Hello,

Thanks for writing to us,

Depo contraceptives(Depo Provera) contain high doses of progesterone that help as a long acting reversible contraceptive, which needs to be replaced every 3 months. The main mechanism of action of progesterone is via the suppression of Ovulation by inhibiting follicular development. Moreover , Progesterone thickens the cervical mucous so that the sperm cannot penetrate and fertilize the ovum.

The return of normal cycles after the discontinuity of the drug varies between individuals. It may take 2 months to almost 18 months. In your case, you probably are recovering to normal cycles. Here sometimes the hormone levels may be insufficient to trigger ovulation and that level causes symptoms like breast tenderness, back pains etc. Also a negative pregnancy test(home based urine Hcg test ) may not rule out the pregnancy completely as there may be negative results till 10 days after fertilization. So watch for few more days before consulting a Gynecologist further management.

Hope this helps.