QuestionHi Brenda,
I have a long and what feels like complicated question. I have been on depo
provera for nearly 5 years, I received my last shot (about 2-3 weeks late) at
the end of January. I did not get it at the beginning of my period but rather at
the end.
Even so, my boyfriend and I have continued to have sex at least 4x a week,
unprotected and he does not pullout; we even had sex that night. I do have an
irregular period, it is usually spotty for about 2 days out of the month (or
longer) on about a 30 day cycle. I did not realize that I have not been spotty
since the beginning of Febuary until a few days ago.
This also about the same time I started noticing that I was feeling sick. I
began feeling very nauseated, my breasts have been sore off and on, I have
had stomach and lower back pains for nearly a week and a half (mostly
centrally concentrated as well as on the left side), constant headaches, and
although I have noticed a decrease in appetite, I've been trying to eat small
meals throughout the day even so I keep getting dizzy and feeling faint ...I
understand that these can be symptoms of the shot as well as stress,
however I have not had them since I first starting using it. (The only odd
symptom is that I have been loving the smell of meat; I'm a vegetarian so
could it be that my body is just in need of that vitamin?)
I have been late in getting my shot before, and did not have any of these
symptoms. I have also been under a lot of stress, so it is possible that it
could be a source of that as well.
However, my biggest worry is that my mother (in all 5 of her children,
including me) did not test positive on neither a blood or home pregnancy test
until she was nearly 2 months along. We are very much a like and since I did
take an at home test as well as one at the doctor's office (both negative) I'm a
little worried. I'm still waiting on the results of a blood test but the nurse
there did not help my nerves either - I've been seeing her for some time and
after examining me she said she couldn't officially say so, but thought I was
pregnant but could have low hCG levels as my mother did.
I work at a tanning salon and since becoming aware of these symptoms which
last day and night, I have not used any form of UV tanning (just to put your
mind at ease). But in light of where I work and that I tend to be pretty active I
don't want to take any chances. I'm very scared about it but want to make
sure that if I am, then I go about this in a very healthy manner.
All of the research I've done on the internet has done nothing but confuse me.
The only thing that did strike my attention is that when you're ovulating you
usually find a clear/white, ropey, and sticky discharge (I did not know this),
which I do remember seeing about 2 weeks ago right before we had
intercourse.
Thank you for all of your help and I am sorry for the lengthy email. I am just
really worried and don't want to do anything that could harm my baby should
I be pregnant. Thanks again.
Diamond
AnswerDear Diamond,
Well... I assume you are asking whether I feel there is a possibility you might be pregnant?? Since you were late with the Depo shot and continues to have otherwise unprotected sex, I would have to say yes, you left yourself susceptible to pregnancy.
As to the symptoms, you are correct that they can be due to the Depo shot as well as related to a potential pregnancy. Pregnancy symptoms are associated with increased hormonal levels, so any time those hormone levels surge or are increased, we can experience similar symptoms. That is why it is nearly impossible to "diagnose" a pregnancy without a positive pregnancy test or ultrasound.
If your mother and/or you had a history of low hCG levels and the nurse or CNP suspects you actually are pregnant, the only way to confirm it may be via ultrasound. However, you would need to wait until the pregnancy was approximately 5 weeks along (5 weeks from LMP) before pregnancy could expect to be confirmed via ultrasound anyway. If it will make you feel better about your health with the potential being there for a pregnancy along with you being a vegetarian, you should ask your doctor about a Rx for prenatal vitamins and folic acid.
I hope this has helped you and answered your question. I wish you well.
Brenda
