Depo Provera?

[Amur]

Well, my family finally forced me to go to talk to a gynecologist today to get something to treat the monthly crotch bleeding and associated homicidal mood swings(and of course the appointment was made for a day where I had just reached the 'weepiness' stage of the cycle.  grr.).  She kept trying to get me to go on a combination pill, mainly because my mother wouldn't shut up and kept insisting that I "had to have the pill because that will at least regulate the symptoms". 
Finally she managed to send my mother out of the room, at which point I promptly broke down and explained that I was transgendered and that I was planning on transitioning as soon as I could get far enough away that I didn't have to worry about my father's reaction, which would probably involve a shotgun.  To my suprise, she was very accepting and curious about what I would have to do to transition.  After talking it over, she decided to put me on a low dose depo provera so that I wouldn't be putting estrogen into my system, and slightly overlap the doses in order to (hopefully) eliminate any periods.  So...yay?

What I was wondering, has anyone here been on depo provera?  Did it work?  How was your mood on it?  Any ill effects regarding soreness preventing the use of a binder?

[Mister]

depo provera is probably the birth control with the most unhappy customers.  it causes people to spot throughout the three months, some to bleed for the entire three months and a slew of other complaints.  next time, educate yourself before you go to the doctor.

[miniangel]

It's true that depo has the most unhappy customers but OTOH some people are really happy with it. Hormone levels are low (so low that osteoporosis can be a potential problem) so there is little buildup of the uterine lining and mood swings can even out considerably.

If you haven't had an injection already, read up as much as you can. If you have (and I assume you have) you're stuck with the effects for three months anyway so you'll have to just see how you go. The period-dampening effects of depo increase with time so if you find you tolerate it okay and it relieves your symptoms, you might be happy to stay on it.

Breast soreness can be a problem but only in a small number of cases. Unfortunately, nothing is perfect and everyone reacts differently to drugs.

[alexkidd]

I was on Depo for 5 years (Pre-T ofcourse) and I thought it was great. I really couldnt cope with girl stuff happening and after 2 months the depo put a stop to this. Worth it just on that note :-)

The only reason I went off depo was when I starting taking T.

I had no major side-effects, a little bit of ache but thats it.

In saying that, it worked great for me. My sister decided to go on it after her last child and she bleed for the whole 3 months. So like any medication - it works differently for everyone.

I for one loved it!

[miniangel]

That's terrific to hear. Depo is a much-maligned medication but when it works for an individual person it really is very good indeed.

[Tay]

I went on Depo Provera as a solution to the monthly curse. Without doubt it was the worst thing I've ever done, not only did I bleed for the entire 12 weeks but I also suffered a 3 stone weight gain and totally debilitating migraines, which were so bad I had to go for tests to make sure I didn't have a brain tumour. I completely messed up my final exams because I could hardly read the question papers with such pain and it was just plain awful....

I realise some people really get on with it (my friend swears by Depo)... however be prepared for some unpredictable reactions which you can do nothing about until it passes out of your system. Hopefully you'll be one of the lucky ones.

[Luc]

I never went on birth control, but had horrible periods and PMDD. This was sufficient excuse for my mother to accept my being on T, because I told her it stopped my periods and therefore ended the monthly tumult. How far are you from being able to go on T?

SD