Pregnancy and depo.

Resolved question:

I am a little bit frustrated with my problem. I had my depo on august 7th. My next visit for depot was scheduled last week. My husband and I were trying for a new child and hence did not return. I already have a child, who is 2 years old. Now I experience pregnancy symptoms along with sore breast sickness and back pains. So I underwent some pregnancy tests at home. All of them returned negative results. Is there any problem with me? Why this pregnancy related symptoms are seen?

Submitted: 4 Days
Category: Sexologist

Expert:  Dr. John Monheit replied 4 Days.

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.

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