http://www.fertilityuk.org/

There are courses and it can be helpful to take one.

Depo can deplete your body of calcium, and this can lead to osteoporosis, so it's not wise for a woman to take it anyway. It makes a woman more likely to break her bones.

Please take care. I hope that things straighten out for you.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: what if im 17 and my grandparents take me to my appointment and i have to get the shot... is there anyway that i can change that?

ANSWER: Hello, jenny,

I assume that this is the case. Depo has side effects. There is no reason for a healthy woman to use it. I imagine they're doing it because you are sexually active. You shouldn't be having sex. Or maybe they don't trust you to refrain from having sex. I assume your grandparents have custody. You should talk to the doctor who is giving you the shot. Tell him you don't want to experience the side effects, or lose calcium from your bones. Tell him you don't want to use dangerous drugs unless there is a MEDICAL reason for them. If he won't listen to you, you can seek help from local law enforcement; tell them that you are being forced to submit to dangerous drugs. Don't go to any child protection people. They only cause problems. Also, you can go to a local organization that helps women. They mostly concentrate on pregnant women, but under the circumstances, they might be willing to help you find an answer. You can find one near you by going to this web site:

http://www.pregnancycenters.org/

You can also talk to them over the phone, or by email.

The doctor is ignoring medical ethics to give you the shots, because you don't have a medical need for them.

Or you can go to a women's shelter. But they might want to get child protection people involved.

You can tell your grandparents you won't submit to the shot. When it comes time for an appointment, refuse to walk out the door. What will they do? Drag you? That's assault.

If you are having sex, the man who is having sex with you is taking advantage of you. You deserve someone better. I recommend you break up with him. This would also probably help with the attitude of your grandparents. It will be emotionally painful, but not half as painful as the other possible consequences. If this is a man you want to marry, and he wants to marry you, and you are close in age, you can still get married. You may have to elope.

If you are close to your 18th birthday, waiting and not doing anything for now might work best.

I have to go run my errands before we get some bad weather, so this is all for now. I'll be thinking of other possible things you might do. Take care.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thaknk you so much for all your help... i will let you know has soon as i do the things you have told me to do. thanks so much

Answer
Hello, jenny,

You're very welcome. The other thoughts that occurred to me is that if you can become self-supporting (so your grandparents won't be supporting you), you can petition to become emancipated. Or you can ask your grandparents if they will pay your medical bills if you develop complications from the shots. Good luck!