Contraceptive jab?! Sorry for being clueless, in advance!

[firstdatesims.livejournal.com]

Hey all,

I'm moving to New Zealand for 1 year on 31st May and for the first month or so I'm there I don't want to have to deal with my period partly because I'll be meeting my boyfriend's parents for the first time, we'll be going out and about because he wants to show me around, I'll want to settle in. You know what it's like, I have particularly bad period pain too so it does get me down when I'm on. I wouldn't worry if I had light or painless periods but alas I don't.

My question is, I've heard the contraceptive jab, is it depo provera or something? Makes it so you don't have your period for 3 months while being protected. I'm not currently on any birth control. If this is true, I would like to go get the jab done end of April, so it gives me May/June/July with no period. My other question is, if I'm planning on going to the doctor to get this at what point in my cycle do I need to go? I'm currently due my period sometime this week, I know when you first start the pill it has to be first taken on the day you start your period. Is it the same for the jab? Or can I go and get it done anytime?

I was thinking about going next week because I have something else I need to see my doctor about.

I'm sorry if this seems obvious or I seem clueless, I'm also sorry I didn't use google but I find the answers here are a lot better due to experience/general knowledge!

Thank you so so much!

{I should note, after the jab runs out, I'd go see a NZ doctor about getting the pill. I only stopped taking the pill in January for one reason or another. :) }

Comments

[sand-woman.livejournal.com]

Nothing is guaranteed with hormonal contraception - some people lose their periods on methods like the jab, others don't. It is a progesterone-only method, which causes many people to not bleed. For me, I bled all the time every single day when I tried the mini-pill which is another form of progesterone-only contracption. The problem with relying on the jab is you can't try something else if it does not work because it lasts for three months, which makes it a risky method to choose in your situation.

Many forms of hormonal contraception come with a possibility that you can lose or reduce your period, but there is always the risk that you will still be bleeding, even if it is only spotting. The combined pill can be used to skip periods by stacking them together (not taking a break for a period) which works for some women and there are combined pills that are marketed to be taken without a break, or with a break only four times a year. The advantage is that you can stop at any time and if one pill doesn't work, try a different one.

Progesterone-only methods include the shot/jab, the mini-pill and the Mirena coil all of which for some women stops their periods, either straight away or after several months of settling in. But only for some women.

[firstdatesims.livejournal.com]

I see thank you. I was on Yasmin and still bled pretty heavily/with bad cramps on that.

I'll have to look through my options, thank you and once again, sorry for being so clueless! :)

[sand-woman.livejournal.com]

Did you try stacking at all when you were on it? It does seem to work very well for some people.

[firstdatesims.livejournal.com]

No I have never tried stacking. :)

[jenn-girl.livejournal.com]

I loved depo provera for that, but for some people it makes mood worse and some people have constant spotting/ light bleeding, so I would be concerned about trying it in your situation. What about one of those pills where you get your "period" 4x a year (Seasonale in US) then you should be protected and not have to worry.

[firstdatesims.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I'll look into it.

[buzzboomsplat.livejournal.com]

for some people it makes mood worse

this is what i'd be most worried about. i'd rather have my period than be (more) anxious/depressed/crazy than i currently am, especially if all i could do about it was wait it out. the nuvaring made me heaps anxious, but at least i could just take it out.

[mijakai.livejournal.com]

Yay New Zealand! To be honest with you there's not a lot known here about different types of contraception - most people are on the pill, a few people i know have had the contraceptive jab but that's about it! I'd second the stacking suggestion, I've been stacking for years and it's brilliant, but I'd start as soon as possible coz sometimes it can take a few months to get into the swing of things.

Anywhom, enjoy NZ! We're pretty much brilliant.

[firstdatesims.livejournal.com]

My boyfriend sure thinks so! He's a NZ'er through and through! :P

[ktnzgtklws.livejournal.com]

Depo seems to be what you're talking about. From what I have seen here on VP, it is probably also the most loved/hated form of HBC that is frequently discussed!
For many women, it does stop the period. It did for me. Others seem to suffer from a constant period.
But for me, the other side effects were SO, SO, SO horrible. Depression like you wouldn't believe, NO sex drive, acne.
Many women seem to gain a lot of weight while on it. (I was so depressed I didn't eat, so I lost weight, but that's neither here nor there.)
If all you need is something to stop a period, then a pill of some form is probably a lower risk method to try. If you don't like it, you can stop, you're not locked in to three months from one shot. If it is a POP or a monophasic pill, you can also easily stack packs, and achieve the same desired no-period effect. :-)