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I have had a very on-off relationship with the pill and like most people, it made me a hormonal mess and actually made my acne worse. Despite this, I wanted to be on some form of contraception and have never had the guts to ask about any other forms, so I’ve just gone along with the pill. When I walked into the nurse’s office and sat down she was the sweetest lady ever and I just blurted out I want to talk about my contraception options and she was so helpful, asked me what I’d tried before, what I would try and what else was out there.
What is like getting the Depo injection?
She went through my options and I was leaning towards the implant, but curious about the injection. The Depo-Provera injection lasts for 13 weeks and is easy to get and although I hadn’t heard much about it at this point, the nurse was great at talking through my options. The nurse said the injection could be done that day. She also advised in most cases was basically painless and is more than 99% effective as long as it is done within the first 5 days of your period and redone before the old one wears off and lasts for three months! This depends on the type of injection you have, as there are different ones however you will be advised of this but most are 3 months.
The little bit of a catch is the fact it is injected into your bum cheek. I was slightly concerned about this, but I put my big boy pants on. It stings a little and for someone covered in tattoos, I can’t really moan about the pain too much. Needles freak me out but as I couldn’t see it, so I felt a bit more relaxed. She told me to take a deep breath in and within a few seconds, it was over. I assumed it was on both sides (unsure why I thought this) but it was just the one and I was in shock that it was that easy. No pills and no worrying about it for the next 3 months. Then she gave me an appointment for my second injection and I was ready to go.
The aftermath
At first, it ached a little, probably for three or four days. I had fairly bad mood swings for the first week also, but that is it. I was warned for the first injection I may experience a little bleeding from time to time which has happened, but it is honestly the tiniest bit. I was advised after my second injection I wouldn’t have anymore bleeding and no periods. However, all it means is you need to use condoms for the first week. I’ve hands down found my experience so far on the Depo injection super easy and will definitely be getting it for the future.
Advice about the injection
If you’re considering getting the injection here are some key pieces of information to bear in mind.
- Once it is in, it’s in so you can’t do much about it if you’re having a bad time, unlike the pill/implant you’re stuck with it for three months.
- Like all contraception, you can get bad side effects at first. Which can be a little worrying, however, they soon pass.
- It can take up to one year for your fertility to return back to normal, so not good as a short term thing if you are thinking of planning a family soon.
- It can make your bones weaker, so if you have any issues around this in your family, this probably isn’t the correct method for you.
- I’d totally recommend this to anyone looking for a new form of contraception as it is so easy to be done, and a great alternative to the pill. If you have any questions I’ll happily answer them on Twitter or in the comments!
