Delayed Period After Depo Shot: Causes & What to Do

Question
HELLO! MY NAME IS KENYA. I'M 24 YEARS OLD. I DON'T HAVE ANY CHILDREN. MY LAST PERIOD WAS JUNE 19, 2003. I'M CONCERN ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS. I HAVE BEEN TAKING THE DEPO SHOT FOR A YEAR. MY LAST SHOT WAS SEPT 2003. MY PERIOD HASN'T CAME ON YET. LATELY ME AND MY FINACEE' HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT HAVING A BABY, BUT I CAN'T BECAUSE MY PERIOD HASN'T CAME ON YET, AND THAT MEANS I'M NOT OUVALTING. I GUESS! IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN TAKE FOR MY PERIOD TO COME ON. I HEARD OF PROVERA TO INDUCE BLOOD. ALSO, HOW CAN YOU TELL IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO HAVE CHILDREN. I HAVE BEEN HAVING PAP SMEAR/PELVIC EXAM FOR THREE YEARS NOW AND THEY ALWAYS COME BACK OKAY. I WANT TO HAVE A BABY, BUT I'M SCARY THAT I CAN'T HAVE CHILDREN. I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH DYSMENORRHEA. DOES THAT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH NOT ABLE TO HAVE CHILDREN. COULD YOU PLEASE HELP!

Answer
DepoProvera has three annoying side effects. It can cause complete stoppage of your period while you are taking the shots and this can continue for many months after you stop the shots. It can cause irregular periods, or it can cause unpredictable bleeding at various times of the month. Ifyour last shot was in September, you should definitely see a gynecologist and start on Provera 10mg twice a day for 5 days and you should get your period within 10 more days. You may be ovulating even if you have not gotten your period. YOu may wish to buy an ovulation predictor kit from the pharmacy and test to see if you are, indeed, ovulating or not. A normal PAP smear and a normal pelvic exam does not influence whether you can become pregnant. Dysmenorrhea merely means "pain with your periods" and has nothing to do with your ability to conceive. Once you know if you are ovulating or once your periods are regular again, you should have no problem getting pregnant.