When will I finally Lose the Weight After Depo Provera?

mnm424

I was on Depo yrs ago.. I gained 100lbs while on it...!!!!!!!!!!!! Once I decided to stop, it took my body about 6 mths to finally start dropping weight (and I was 18 at the time).

LorinaLynn

Depo is the only form of birth control that can cause weight gain, not just increased appetite. Not in every person. There's always going to be people who it doesn't affect that way.

I was on Depo a few years ago, and slowly gained about 30-40 pounds over several years. I was a bit skinny when I started, and had also just gotten over a jaw problem that caused that skinniness, so I didn't mind much at first, and didn't really put two and two together, either. I went off the depo for a while, and it was during that time that I lost weight on here.

I got back on it late last summer. The first two injections, no problems. Except some breakthrough bleeding, but no change in my weight or anything. After the third and fourth shots, even though I was still logging my food and exercising the same as before, I gained weight each time. Not a helluva lot, maybe a total of 12 pounds, but I didn't want that trend to continue, so I stopped getting it.

I'm now playing a waiting game for the hormones to completely leave my body. It's been about five months since I last had a shot, so two months since I was last due, and my period is still screwy and the weight will NOT budge. At least I stopped gaining, so that's something. :grumble:

chandanista

Reading all the threads on Depo Provera on these forums, I guess that I'm really grateful that I'm apparently one of the people Depo was made for...I was on it for a couple years after having my daughter, and again since having my son. I tried a few other forms and the mood swings were terrible; I act pretty balanced on Depo Provera.

So long as I'm not breastfeeding, I'm able to lose weight on the shot. I gained quite a bit (30 ish pounds? ) when I went off it, when we were trying for my son. Hot weather and salt water taffy have that effect on me, but it was still pretty dramatic. I had to get some of that off before I finally became pregnant with him. All my extra poundage has been traceable to either that period when we were trying, or my pregnancy with the boy. Although, to add weirdness to the situation, I still get occasional periods even though I'm on Depo.

It's too bad there isn't some hormonal test that ladies can take to tell them what form of BC is best for them. It's really all trial and error.

PunkinSpice79

Thanks, ladies! I'm getting so discouraged. I just want to make sure that nothing else is wrong with me. I think I'm convinced this is all Depo related. BTW, I was supposed to have my last shot November of 2012, so its been about 5 months. Does anyone who has lost weight after Depo remember the timing of when it became easier?

I was on it for a full year and gained 20 pounds (this was in my early 20's). It took a full year to START dropping weight. I did everything - even starved myself. It was so horrible. My self-esteem took such a hit from that. Be patient. When the weight did come off, it happened very quickly. As in, one day I woke up and had lost 5 pounds. I thought it was an anomaly, but within a month, I had dropped another five.

PunkinSpice79

Also, I have never had a weight problem, I had always been in the goal weight range for my height, and it does affect people differently. I am sick of people telling me it's my fault I gained the weight. No it is not. Thank you very much.

^ ^ So agree with this. Hang in there! You'll get through it!

Vicks1978

I came off it a few years ago after becoming a psycho ***** on it.
It took me about a year to get back to normal and for my periods to return.

fit4lifeUcan2

I have been on Depo since August of 2011 and have lost 50+ lbs. It isn't the Depo that makes you gain weight, unless you already had a weight issue to begin with. Your doctor should have explained that to you. I still get the shot and am still losing weight.

^This^ The depo injection itself doesn't make you gain weight.

What it does do though is increase your appetite, more food makes you gain weight, not the drug.

Exactly. I've been on Depo for years. No weight gain, and no trouble losing. I am hungrier at certain points, especially the week before my shot, but I know its just the Depo and I adjust accordingly. If it makes you so hungry that you can't control your food intake, then it probably isn't the right BC for you.

This is what my daughter has told me as well. She has been on the depo shot for 3 years now and only put on 15 pounds during that 3 years time. She decided she wanted to get rid of that little bit of weight gain and did it within 2 months. She just watched what she ate and exercised. She has learned to control her appetite. She keeps track of what she ate and when so she knows she isn't really hungry because she just ate. She's also on other meds as well that are said to cause weight gain yet she was able to take off that 15 pounds and has kept it off for several months now.

PunkinSpice79

I just did a google search. 1 in 4 women experience significant weight gain on the shot. Here's another article talking about weight gain and the shot. Bottom line, every one is different, but this is a widely reported side effect. http://contraception.about.com/od/depoprovera/f/depoweightgain.htm

jodisouthwick

A different perspective from any other posts....I am currently 39 yrs old. I started depo from 25-35 with zero effects. I was the poster child for depo. After 10 years my doctor was concerned about bone loss and for personal reasons I wanted to have my period again (35 yrs old). It took a year and a half to have my period. I had my period for another year and a half and I hated it so I wanted to go back on the shot (38 yr old). I got my first shot last year at my birthday (Aug 2012) and I gained 8lb almost instantly. I lost it, but then gained it back 3 months later with my next injection. I was under some incredible stress during that time so I didn't connect the dots that it was the shot. I lift weights 6 days a week, eat a VERY clean diet and my scale never changes. No matter how much I work out, or diet, my weight doesn't change. I'm now going off the shot and hoping to see a difference. Luckily I have only gained 15lbs but that is a lot on a small frame. I want people to know that every body is different, but as you age, your body changes. Good Luck! Lots of love to everyone struggling with weight....it is NEVER easy!!

BarbellBlondieRuns

Depo is the devil :devil:

It took me on a wild ride too. I never did get to my pre-depo weight after stopping it but I was very young. Good luck!

nardo77

you can be underweight in the healthy weight BMI etc then have DEPO, it took almost 2 years for my cycles, hormomes and weight to settle. It does affect alot of people. Just keep tracking your calories and exercise and it will soon settle for you.

stefjc

Look, all contraception messes up your hormones - that is the whole point of them, ALL of them.

ALL of them have the potential for messing up your weight, moods and other heath factors.

I was warned that depo could cause back pain. Well I have that anyway, so I am on Depo, have been for decades, literally. My back pain and weight gain may have been made worse but my mental health is so much better for it. My choice!

Depo is not the devil it just isn't for everyone.

Oral contraceptives, ditto.

A coils, exactly the same.

I tried 2 or 3 forms until I got to Depo. Just talk to your doctor and work out which is best for you.

SezxyStef

I have been on Depo since August of 2011 and have lost 50+ lbs. It isn't the Depo that makes you gain weight, unless you already had a weight issue to begin with. Your doctor should have explained that to you. I still get the shot and am still losing weight.

^This^ The depo injection itself doesn't make you gain weight.

What it does do though is increase your appetite, more food makes you gain weight, not the drug.

Exactly. I've been on Depo for years. No weight gain, and no trouble losing. I am hungrier at certain points, especially the week before my shot, but I know its just the Depo and I adjust accordingly. If it makes you so hungry that you can't control your food intake, then it probably isn't the right BC for you.

Exactly...I lost weight while on depo down to the smallest I have been since giving birth. Not sure why people insist on blaming depo for weight gain when it has no calories...and it doesn't force you to intake more calories then you need nor does it stop you from exercising.

Fitfully_me

I have been on Depo since August of 2011 and have lost 50+ lbs. It isn't the Depo that makes you gain weight, unless you already had a weight issue to begin with. Your doctor should have explained that to you. I still get the shot and am still losing weight.

^This^ The depo injection itself doesn't make you gain weight.

What it does do though is increase your appetite, more food makes you gain weight, not the drug.

Exactly. I've been on Depo for years. No weight gain, and no trouble losing. I am hungrier at certain points, especially the week before my shot, but I know its just the Depo and I adjust accordingly. If it makes you so hungry that you can't control your food intake, then it probably isn't the right BC for you.

Exactly...I lost weight while on depo down to the smallest I have been since giving birth. Not sure why people insist on blaming depo for weight gain when it has no calories...and it doesn't force you to intake more calories then you need nor does it stop you from exercising.

Well, to be fair, one of the stated side effects of Depo-Provera is weight gain...:indifferent:
And I think people say they gained weight while on depo because, they do, and that is their experience.

Its great that your experience is/was losing weight, but that doesn't change someone else's.

LorinaLynn

Exactly...I lost weight while on depo down to the smallest I have been since giving birth. Not sure why people insist on blaming depo for weight gain when it has no calories...and it doesn't force you to intake more calories then you need nor does it stop you from exercising.

Because it's hormonal. Those hormones don't affect EVERYONE the same way. Not sure why people insist that because they didn't gain weight that no one does. If you do any research at all, you'll see that this is the one method of birth control that CAN definitely cause weight gain. Not increased appetite. Weight gain.

I was maintaining for a year and a half, and logging and exercising the same as always, but still gained weight (about 5-6 pounds) after my second injection and another 5-6 after my third. I would have been due for my last injection in May, so it's been almost six months since I had a shot, and I'm still messed up from it.

I had a very light period in June, then I've had a light period for four days starting on July 22. Then for a little heavier for three days starting July 29. Then Aunt Flo came back with a vengeance for three more days starting on August 5th. And started back up again today. I was regular as clockwork before Depo. It's as if every period I skipped while on Depo is coming back this month.

I'm jealous as hell of people who haven't had bad reactions to it. I would love nothing more than to not worry about periods or pregnancy for three months at a time. I loved it the first time I was on it, but looking back, I have to wonder if my slow and steady weight gain and difficulty losing then wasn't related.

SezxyStef

Depo does say one of it's side effects is weight gain but most side effects per the testing shows that most of the side effects are not common except irregular cycles.

As per the studies the common weight gain is 5lbs over 3 years and that if a woman is over weight prior to starting it she will probably gain more weight.

Woman have hormones period that go haywire every month regardless.

Perimenopause, Menopause, and Post menopause have more hormonal changes then anything and that lower progesterone levels cause weight gain during menopause and it has been proven that increased exercise and building muscle stops that even then...

So yes maybe a bit of weight gain can be associated with depo and I have done the research through my doctor, my aunt who is an ob/gyn her husband, my doctors partner and other readings.

I personally do not feel that if you are watching your calorie intake and exercise that a birth control method will make you fat or gain a tonne of weight.... becaue here I am using another progesterone heavy bc (IUD) and over 40 and still loosing weight because I am at a deficet in calories, building lean muscle mass. That is proven science and anyone on this site knows that is a fact period.

stefjc

Oooh! An unintended pun? A sort of Freudian slip:

"That is a fact, period"

Yay! :-D

StarChanger

Depo Provera does NOT "cause" weight gain. It "causes" increased appetite....it is the same hormone you produce when you're pregnant and "eating for two". YOU then eat more, and gain weight accordingly.

Unfortunately, many women are not warned of this beforehand, and by the time they connect the dots, many pounds may be gained. Once you're off the Depo, your appetite will be "yours" after a couple of months, MAX (half life of the drug is less than that).

Many women on Depo LOSE weight because they have other things going on in their lives that cause them not to eat, or they're exercising appropriately, etc. Just because you're on Depo, does NOT doom you to weight gain.

That being said, some of us (myself included) do not have the genetics or willpower enough to handle Depo Provera and it's not the best option for us.

The Mirena IUD can provide excellent birth control AND bleeding control (YAY! NO PERIODS!) with minimal or no uptake of the progesterone into the blood stream. Nothing in the bloodstream = no weight gain, no mood changes, no depression, etc (unless you have those things all on your own anyway). Unfortunately, it will not suppress ovarian cysts (which are just egg follicles, ladies....not cancer or some weird scary thing).

cadaverousbones

A lot of birth control methods (pills, shots, etc) can cause weight gain in the first 6 months or so of taking it. Fortunately I did not experience weight gain on Depo (been taking it for about a year? give or take a few months) but I think your hormones should stable out after a few more months. Did you ask the doctor about weight gain with Depo? I feel like they should be able to give you more info than random people on the internet?

cadaverousbones

Exactly...I lost weight while on depo down to the smallest I have been since giving birth. Not sure why people insist on blaming depo for weight gain when it has no calories...and it doesn't force you to intake more calories then you need nor does it stop you from exercising.

Because it's hormonal. Those hormones don't affect EVERYONE the same way. Not sure why people insist that because they didn't gain weight that no one does. If you do any research at all, you'll see that this is the one method of birth control that CAN definitely cause weight gain. Not increased appetite. Weight gain.

I was maintaining for a year and a half, and logging and exercising the same as always, but still gained weight (about 5-6 pounds) after my second injection and another 5-6 after my third. I would have been due for my last injection in May, so it's been almost six months since I had a shot, and I'm still messed up from it.

I had a very light period in June, then I've had a light period for four days starting on July 22. Then for a little heavier for three days starting July 29. Then Aunt Flo came back with a vengeance for three more days starting on August 5th. And started back up again today. I was regular as clockwork before Depo. It's as if every period I skipped while on Depo is coming back this month.

I'm jealous as hell of people who haven't had bad reactions to it. I would love nothing more than to not worry about periods or pregnancy for three months at a time. I loved it the first time I was on it, but looking back, I have to wonder if my slow and steady weight gain and difficulty losing then wasn't related.

I had some issues with spotting the first 4 months or so of taking the depo, I researched it online and found that taking 1-2 months of birth control pills stabilizes your hormones, asked my doctor about this and took about a month of pills and it fixed that issue for me. So if it gets really bad, ask your doc about it. Because depo doesnt have the same hormones as regular b-control pills, sometimes your period gets out of wack but the birth control pills even them out.