The Birth Control Shot

The birth control shot is a contraceptive method injected intramuscularly every three months. It contains progesterone only, with the hormone being slowly released into the body. The main impact of this hormone is to prevent ovulation, meaning that there will be no egg release monthly.

In comparison with the hormonal pill, the birth control shot has a higher efficiency range. While with the pill, 8 in 100 couples get pregnant yearly, the rate is only 3 in 100 per year in the case of the birth control shot. Yet, if you wait longer than three months before you get the next shot, chances of getting pregnant are higher.

There is no protection against sexually transmitted diseases with the birth control shot. Plus, you may experience some discomforts during the administration. Here are some common side effects to the shot:
-irregular menstrual periods;
-headaches, breast tenderness and weight gain;
-mood changes and depression.

Most of these problems disappear with the cessation of the treatment, yet, you may have to battle against overweight fiercely afterwards. There are some further serious warnings related to the long-term usage of the progesterone injection. Thus, many women have developed osteoporosis by losing in bone density during the treatment.

In case you decide that the birth control shot is a good option for you, talk to your health care provider and make sure that your daily calcium intake is enough to support the hormonal treatment without loss of bone density. Moreover, fertility may be harder to recover after the long term use of the birth control shots. The fertility problem is not permanent, and women can recover in time, but difficulties could appear along the way.

We should also expose some health issues or conditions that make the use of the birth control shot problematic. You should not administer it if you suffer from any of the following:

-migraine;
-disorders with blood coagulation;
-unexplained vaginal bleeding;
-thrombosis;
-cancer;
-if you suspect a pregnancy.

As for costs, the birth control shot is not expensive, not to mention that health insurance usually covers the expenses. The best advice you can get related to the shot is at your doctor’s office.

Last but not least, when using some other drugs or herbal supplements, it is important to rely on a supplementary birth control method because the risk of interferences leaves you unprotected against pregnancy.

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