Is Your Depo-Provera Causing Weight Gain?

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I got my first shot in Oct 2011 and my second one in Feb 12 i gained 5 lbs after each shot. A total of 10 lbs. I've always been tall and skinny. I went from 115 to 125 and i gained a new appetite to. I will see if i gain 5 more ponds after the third shot if i do in getting off the shot.

Raquel of CA 9:52PM February 16, 2012

I'm 14 and I started depo a few months ago for my period and i've recently become sexually active. I started depo at 150 pounds. a month later i realized i gained 2 pounds putting me at 152 pounds. I though it was nothing but then I went back for my 3rd shot and my shocking weight was 165 pounds!!!! I felt like crying. I recently went vegan and i went back today for my 4th shot, my weight today is 159 pounds, yes still kind of on the heavy side but i was so happy i lost all the weight. I LOVE this birth control, i havent had my period in forever so i dont want to stop taking it yet. Going vegan helped my weight A LOT(:

Amelia of IL 9:41PM February 09, 2012

I've started gaining weight since I started depo. I first started in July of '11, since then the snug jeans I wore in the summer get stuck at my thighs. I can hear my jeans screaming as I pull them on. It's not totally significant, I think my fat has just decided to migrate to a different spot lol.

Christina of NY 11:04PM February 02, 2012

I have not worked out in about 5 years and have always been able to eat whatever I wanted. When I started on the depo shot I noticed I was gaining weight and didn't think anything of it. I've been on it for a year and a half now and have gained 12 pounds just doing the same thing I've always done, nothing. So it is definitely the shot that makes you gain weight!

sarah of ND 8:01PM January 23, 2012

umh when i srart the depo shot i didnt have periods after that. and i have gain about 5 pounds in 2 years, but dr said its more water then anything

jessica of KY 1:05PM January 17, 2012

I'm 36 and I smoke so I had to go off of the oral contraceptives. In the past year I have gained 30 pounds while taking the depo shot. This is the first time with the shot so I was wondering if this would cause this much weight gain. I have put on 20 of those pounds in the last six months.

Christy of WV 6:55PM January 08, 2012

I am 40 years old and have been on Depo for 18 years-started it when it first came on the market. I can say that the Depo shot was very effective for me for years as my main goal was to NOT get pregnant and it did that for me. When I was young I did not notice any irregular weight gain or side effects. Once I hit my 30's things were a bit different. Gained about 10 pounds total and my sex drive was less. Didn't care though as my main goal was to NOT get pregnant. Life changes at my later 30's had me off the Depo for the 1st time and I lost those extra 10 pounds within a month and wasn't even trying! I had a baby within a year, dropped the baby weight within 3 months and then went back on the Depo as my form of birth control. This was a little over a year ago. I have now gained 15 pounds again after being back on the Depo and have been actively trying to lose that weight with no success. I am also taking Testosterone for my low sex drive issues that have also returned since being on the depo. I am due for my next shot at the end of this month and have decided to change birth control methods to a non-hormonal form. I think a person has to weigh the pro's and con's for their lifestyle and decided what works for them. I am finding that what worked for me when I was young isn't working for me any more. Time for a change.

Remi of SD 4:14PM January 05, 2012

Since i got on the depo shot a year ago i gained about 15-20 lbs. I started having a increased appatite and the foods i use to be able to eat i cant eat anymore due to the fact that my matablosim changed. I hate it but the shot is very effective with prevent pregnancy

Ashley of DE 11:05AM January 05, 2012

Seriously want to cry everytime I look at myself. I used to be a nice 120, 125 when my weight fluctuated but I never went past it. Until, I started using Depo. I've only used it for a year, but I started it my first year of college, the "freshmen 15" turned into the freshmen 30 for me. My last shot was Aug 2011, still haven't had a period and still having difficulty losing all this weight and no libido..... Do not recommend...

jess of CA 11:36PM January 02, 2012

im eightenn years old and i was 105 pounds, i am now 123 pounds on the deop shot and i wanna know if the pill is better? or if i stay on the shot will i eventually stop gaining weight? and another thing, is it bad to stop your period like how are you cleaning your body if it stoped?

lauren of CA 9:46PM January 02, 2012

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On Women

On Women

Deborah Kotz, senior writer for U.S. News & World Report, covers everything women care about when it comes to their health. She's often tapping out "Oprah-esque" confessions about how the latest news relates to her personally—whether it's on breast cancer, contraception or easing work-family stress.

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