Question:
My PCP doc gave me depo shot for the first time on march 4 and

My surgery is the 31 of march I should have started my period this past week and I did not I am worried because I dont know if it should have stopped my period this quickly and how this may affect me when my surgery is done IS ANYONE on DEPO and can HELP me??? THANKYOU    — Kimberly M. (posted on March 8, 2003)

March 8, 2003
i had the shot and mine stopped the whole time i was on it(1 year). that part was fine, but it did caused me to have VERY bad depression which i had never had before. just be aware that it might cause you to feel alittle down. i didn't know that was side affect. good luck to ya!
   — k K.

March 8, 2003
The depo shot affects people differently. My doctor told me that in most women it either stops their period or really lightens the flow, but it can cause irratic, unpredictable periods in some women, including multiple or long lasting periods. Its very personal and the first 2 or 3 times you have the shot it can have a different affect.
   — Shelly S.

March 8, 2003
I had the depo shot on Aug 20 2002 and was on my period for 6 months straight, consider yourself lucky. There are two kinds of women on depo. Ones that don't bleed or bleed very little or women who bleed non stop. I was the latter. I will never take the shot again, but from what I hear that is abnormal. Don't worry about it, I have researched it extensively and found that most women don't have a problem with it, they just don't bleed very often, which is one of the benifits of it. Good luck and if you want any additional info just email me.
   — jovialkiki

March 8, 2003
The key with Depo is that you need to give it time to level out your body. I came from a 15 year history of no periods to being put on BCP's only to spend 9 months with continuoius heavy bleeding. The 7 days off were actually the lightest - go figure. I went on Depo shots and it ended up being the miracle I was looking for. The normal with Depo is that you have bleeding for a while as it reduces the lining in your uterous. Once that is complete it usually stops all periods or they become very light and not as often. For me, because I had been bleeding for so long and it was obvious there was no more lining left to shed, the Depo shot immeditely cut off the flow and I was bleeding free for 6 weeks. YEAH! Then it started in but much lighter. Because of the high amount of fat in my body we eventually decided I needed the shots more often than 12 weeks to balance the high level of estrogen from the fat. By about 13-14 months everything stopped. I was on 6-week shots at that point. Eventually I went to 8-week shots and that is what I have been on since 1997. I have had zero bleeding since then and can't say I miss it. For me it was critical to get something to put my body in a state of safe non-functioning. Just not having periods without something causing it like BCP's or Depo shots is not safe. It greatly increases your risk for endometrial, uterine and ovarian cancer, because the system is supposed to work right and keep everyting in check, but mine never did. The gyn was worried that eventually the no periods would go 180 degress to massive hemmoraging - which is typical with PCOS problems of severe secondary ammenorhea. I've been on Depo since 1995 and don't plan on going off of it till the day they are hauling me into surgery for a hysterectomy. LOL It solved all of my female problems and my headaches, so I got a double bonus. But you need to give it time to totally work. It usually takes a year to totally settle your body down. <p>As for the poster yes it can work right away. This is one of the birth controls if given during your period is immediately effective - nice benefit. If you have been having regular periods or were on BCP's then this would make sense. Your uterine lining would already have been thinned out etc. so the Depo doesn't have to do all of that too. You may have some irregular breakthrough bleeding at times for a while but if you hang in there it should end up being a nice form of BC with minimal inconvenience. It should not affect your surgery at all. It is possible since you are newly on Depo that you may have a period start after surgery like most women in their reproductive years do, but hopefully it would be light. I am one of the few who did not have a period after surgery and got my next Depo shot the week after surgery. Literally this drug has been a godsend for me. Very few out there can even imagine what the 9 months before Depo was like for me. I thought I would turn up anemic but amazingly I didn't. Good Luck!
   — zoedogcbr

March 9, 2003
I too was one that bled non-stop....for an entire year to be specific, after only 2 shots. Also had HORRIBLE hunger, huge appetite, awfule cravings, and gained a pile of weight, soooooo be careful post-op with eating, and if you feel it's affecting your appetite, you may want to try something else.
   — Kelly B.

March 9, 2003
I have been on Depo for over a year. After my first shot I had no period for 10 months...then I believe the only reason I had one was becuase I was very run down. Concerning WLS, just make sure you remember to tell your surgeon you are on it...I always forget to add it to the list of meds I am on. I told my surgeon I was scheduled for a shot two weeks before surgery and he didn't say anything about it. I didn't get to have my surgery for other reasons...it's rescheduled for April 7th. I have had no problems with depo...but don't get too used to the no period thing..they can come unexpected as mine did and I had stopped carrying supplies in my purse. Lesson learned. If you do a search on this site with Depo you will find a lot of similar questions and people's experiences.
   — Sarahlicious