QuestionQUESTION: August would be 2 yrs on the depo shot. My last shot was due mid march. i decided not to take it to regulate my body. i have not had a period since i got on the shot. but now i am bloated, my breast are growing, allot, i get an upset stomache easily and for the passed few days i have been really light headed. when i get up to fast i feel like the room is spinning. could i be pregnant or am i just crazy??
ANSWER: Hi, kara,
Nobody can really tell you what is going on with your own body over the internet, not even a doctor. So I am going to talk in terms of pure speculation. You must see a doctor to get answers.
It seems like the time since your shot was "due" isn't long enough to be experiencing those kinds of symptoms. You would have had to get pregnant right after the due date. But the thought comes to mind that the level of hormones in your body could have been dropping beforehand.
I think it is much more likely that the change in your hormonal balance (such that it is on a powerful hormone), is responsible for these symptoms. These hormones are very powerful, and they upset a woman's delicate balance. The fact you haven't had a period tells me that your body is undoubtedly overwhelmed with these powerful substances.
Light-headedness sometimes means that a person's blood pressure is too low. I don't think that is a symptom of pregnancy. Some of these symptoms also sound like flu!
I recommend you consult a doctor about this. He should test your hormones.
Please keep in mind that you can do a lot of damage to your body with these things. Being on this for so long means constant exposure. This is not good for you, and I'm glad you are stopping it.
If you want to avoid being pregnant, for the time being, I recommend you abstain. Only when your hormones return to normal, if they do, you should consider learning how to tell when you are fertile. Then you can act to avoid pregnancy if that is your desire.
You cannot tell when you are fertile when you are or have been on hormones of any kind. You have to chart faithfully. You can learn more here:
http://fertilityuk.org/
Please let me know what you find out when you talk to a doctor. Please don't take any more chances with your body. It is the only one you will ever have, so take good care of it. Stay safe!
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: thanks for your help. i forgot to mention this earlier but i also have a shortness of breath. walking up stairs, talking, walking a short distance. i do believe that it probably is my hormones freaking out for not having the shot. but im not going to take depo anymore because of all the bad things i have heard about it. what are the chances that i could be pregnant though? my boyfriend and i have unprotected sex atleast 4 times a week. and he doesnt pull out.
AnswerYou're welcome.
It sounds to me offhand like your body is simply reacting to the change in hormones. But please check with a doctor. My word means nothing over the internet, any more than anybody else's does. Nobody has any idea what the chances are that you are pregnant. Even a doctor you see personally probably won't be able to tell you. If you are pregnant, your chances are 100%, but if you are not, then your chances of being pregnant now are zero. Statistics, in my opinion, have no meaning with the individual.
Please know that "protection" isn't. Condoms don't work. All birth control methods have some rate of failure. Also, pulling out doesn't decrease a woman's chances of not becoming pregnant. There will be fluid left behind, and that is enough. Occasionally a woman will get pregnant even if fluid is only left just outside the opening.
Once your hormones have straightened out (if the doctor determines they have), you should keep track of when you are fertile. Generally speaking, a woman ovulates 14 days before her period will start. Granted, that doesn't convey enough information, which is why a woman should examine her mucus and determine if it's fertile mucus. As I said, you can get more information on the site.
If you are having sex that often, and you are capable of getting pregnant, most likely it is inevitable. But sometimes a woman doesn't get pregnant anyway, for whatever reason. You might want to seriously consider refraining on days you are likely to be fertile, if you don't want to get pregnant. There's no point in taking that kind of chance and then putting your life at risk by having an abortion. One of the things that people sometimes do is learn how to express affection in other ways. Any penetration of the body can result in sexually transmitted diseases, or HIV, however. It takes some creativity to express affection without taking these kinds of risks, but it can be done. Sex is pleasurable so that people will do it. The purpose of sex is to make babies. It is also intended to bond two people together.
Do you have any kind of future with your boyfriend? Give this some thought. Think about why you are having sex with him. Is it because you experience pleasure, or because he wants it? This may determine what you decide is best to do. Your boyfriend has a responsibility to protect you from the unwanted consequences of sex, and if he is a man truly worthy of you, he will seek your safety and well-being.
I hope this helps.
