Lesson 3: More Advances in Birth Control
Depo-SubQ Provera 104

Approved by the FDA in March of 2005, this new contraceptive contains less hormone than the well known Depo-Provera, but works in the same ways and is just as effective. This injection was developed not only to prevent pregnancy, but to manage the pain of endometriosis. This is the first new medication that has been developed and approved in the last 15 years to help with the treatment and pain management of endometriosis.

Women that have tried Depo in the past and suffered minor side effects might find this new injection more tolerable since it contains about 30% hormone than the original Depo-Provera shot. Depo-SubQ is taken as an injection under the skin, rather than in a muscle which is necessary for the original Depo shot. It uses a smaller needle too, so if you have trouble with shots, this might work better.

Depo-SubQ is not intended to be used as a long term birth control method, most likely due to the risk of developing osteoporosis. It is possible to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis while using Depo-SubQ through diet and exercise, however, if you have additional risk factors for osteoporosis, discuss this and other methods of birth control with your doctor or health care provider before making a decision.

Depo-SubQ, when injections are received every 12 to 14 weeks, is over 99.9% effective in preventing pregnancy according to the study that was conducted. Actual effectiveness may be slightly lower once it is in wide spread use and should be comparable to the regular Depo-Provera shot's effectiveness of 99.7%.

The side effects that were reported by the users in the study of Depo-SubQ include irregular bleeding, weight gain, loss or lowering of libido, acne, injection site reaction, headache, spotting, lack of periods, tiredness, gastrointestinal disorders, osteoporosis, dizziness, insomnia, hot flushes, breast pain or tenderness, anxiety, depression, and irritability. It is also possible that the side effects of the original Depo-Provera injection could also be experienced by users of Depo-SubQ.

As with the original Depo-Provera shot, you should not use Depo-SubQ if you want to become pregnant within the next year, have unusual or unexplained vaginal bleeding, think you might be pregnant, a history of breast cancer, liver disease, blood clots, or stroke.

The cons of Depo-SubQ include the increased risk of developing osteoporosis, a slightly increased risk of breast cancer, that it is not recommended for long term use (more than 2 years), and the biggest con of all is the chances of experiencing the reported side effects. The pros of this include that it is easy to take (one shot every 12 to 14 weeks), it is highly effective, and is cost effective in comparison to the pill.