Trying To Conceive After The Depo Shot
by Lori Ramsey

Of all the advances in modern medical technology, I think that the invention of chemical birth control has been the most detrimental to women. I can’t begin to tell you how many women email me each week, who have had the shot “Depo Provera” http://www.depo-provera.com/ and are having problems conceiving. This shot, taken only 4 times a year, is supposed to stop the ovaries from producing/releasing an egg. Doctors often tell their patients that the shot is safe and effective and normally not harmful to the reproductive cycle.

The fact that a woman should receive the shot every three months does not mean that fertility can be restored within 3 months. The average I’ve heard of, from women I’ve talked to who have had the shots, is at least 18 months before they can conceive. The chances of having a miscarriage are greater due to the fact that the reproductive hormones are greatly affected by the shot causing an imbalance. Also, conceiving too soon after the shot, or right before the shot, can cause birth defects in the baby. This is why the doctor will give a pregnancy test before giving the shot.

This list of adverse reactions to the shot is long and includes:
• Menstrual irregularities (bleeding or amenorrhea, or both)
• Abdominal pain or discomfort
• Weight changes
• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Asthenia (weakness or fatigue)
• Nervousness Decreased libido or anorgasmia
• Pelvic pain
• Backache
• Breast pain
• Leg cramps
• No hair growth or alopecia
• Depression
• Bloating
• Nausea
• Rash
• Insomnia
• Edema
• Luekorrhea
• Hot flashes
• Acne
• Arthralgia
• Vaginitis

Many women experience depression so severe they end up seeing their physician and put on anti-depressants, which further fuel the body’s hormonal imbalance. Instead of treating the cause of the problem, which would be to stop the shot, they put a “band-aid” over a symptom by prescribing a drug to counteract the side-effect. It’s a snowball effect of symptoms and so-called treatments. But what suffers the most is the reproductive cycle. I’m not even going to go into the cancer-causing effects of the shot right now, I’ll let you research this for yourself.

The key to restoring fertility after the Depo shot lies in stopping the shot and never getting another. If you’ve had the Depo shot in the past 6 months, I recommend taking a couple of months in cleaning out your body, to rid yourself of the harmful chemicals before trying to conceive. Try a liver cleanse and/or a colon cleanse (you can purchase these from health-food stores). You don’t need to try to conceive while doing these cleanses, which normally takes one month. These cleanses are a series of herbal and vitamin pills which act to clean the toxins out of the body.

Get serious about drinking water. Water is nature’s perfect cleaner, and will clean out the inside of the body if you drink the optimal amount daily (8-10 glasses). Also, boosting fertility naturally will increase the chances of a healthy, drug-free conception. Look into evening primrose oil, Vitex, natural progesterone cream, vitamin B6 to name a few of the good fertility boosters. Be sure to take these at the appropriate times during the cycle to benefit you best.

As with any advice that I or anybody gives, always research it out for yourself, and seek the advice of your healthcare provider. (I recommend Holistic or Naturopathic physicians).

Links to verify the horrors of Depo Provera:
http://www.depo-users.com/
http://www.angelfire.com/nv/depoprovera/
http://archive.aclu.org/news/w060396a.html

Lori Ramsey of Stages in Pregnancy

©2005 by Lori Ramsey