Question for the Ladies: Depo Provera

[JennyAnkai]

I know this subject has been discussed before, but I'm rather new to low carbing, so hoping for some words of wisdom. I started this WOL on Jan. 1, 2002, and lost 7 pounds in 4 weeks (5'5, started at 151 and ended at 143). I know that's really fast. After 4 weeks, I got my first shot of Depo Provera. Since then, not only have I not lost a single ounce, but I've actually gained a couple of pounds, while eating very LC. Obviously, I won't be getting any more shots, but I was wondering: does anyone know if this inability to lose and weight gain from the Depo will subside soon, maybe once it's out of my system? I think maybe an IUD would be the best form of birth control for me, because there are no hormones released into your body (like the Pill or Depo) causing a weight loss slowdown or increase). Any thoughts or past experience from anyone on this subject?

[JennyAnkai]

Forgot to mention: I'm almost tempted to give up and go back to a more low fat WOL because of my frustration with the weight gain/stall. Someone talk me out of this please!

[MyDelaney]

I can't take any form of hormonal bc due to migraines, but I've talked to my ob/gyn about Depo Prevera before. She told me that it was almost pulled off the market because so many women were gaining huge amounts of weight on it. I'd definately attribute your stall to the shot.

The shot is mostly progesterone which is the hormone, that, during pms causes you to be really hungry. :(

I'm sorry you're stalling out, good luck.

[JennyAnkai]

Thanks, MyDelaney. That makes me feel a little better that it's the shot and not just me being unlucky with LC. The shot is temporary and will be out of my system in a few months, so I'll just try to hang on with LC until after that. Ya gotta love being a woman, don't ya? Geez!

[doreen T]

hi Jenny,

We had a discussion about depo provera a few months ago. You might want to read about it here (http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6338). Depo can cause problems with glucose tolerance and increased insulin resistance. In fact, they caution against using it for diabetic women. Low-CARB in fact, not low-FAT would be the diet of choice to cope with this side effect.

It's a trade-off. Depo provera is such an effective contraceptive, and convenient .. but the side effects are significant.

Good luck with your choices,

Doreen

[itsjoyful]

hey there jenny!

i feel your pain too. the information doreen gave you is info i wish i would have had prior to getting depo shots. i have never heard of one person who had them and liked it.
i have an iud now, and have had zero side effects.
good luck to you, and i guess the best you can do it wait it out!
regards,
brenda

[cori]

I gained weight on it - about 20 lbs. AND I got pregnant!! My depo-baby is now 3 and doing quite well in preschool thank you!

Of course I also have a Ortho Trycyclen Baby who is 2 and runs me ragged! He's pictured in my avatar.

So now my tubes are tied, but that's my own fertile myrtle story. I would definitely check into the IUD, I heard there is a new one out that is supposed to be really effective and safe. Any hormonal birth control can screw with your insulin and therefore your weight. Good Luck!

[Tracern77]

Have you considered a BCP???I know you mentioned that you gain weight from them. Not necessarily. Depending on what you are looking for...like any pill, they all have their side effects. Most recent BCP's don't have that side effect anymore. Ask your OB/GYN to prescribe the right one for you. I have been through 3 different brands in the past 7 years. and finally found one that agrees with me and have been with it for 3 years. You may have to play around with them until you are satisfied. But with your OB/GYN's, they should be able to find the right BCP for you with the right combination of hormones.

[lharris40]

DEPO PROVERA will definitely get your system out of whack. I tried one course of it and gained 10 pounds in less than a month. :thdown:

[reneny]

Everyone is so down on Depo. Well, here's my story (and now, you will know one person).

I have been on depo for like 4 or 5 years. I am the same weight now as I was when I started getting that. My cholestrol has been about the same (give or take a point or two either way) during that entire time. I have always taken calcium supplements so I guess I am not as concerned about the bone density thing. My libido has been down since I had my first kid 13 years ago, so that isn't a byproduct of depo. My blood tests have always come back within normal ranges (which killed my former preacher doc). no chronic headaches, no depression, no hair loss......at least, nothing beyond normal life living.

I'm sure that this depends on the woman. Everyone's body is different in how it reacts to what goes in the body. My best friend has had bad side effects from EVERY type of birth control. She has 5 kids to prove it. She even had her tubes tied and that was screwed up and she had a tubal pregnancy that obviously miscarried.

Anyway, like I said, everyone's chemistry is different. I have had no side effects on depo. So now you know someone. I think most chemical/hormonal birth control methods have weight gain as a side effect anyway.

[ladybugvv]

I have been having the depo shot for about 3 years now. The summer before that I tried the LC way of life. I didn't know what I was doing, but I lost quite a bit of weight anyway. I saw a show on dateline or something that talked about it, and read an article in a magazine. I took the tips and ran with them.

Anyway, soon after I met my now ex boyfriend. I started taking the depo and the weight just piled on. I dug through my medicine cabinet and what do you know? I started the depo in November, and my migraine meds begin in January of the following year. I had a CAT scan that March.

Although I cannot blame all my problems on the depo, I can't help but wonder. I started taking anti-depressants almost two years ago, and my libido is reaaaallllly low. I did notice that almost immediately after beginning the shot, but fortunately, my ex b/f was understanding. I know the anti's will do that too, but the combo may be too much for me.

Now that I have started lcing, my headaches have increased to the point where I would cry if I could, but it hurts too much. And they are constant!!! My next shot is due next month. I have no reason to continue, so I will see what happens if i skip it. I know this WOL works, but sometimes it seems like the pain is not worth the reward. I may look better physically, but I feel terrible mentally!!!!

Anyway, thanks for the insight! I had not connected the depo previously. Check out the discussion Doreen mentions!

[BabyGirl]

Because of an irregular cycle (every two weeks) I started on Birth Control Pills called "Lo-Ovral" about six years ago. I was 5'9'' and 130lbs. In three months I gained thirty-five pounds (165lbs), but continued on the pills for a year. I went off of them and started dropping weight.. eventually fifteen pounds (150 lbs) before going on to Depo-Provera a couple months later. I gained another twenty pounds back (170lbs) on that and had various side effects (very irritable, depressed, fatigue, etc.) One of my best friends was also a "Super-Bitch" on Depo, as our other friends liked to call us.

Finally, I chose to live and deal with my irregular cycle and stopped Depo-Provera. I lost five pounds immediately following that (165lbs), then another ten pounds over a couple months time (155lbs). That was over two years ago. And ever since, I have been fighting to drop the extra twenty or so pounds. In mine, and my friends opinion--Birth Control Pills (Lo-Ovral) and Depo Shots are NOT GOOD, and I would highly discourage anyone looking into starting either one of those two!

That's my two cents. Good luck finding a good form of birth control. At the moment, my only choice is abstinence (I'm scared to death of weight gain from pills knowing how depressed I was even ten pounds over what I am now!)

Love and Laughter,
BabyGirl :D

[wangeci]

Depo and the pill both have hormonal side effects, some bad, some good. But, I truly believe, as I did with the Pill, that the side effects cause us to be hungry, therefore we eat. But with this WOE if we are in control of our eating lives, then we definately cannot gain weight without eating. Water retention can be a gain, but that can go away overnight. But the actually 20+ lbs that I am hearing about ladies gaining is a direct effect of putting food in our own mouths. I think some side effects can be fought and this can be one of them. I was on Depo in the past and did not gain weight. I am on depo now again for just short of one month and have lost weight still, because I am following this WOE. I think that the side effects need to be studied on an individual basis for each person. But for each and every one of us on this forum, we are in control of our eating and I do not believe the weight gain will happen. If it does, we are giving into our cravings and not following our eating plans.

Good luck to any other ladies still on Depo and good luck to those who are going off so they can lose the weight they have gained.
It is definately not fair being a woman and having to be the responsible one ALL the time.....Geeze..

Cindy

[Ivory]

I was on depo provera for a year, during which I gained 50lbs. This may also have had to do with it being my first year living out of my parents home and adjusting to cooking decent food. Anyway I went off of it in June and joined a gym and after working out 3-4 times per week, I lost 4 lbs all summer(4 months). Anyway by the midfall, my body's reaction's regarding weight loss/gain were back to normal. It probably won't take that long for you because you weren't on it as long.

[jvantin1]

Hi all,

I couldn't not post a reply to this thread. I don't care what ANYONE says: Depo can cause weight gain even if your eating is impeccable.

Ten days after my last shot of Depo, the gain started. I've always been thin, and when the gain started, I ate a solid 1200 calories a day and ran EVERY SINGLE DAY. Used fitday, low-carbed, etc. It didn't matter what I did; the number on the scale continued to climb. In the end, I gained 8 pounds, and on a 5'2" woman that's a lot. Before I went off Depo, I was 15 percent body fat (runner/body builder); now, I'm about 25 percent. And that's because I control my eating EVERY SINGLE DAY. I can't imagine what I'd weigh if I didn't.

Every woman has a different experience on Depo. So please do not insinuate that every woman who gains weight on Depo does so because of out-of-control eating. It's not true.

[Kristine]

>>"I don't care what ANYONE says: Depo can cause weight gain even if your eating is impeccable."

Amen. That happened to me with the pill. :( I didn't gain too much weight on depo, but my glucose tolerance went down to about nothing. I've always had mild depression, but depo made me utterly out of control. :( I don't know how I held it together.

I know some women have no problems with it, but if you have any degree of insulin resistance, it will almost certainly get worse. :exclm: The pamphlet and the medical community in general does not properly warn women about the risks. I wish I knew them ahead of time. :(

[Skyangel]

I also had the same experience. My eating habits did not change but I gained 25 lbs. in 6 months on Depo. I also suffered constant spotting, mood swings (read: "super bitch"), decreased libido. The medical professionals did not warn me about that. I did my own research too late after I was getting the side effects.

I quit the shots and got an IUD. NO problems, NO worries. My IUD is a copper type with no hormonal effects. Such a relief. No I am finally down the weight the Depo added and still losing.

I would highly recommend everyone avoid Depo, as well as the pill. They put me on Depo to begin with because the pill increased my blood pressure. I just don't think it is a good idea to alter our hormones this way. The IUD is such a good alternative and the birth control method of choice in Europe. Of course US pharmacutical companies wouldn't like that ...

[sknymonkey]

I think that there is a pill out there for almost everyone. I started taking Ortho-tri-cyclene about three years ago. After about a year, and some weight gain, I started to become posessed by hormone demons in the third week of the cycle. These pills have a different dose each week, and the third was just a little too much for me. I called my Ob/gyn and said, "If you don't fix this I will kill myself and take many others with me!" Yes, I was so crazed I actually said that.

Since then I have tried 4 other pills/doses and have finally found one that works for me. I am in it for the long haul (no kids for a while), so I had to find something I could stick with.
I wish I could bring myself to IUD, but a friend of mine is one of the horror stories you hear about, and I'm just too chicken.