When I was 18, I started my first contraceptive, which was the Depo shot. I didn't want to take pills because honestly, I'm not the kinda girl who takes her medicines when she's necessarily supposed to.
At the time, the Depo shot was fairly new. The doctor who administered the shot only advised me that I could only have one shot every six months and that it was not advisable to use it as a continuous form of birth control. Okay, got it. But she failed to tell me the other serious risks involved. I anticipated no problems.
I only had the shot twice, and six months apart as was required. Soon after, my boyfriend and I broke up and I became abstinent and had no reason to continue with any form of birth control. So I never went back to have another shot, or be prescribed something else.
But as the months went on, my period never returned, and the months turned to years. I am now 27-years-old and in the course of 9 years, I've only had four periods, and that is because I've tried to start them again using hormones prescribed by my OB/GYN. They would give me a very weak period on and off for about a week, and then stop altogether again.
On top of the stopped periods, the last time I got an ultrasound (about a year and a half ago), they told me that my ovaries looked like they were covered in grapes. Needless to say, I'm infertile and, at this point in time, unable to have children, which I very much want.
This has GREATLY impacted my quality of life and, as a result of the nonexistent periods, has caused other related health problems. All I want is to be in good, feminine health but I don't have the money to keep going and continue any hormone treatments and it's beginning to look as if I'll never have children either.
So protect yourself, and never get the Depo-Provera shot.