Ladies Only - Female Question re: Depo and Weight Loss

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  • LHarders
    LHarders Posts: 28 Member
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    Hi I am 45 yrs old and been on Depo for almost 19 years....I have never spotted and have not had a period for 19 years....I have tried to loose weight many times in the last 19 years so many friends told me that I needed to stop depo but I am not sure it is the cause of my weight gain...I am going to stop depo soon hopefully this shot will be my last....I have been walking on my treadmill for the last two months and have lost almost 20lbs and no spotting....like others have said depo does different things to different people my suggestion is talk to your doctor just to be sure nothing else is going on. What I would like to ask of you other depo users and those who have stopped it...how long did it take for your periods start back up?
  • 7funnygirl7
    7funnygirl7 Posts: 1,176
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    I'm not on Depo but have noticed since I have been "dieting" & exercising that my cycles have changed. Sometimes lighter, sometimes later, etc... I was thinking it could be my age (over 40) or just a "shock" to my system as it ahs never been "really" healthy!..:bigsmile: Good luck on your answers!
  • eriemer
    eriemer Posts: 197
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    I'm not sure what all the research shows but from personal experience using Depo and weight loss in the same sentence should be a crime! Only because it is notorious for making you gain massive amounts of weight, the longer your on it the more you gain, and not muscle either. The hormones have your body fooled into a pseudo pregnancy so your gaining in the middle and hips to feed your non existant baby.

    To answer your question, yes you can spot on Depo. Another important fact of Depo is if you are overweight it may not stay in your system as long sometimes requiring higher doses or injections more often (which in turn has you gaining more weight). The weight loss your experiencing could be changing you metabolism and hormones that may be why your spotting.

    There are a lot of birthcontrol options and lower dose pills you could use over using the Depo shot and it will be much easier to lose weight with them. Although, of course, this is something you should discuss with your Dr. and is your own personal decision.
  • eriemer
    eriemer Posts: 197
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    One last thing I'd like to add- Condoms, sponge ,vaginal film, cervical cap (great if you've never had kids) and diapharm etc. do not cause any raises in BP. If your allergic or sensative to latex, some barrier birthcontrol methods are latex free, many you can buy OTC and use with or without topical spermacide (they are more effective with).

    I (heart) my diaphram! There are also non-hormonal options out there.
  • SusanleeBee
    SusanleeBee Posts: 144 Member
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    Yes, it's normal. Aside from depo causing spotting frequently, when you start losing fat, the fat cells release estrogen, which can cause spotting. That said, depo is really bad for your bone mass, among other things. I would recommend switching to implanon, or mirena for long term birth control.
  • cazwillis99
    cazwillis99 Posts: 238 Member
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    I'm on depo have been on and off for over 17 years now. Never had any obvious weight gain, other than when I came off it and got pregnant then I gained a whole load of weight which I am in the process of losing now. No spotting and never had any issues with it at all. The only reasons I ever came off it were because I kept forgetting to go back every 11 weeks to be re-injected but I am now better organised :-)
  • JanetLM73
    JanetLM73 Posts: 1,277 Member
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    I ended up in the ER checking for blood clots in my chest because of the depo shots, I was the 5% of people that had this side effect. If you are concerned then you should see your dr.
  • kimr41
    kimr41 Posts: 219 Member
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    I was on the depo for a couple of years and bled/spotted whole time. I also gained a lot of weight, approximately 15 lbs that just fell off when I went off of it. I have known several people on it and they all gained weight.
  • hstallings13
    hstallings13 Posts: 306
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    I didn't spot with the depo I just simply didn't have a period, but i did gain 14lbs in a month even though my diet and lifestyle didn't change at all. I would talk to your dr and see what they think might be the problem and see about alternatives that might work better for you
  • bbysars
    bbysars Posts: 36 Member
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    Oh god, depo assisted me in gaining like 25lbs, obviously I ate the food but I hadn't changed what I was doing before the shot. I was always around 140-140 then in the 3 months depo was in my system it was a huge gain which I'm working off now. About the spotting.. I don't know if it's considered 'spotting' but I would lose a scary amount of blood for like 2 days, just randomly. No time pattern just.. blood and I went to the doctor who said I had irregular periods when I wasn't actually having my period. My time on it was terrible and knowing now what I know, I would have never gotten the shot.
  • MystiqueASAP
    MystiqueASAP Posts: 747
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    Maybe check your potassium levels and/or intake.

    As in not enough or too much? I've been watching it - the thing is I don't really know what it was before, so I dont' know if I'm getting more or less, but I've been getting right around 2000 mg.

    Diuretics causes low potassium. If you are taking diuretics for your blood pressure, then you may want to consult your doctor about taking them while on Depo. The RDA of Potassium for women is 4.7 grams (4,700 mg). Hope this helps.
  • susannahcooks
    susannahcooks Posts: 294 Member
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    Yes, it's normal. Aside from depo causing spotting frequently, when you start losing fat, the fat cells release estrogen, which can cause spotting. That said, depo is really bad for your bone mass, among other things. I would recommend switching to implanon, or mirena for long term birth control.

    Thanks! That's the best explanation of the hormone change I've seen yet. THANK YOU. That makes sense. Implanon has blood pressure effects that I can't have, and mirena won't work (we tried - see one of my previous posts.. OWOWOWOUCH! "No I've not had children, what do you mean you just assumed? don't you have my ENTIRE MEDICAL HISTORY ON FILE??" eeeesh. But I do think it's time to get off Depo, but not alot of options unless I go barrier instead of hormonal. I had a bone density scan done last year and I was in the 95 percentile, so hopefully I have some time still on Depo to get my blood pressure low enough to find an alternate solution with less side effects.
  • susannahcooks
    susannahcooks Posts: 294 Member
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    Diuretics causes low potassium. If you are taking diuretics for your blood pressure, then you may want to consult your doctor about taking them while on Depo. The RDA of Potassium for women is 4.7 grams (4,700 mg). Hope this helps.

    Huh - good to know. This tool says its alot less than that. I was aiming for 2000 thinking I was doing good! And yes, I am on a diuretic with the BP meds. I'll ask about that.
  • calliope_music
    calliope_music Posts: 1,242 Member
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    Depo scares the bejeezus out of me, party cause i hate shots and partly due to the side effects (although i myself take Yasmin). i know that when i lose weight, my periods are a bit wacky even when i'm on the pill - my OBGYN explained it that as i lose weight, my hormones are readjusting themselves are get a bit weird. this only happens to me every few months though. i think for me that it could be because once i hit a certain weight, i just don't get my period.


    good luck!
  • masonjessica11162007
    masonjessica11162007 Posts: 41
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    When I first started to speed up my runs I started to spot I recommend another form of birth control because, Depo is known to increase your appetite, thin your hair, and other bad beauty side effects.
  • skierxjes
    skierxjes Posts: 938 Member
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    I've been on it for 3.5 years and haven't had any spotting due to weight loss. Are you sure you're not just spotting when you get near your next shot? That has happened to me a couple times, when it starts to wear off, I might spot a tiny bit
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
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    Since we're talking about it, why do you even need to be on hormonal b/c at all?

    Just throwing it out there.........I was done having kids and so I just got my tubes tied and I LOVE IT!!! The women in my family have a history of going into menopause late in life and as we've all discussed.......hormonal birth control is usually just bad for you. If you can avoid it all together, I for one can attest at how much easier life is not dealing w/ birth control at all. ;)
  • susannahcooks
    susannahcooks Posts: 294 Member
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    Since we're talking about it, why do you even need to be on hormonal b/c at all?

    Just throwing it out there.........I was done having kids and so I just got my tubes tied and I LOVE IT!!! The women in my family have a history of going into menopause late in life and as we've all discussed.......hormonal birth control is usually just bad for you. If you can avoid it all together, I for one can attest at how much easier life is not dealing w/ birth control at all. ;)

    well, lets get personal! (LOL - thats supposed to be funny, I realize that I'm sharing all kinds of personal details out here!). Actually I hadn't considered tubes tied. I'm 40 and haven't had kids and certainly don't plan to (esp at this age), so it's an idea. Will insurance cover such a thing if it's not medically necessary? (Or can they argue that it is since it's to protect my health - bound to be cheaper in the short term than the long-term of paying for some other shot...) Is that an outpatient thing? Seems like it should be since gall bladder surgery is PRACTICALLY outpatient.

    Thanks again!
  • SusanleeBee
    SusanleeBee Posts: 144 Member
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    As long as your insurance isn't through a Catholic company, they typically cover tubal ligation. If you're going for permanent sterilization, I'd recommend Essure. It's essentially non surgical tubal ligation. Your doctor will insert tiny coils vaginally into your Fallopian tubes. In a few weeks, the tubes scar down around the coils, and ta-da! permanent birth control. It's cheaper and easier than surgery, 100% out patient, and equally as effective as a tubal. No hormones involved. Please feel free to message me. I used to work in labor and delivery, and studied womens' health before moving to mortuary science.
  • juliegin
    juliegin Posts: 77 Member
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    I was pretty much the heaviest I've even been while on Depo. Can't blame it entirely on the Depo, because Buffalo Wild Wings had a lot to do with it too, but I did notice some correlating effect on my metabolism.

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