Dr. Marjorie Greenfield
Specializing in pregnancy and birth.
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 Ask Dr. Greenfield
Getting Pregnant after Depo-Provera | | | QUESTION | | | Dear Dr. Greenfield,
I'm currently on depo. My next shot is due at the end of August. My fiancé and I have decided not to get the next shot so that we can try to have our fourth child. After which I plan to have a tubal litigation. How long do you think it may take for me to get pregnant?— Mellissa in New Hampshire | | | ANSWER |
July 16, 2002 | | | Dear Mellissa,
Depo-Provera is a great contraceptive, but it does have a few drawbacks. While each injection is totally effective for three months, the effects can last much longer than that--sometimes continuing for eight months or more. Therefore, it can be hard to tell when your fertility will resume, and your periods may be absent or irregular until you start ovulating again. Usually, a woman will be cycling normally 12 months after her last shot. So my answer to your question is that you can expect to be fertile again some time between September and next May.
Don't forget to take either folate or a daily vitamin (that contains folate) while you are off birth control and trying to get pregnant. Folate can prevent birth defects that occur in the period before you might even know that you're pregnant.
And, for information on tubal ligation, as well as the excellent alternative of vasectomy, click on these links. Good luck!— by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D. |
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