Hi! My name is Shauna, I'm 30 and have two
beautiful children ages 3 and 7. I was on Depo Provera in
1998 following the birth of my daughter. I had two
shots, in April of 98 and July of 98. I am a member of
the other Depo board but haven't been a frequent
visitor for a while. I think both of these boards provide
a valuable service for women trying to decide what
method of birth control is best for them. After reading
through both boards it would be hard to claim ignorance
:) I was not thrilled with my DP experience and feel
that I'm still living with some of the side effects
but wanted to make myself available to answer any
questions you may have. I've been through much medical
testing following my DP use - some related to DP, some
not. But I've gained a fairly good education on the
reproductive cycle and hormones. I know a lot of side effects
are blamed on DP. Perhaps some are justified, some
are not. I do know that there are a few rampant board
posters who consider those who take DP to be complete
idiots. I don't see things quite that way. What works for
you may not work for me and vice versa. I do think
it's good that there are women willing to share their
stories - positive and negative. When I went on DP all I
had to rely on was my physician's advice and we all
know that while doctors are good, they aren't gods.
<br><br>I am currently just using condoms for protection.
I'm fairly certain that we're done with our family
but I'm not 100%. I spoke with a rep from DP today
and she said that DP should be looked at as a long
term contraception - essentially for those who are one
step short of sterilization. That's about where I am.
However, my body did not react well with the DP so I'm
looking into other options. Has anyone had experience
with an IUD? I would like something that allows for
spontaneous sex but that can be reversed (I'm not getting any
younger). I also need to stay away from hormone based
contraception since I have hormonal problems (Polycystic
Ovarian disease). Any other ideas? The condoms are
getting tiresome.<br><br>Anyway, that's my brief story.
Any questions, please fire away.<br>Shauna