... periods. Never had a period in 10 years now all of a sudden I have a period. Any guesses as to why. Or anyone relate?
Depo-Provera - I have my tubes tied 25 yrs now I am 48 been on Depo 10 years for heavy...
Question posted by ann253 on 20 Aug 2019
Last updated on 20 August 2019
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Answers
LousArk
20 Aug 2019
Your body is telling you it needs a break. The Manufacturer advises that you should not be on Depo Provera longer than 2 years. They say if you have no other choice, that you need a break every couple of years, & an MRI scan for your bones after a lengthy time of being on it, because it's a cause of osteoporosis (Brittle Bone Disease). That info is in the sheet that comes with the shot, or you can see it on the Manufacturer's website.
It's very common for women on it longer than a couple of years to start getting hormonal breakthrough bleeding. You can ask your doctors to force-stop the bleeding with more hormones, or by having your shots closer together. There's no guarantee it will work, & it would be a risk not to follow the Manufacturer's advice.
LousArk
20 Aug 2019
I used vitex to balance my hormones (constant & heavy bleeding). It worked when everything the doctors tried would not. It's could be worth writing down for future use. It can't be used if you're using hormonal birth control, as they'd work against each other.
It took years for me to find out about it, & if I'd known sooner it'd have saved me operations & drugs.
LousArk
20 Aug 2019
It's also possible that your hormone balance is changing with age, & you're reaching menopause. A change in hormone balance could effect things.
ann253
20 Aug 2019
I was in peri-menopause when I started it. Sux getting old. Thank you for answering me. I will keep your advice with me when I see my gyno
LousArk
20 Aug 2019
You're very welcome.
It's possible the Depo has sped things up, as it's known to cause earlier menopause.
It'll be tricky if you come off it, to know which is the cause of the bleeding, at first (the Depo or the menopause). If it's the Depo, which I suspect it will be, then the vitex should work in a few months to rebalance things to a regular monthly cycle, once you get the dose right for you, but you may have to keep on it for quite some time until the Depo leaves your body (even the Manufacturer advises it can take up to 18 months to regain fertility after Depo, even after just 1 shot, so it shows how long it can effect your body). I've had to stay on vitex permanently to keep my hormones balanced, but there are no side effects so I don't mind. It just meant I couldn't use hormonal birth control, but I'm done with all that. I did too long on Depo & couldn't tolerate anything else other than that.
I'm chart my fertility each day now, which is working fine as contraception.
I'm 40 now & just had my first scan to check my bone density, a couple of years ago. I've been told to repeat the scan when I reach the menopause, as that's when damage is most likely to show up.
Related topics
depo-provera, peri-ds, provera, abnormal uterine bleeding, amenorrhea, period
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