depo provera and weight gain???

[kaigausista]

I'm due to have my next shot this week but am thinking maybe I should not... was just wondering if anyone else had the depo shot and gained weight? Does the shot cause weight gain or hinders weight loss? I was searching through the internet and saw that most women say they gain weight because of depo... some even gained a massive 50lbs within a year. I'm already overweight and the thought of gaining anymore weight scares me. This week was going to be my 3rd shot... suppose to be! In the past six months apart from the migraine (that comes and goes), prolonged period/spotting etc... i've gained 12lbs... yes, almost a stone. For two weeks five days a week i tried dieting, exercising 4-5 days a week ... yes i figured well for the hard work I should lose atleast 5lbs.. considering prior to all this I don't exercise much. I was disappointed when i stepped on the scale this morning, I've only lost 1lb. Imagine that 1lb!!! The only time i could lose more than that is if I fast for two days.... which is crazy! While on depo I found that I feel hungry all the time and when i try to lose weight it's like climbing mount everest.... it's soooooo hard. 3 yrs ago i was on ... omg i forgot the name of this contraception... anyway the one that's put on the arm... same effect and soon as i came off it losing weight was much easier.... figured I'll just go off the depo for awhile and see if that'll make any difference to my weight.

[Salty Bear]

Hi,

When i was 18 i went travelling for a couple of months. I figured rather than take pills with me i would swap to depo. I spoke to my doctor who agreed and i started it a while before i left so i could have a couple of shots before leaving to make sure everything was ok. Before taking depo i was a six 6. I am short and have a very small frame so was actually my ideal weight (according to the doctor) of 7.5 - 8 stone. After around a year on depo i had ballooned to 11 stone. I have now been back on the pill for around 7 years and although i have lost weight it has been very slow. I am now just over 9 stone and a size 10 so i have another stone to lose to be where i now want to be.

I used to be able to eat sensibly and exercise minimally (i.e just keep active) and stay fit and healthy. After i had to diet, exclude lots of foods including bread, treats such as crisps and choc and exercise much more. It has been a long battle and only in the last 3 years have i seen a good improvement. My doctor refuses to accept that depo was responsible but i fail to see what else was. Whilst travelling i was living on a budget so eating healthy but minimally (no 3 course meals for me) and walking between 10 and 15 miles a day so i should if anything have lost weight.

Taking depo was one of the biggest medical mistakes i have made.

[kaigausista]

omg... i totally agree with you... it's the depo.. of course doctors will say otherwise but we the ones who are taking it who are experiencing all these problems with weight. Before I had depo, i read somewhere (some health online site) that if we gain weight we'd gain as little as 5lbs in one year. Yeah right!.... thank goodness I've decided to stop taking depo.... I mean already I'm a full time mum and I already have so much going on in my life everyday. I try to exercise at least 30 to 45 minutes a day..... if i'm on depo than I'd have to double that time just to lose weight... it's crazy!.... my weight right now is my priority well one of my priorities and i really don't want to gain any more than what i weigh right now (overweight). Already I'm getting comments about my weight which is already tough. Anywayz... went to the clinic today.... and I'll give the pill a try and if I still don't lose any weight after the dieting and exercise than I'll go for the IUD. But yes yes yes.... depo does definitely cause weight gain!

[Lucy11]

I had a friend who put on weight when on depo and she too had loads of trouble losing it after. Don't think she has ever got to the same size that she was before hand. I nearly started it because it seemed so convenient but lucky for me i saw what it done to her.

[Salty Bear]

Good luck, i hope you lose your added weight quickly. Please don't be disheartened if it takes you a long time like it has with me. You will get there. Looking back the injection was too good to be true, it was bound to have a negative impact! Too convenient and easy!

[JadeEngland]

I first went on the depo last August and actually lost about 4 lb in the first 7 months, it cleared up my skin and I was happy with having no periods. Though I was beginning to feel anxious and stressed and depressed but put it down to my job. I also didn't have a sex drive any more which wasn't good for my relationship.
Then March came along, and I felt as though I had put on a bit of weight so I got on the scales and was right, I had put on 3lb. It didn't both me but come the next weekend I had put on another 3lb, this happened until I had put on 21lb! Going from a confident happy size 8-10 to a stone and half heavier size 12-14 (which isn't big but its not the size I am meant to be). I was due my next one in April, I had it done and regretted it as the weight continued to pile on even with healthy eating and exercise. I became even more depressed and didn't want to leave my house, doctor told me it was the infection that had made me feel this way, it causes depression and mood swings.
I didn't have the injection again, its been over 5 months and I have put a couple of lbs on still though I am just starting to feel myself again mood wise. I joined slimming world last week and lost a 1lb after being so strict and eating well but everyone else lost 5lb. I guess its still in my system. The weird thing is it never increased my appetite or made me crave junk food.
I don't think you ever go back to your original body shape, I never did after I went on the pill at the age of 15. My friend went from a size 12 to 20 in 9 years.
Can you please let me know when it will be out of my system for good?