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Some Don’t Bleed. Others Can’t Stop.

2/22/2023

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Menstrual irregularities is one of the most common side effects of the Depo shot. Definitely in the top three. A lot of the time we hear stories from women about not bleeding after the jab, perhaps enjoying the pause in periods but so often, these are the women struggling to get their periods back after stopping the shot.
 
The other side to that coin is bleeding more than usual after taking the Depo shot, many times the complaint is that they’ve been bleeding for extended periods of time often experiencing vaginal blood clots and a lot of menstrual related pain.
 
Either way, these irregularities are a good indication that the effects of the shot have caused some kind of hormonal chaos.
 
But no wonder. Depo seriously suppresses our hormones. Near menopause range actually which for some - it’s impossible to bounce back from. Some will need help restoring balance and getting cycles back on track. Others aren’t so lucky. Either they can’t get the help or damage is simply irreversible.
 
Don’t get me wrong though. Some bounce back. Periods restore. Fertility resumes. Things seemingly go back to their normal. But the reality is, far too often it’s a real struggle for women restoring reproductive health after Depo – no matter which side of the coin they got.
 
Some don’t bleed. Others can’t stop. Both are side effects.
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Menopause Sucks. The Bigger Discussion is How No One Talks About It AND We Aren’t Taught it in Sex-Ed

9/2/2022

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Menopause, for many of us happens naturally. Generally, when the body is physically ready to move on to the next stage of life, somewhere between the ages of 45 to 55, a woman will begin the journey into Perimenopause subsequently Menopause.
 
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada (SOGC) defines menopause as “the point in time when a woman has had no menstrual period for 12 consecutive months.” But that alone, doesn’t accurately describe what goes on to a woman’s body, overall health and day-to-day life.
 
Regularly referred to as “the change of life” – Menopause is significant in a woman’s life. So, while conversations around puberty, periods, pregnancy, giving birth and other sexual health topics have become socially acceptable, menopause is still left out. Why? Menopause affects us all.
 
I’ve read too many horror stories online from women who’ve struggled in silence, their doctors unaware how to treat their symptoms – often times prescribing them anti-depressants. In almost all stories, the suffering gets shrugged off and downplayed.
 
Menopause can have just the absolute worst symptoms. Hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, weight gain, incontinence, so peeing yourself – just to name a few.
 
The worst part though was getting blindsided. And the lack of support and empathy.
 
In Canada, we don’t teach about menopause in sexual health. Currently the curriculum in all provinces doesn’t even mention the M word. With all the updates over the years to include expanding and evolving terms and statuses, there’s still no mention of what I’d call some of the worst years of my life.
 
Experiences vary in severity and duration. Those who transition well have every right to brag. We can all hope to go through the big change with ease and grace but sometimes that’s not always possible.
 
Did You Know?
 
There are 3 types of Menopause.

  1. Natural – happens naturally on its own
  2. Surgical – happens after surgery involving removal of reproductive organs
  3. Chemical – happens after chemotherapy treatments or hormone agonists injections
 
Some Menopause Symptoms
 
Hot Flashes, Weight Gain, Night Sweats, Tiredness, Insomnia, Irritability, Depression, Irregular Periods, Loss of Sex Drive, Vaginal Dryness, Hair Loss, Difficulty Concentrating, Memory Loss, Dizziness, Incontinence, Bloating, Allergies, Brittle Nails, Body Odor Changes, Irregular Heartbeat, Anxiety, Breast Pain, Headaches, Joint Pain, Sensation of Electric Shocks, Digestive Issues, Gum Problems, Muscle Tension, Itchy Skin, Dry Skin, Tingly Limbs, etc.
 
My No Mercy Menopause
 
I had Surgical Menopause. Shortly after a hysterectomy in my mid-thirties, I fell gracelessly into full-on menopause. After using the depo shot, my reproductive health suffered immensely. Ultimately the damage left me with endometriosis, adenomyosis and a retroverted uterus that was resting on my bowel. I needed a hysterectomy. No one said a thing about the risk of premature menopause, let alone what I might experience.
 
Side Note Surgical menopause is very different than natural menopause. There's no easing in or gradual change. Instead, it's very abrupt, like the body goes into shock over the sudden loss of hormones and has no idea what to do. Symptoms can be more severe with surgical menopause, for some incapacitating.
 
The hot flashes and night sweats were a nightmare. Everyday. All day. All night. For years. Drenched one minute, teeth chattering freezing cold the next. On repeat. Over and over. The insomnia and inability to get restorative sleep has come with great consequence. I haven’t been able to sleep properly since it started, so almost a decade now. The joint pain and muscle tension is debilitating. Since the Menopause Mack truck ran me off the road, I experience painful flare ups frequently. I also have Fibromyalgia, Osteoarthritis, Bone Spurs, Degenerative Disc Disease and Cervical Spondylosis now so I’m sure that contributes.
 
The random hairs sprouting, incontinence (sooo awful), brain fog, fatigue, super thinning dry skin, vaginal dryness, tingly limbs, digestive troubles, 4 pant size up bloating, dizziness, memory loss, difficultly concentrating and weight gain – menopause has not been kind to me.
 
I tried Hormone Replacement Therapy, desperate for relief. I tried both synthetic and bioidentical. Synthetic went sideways fast; I should have known it would with my intolerance to synthetic hormones in birth controls in the past. With Bioidentical Hormones I had better results but it didn’t last.
 
I’ve tried all kinds of menopause-support supplements too. Black Cohosh, Flax Seed, Calcium, Red Clover, Vitamin D, Ginseng, I even tried compounded DHEA.
 
My family physician is a man with noticeably no training in menopause, so he’s been no help with this stuff. He tried prescribing antidepressants to me too but I didn’t bite. Literally zero knowledge. Zero support, guidance or compassion.
  
Seven Years Plus
 
It took 7 years for things to ease up. I still experience some symptoms but not like I used to, thankfully. What I know from my experience is that a heads up would have gone a long way, furthermore we really need to include menopause in the curriculum of not only the school-aged programs but also all PhD and doctorate programs. Because without it, women will continue to get blindsided and experience hell without any help.
 
The #MakeMenopauseMatter Petition
 
Sign the Make Menopause Matter in Healthcare, Employment and Education petition here: (currently 181,267 signatures)
https://www.change.org/p/make-menopause-matter-in-healthcare-the-workplace-and-education-makemenopausematter
 
Two Years Ago, UK Added Menopause to Their Curriculum
 
Read about how the UK added menopause to their curriculum in the The Importance of Teaching About the Menopause via Independent Nurse:
https://www.independentnurse.co.uk/blogs-article/the-importance-of-teaching-about-the-menopause/230443
 
In Canada, We Don’t Talk About Menopause

In 2020, Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights published a report called The State of Sex-Ed in Canada. Eighty-two pages and not one mention of menopause. See for yourself: 
https://www.actioncanadashr.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/8039_AC_StateofSexEd-2ndEd_F-Web_0.pdf
 
Report Highlights
 
“Right now, we see sex-ed in Canada offering a barebone picture of sexual health and wellness, since the learning objectives related to sexual behaviours and sexuality are either narrow or extremely vague, and key content is missing. In fact, in many instances, sex is barely mentioned, and one could conclude that sexual wellness is merely the absence of STIs.”
 
“Currently, the mandated sex-ed content young people are offered is not comprehensive and gender sensitive, does not uphold all students’ human rights, and fails to offer a balanced view of sexuality. While there is excellent sex-ed happening in some communities and significant strides made towards modernizing sex-ed, in most cases, lessons present a superficial picture of human sexuality and sexual health. A common thread is that sexual health is taught from a fear-based perspective and avoids subjects seen as controversial.”
 
“Canada is not meeting its human rights obligations when allowing provincial and territorial governments to provide sub-standard, outdated, inconsistent, and sometimes inaccurate sex-ed.”
 
References and Resources

Better Help, 31 Most Common Menopause Symptoms 
https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/menopause/31-most-common-menopause-symptoms/ 
 
Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights, The State of Sex-Ed in Canada
https://www.actioncanadashr.org/sites/default/files/2020-04/8039_AC_StateofSexEd-2ndEd_F-Web_0.pdf
 
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, Menopause & U website
https://www.menopauseandu.ca/what-is-menopause/
 
Nova Scotia Healthy Development, Sexual Health
https://novascotia.ca/dhw/healthy-development/sexual-health.asp
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ALL EYES ON DEPO

4/12/2022

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In the last few years, a lot has gone on in the “Depo World.” From the Canadian Class Action Settlement, to various petitions, to the extensive inclusion of Depo in the best-selling book The Real Anthony Fauci. Depo is finally getting the attention that it deserves.

There’s been other things too.

  • Depo online communities continue to grow, faster than ever before, organically too
  • There’s more interest in Depo – Depo appears to have been bumped to the front of the line of birth controls that have got to go
  • A women’s health website did a webinar on Depo last December (2021)
  • Another birth control awareness group has even taken an interest in Depo, now publishing stories and content focused on the troublesome shot

Let’s dive a little deeper into what’s been going on.

Canadian Class Action Settlement

The Canadian Class Action Settlement was announced in September 2021 with a closing date for claims March 1, 2022. With strangled tight parameters, that most of us don’t fit into, compensation is frankly offensive.

A large portion of the just shy of 2-million-dollar settlement is going to provincial health systems to compensate for the strain on healthcare due to the shot, unfortunately it’s a lot more than anyone with a claim in the settlement will ever see.

Here’s the link to the Canadian Class Action:
https://www.depoprovera.ca

Petitions

“Take Depo Provera off the Market as a form of Birth control” is a petition live on Change.org. Started four years ago, this petition was clearly done by a woman that had a bad experience. Take a look at the REASONS FOR SIGNING comments.

Here’s the link:
https://www.change.org/p/pfizer-take-depo-provera-off-the-market-as-a-form-of-birth-control

Here’s another petition started by a woman who had a bad experience. This petition is live on Care2Petitions. “STOP DEPO-PROVERA INJECTIONS”

Here’s the link:
https://www.thepetitionsite.com/495/891/346/stop-depo-provera-injections/

The May 2019 Citizen’s Petition titled “Petition on Hormonal Contraceptives” is a multi-pronged request to the FDA done by The Contraceptive Study Group. The request includes the asks to A) remove the injectable contraceptive Depo-Provera from the market and B) require pharmaceutical companies to revise prescribing information on synthetic-hormonal contraceptives to include relevant risks.

Here's where you can download the Petition on Hormonal Contraceptives document:
https://www.regulations.gov/document/FDA-2019-P-2289-0001

This petition is now closed but there was a petition in the UK (2017-2019) with the ask for Depo to be taken off the market, to have better labeling and to train those administering the shot about its effects/risks.

You can find that petition here:
https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/234547

If you know of any other active petitions, leave a comment below.

The Book “The Real Anthony Fauci”

I waited five weeks to get a copy. I couldn’t wait to read what Mr. Kennedy had to say about Depo. I felt a surge of hope reading his words – not because they were bright and cheery but because the grim facts about this poisonous contraceptive are coming to light. Because let’s face it, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has clout. And the more of these folks talk about Depo, the more people will become aware of just how dangerous Depo is.

Page 332-336 “Depo-Provera: A Cruel irony” discusses;

  • Population control
  • Bill Gates, Melinda Gates, big pharma and other Depo pushers
  • Black Box Warning
  • Depo’s notorious and numerous effects
  • Informed consent, lack thereof
  • Gates’ researchers & violation of US Law
  • Increased risks like HIV
  • Racist implications & medical ethics
  • Lies, trickery and loopholes
  • Places that prohibit the use of Depo
  • And more!

Thank you, Mr. Kennedy. I know many of us are grateful for your voice.

I do recommend the book for the coverage on Depo alone. I ordered my copy from my local book store but it’s also available online. Here it is on Amazon.

I wonder of all the eyes on Depo, how many are the evil eye?

PHOTO CREDIT: Vintage Logo - Pixabay
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UNSAFE & NOT EFFECTIVE

3/8/2022

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The Pfizer Covid-19 jab is identified as safe and effective but that just isn’t true.  
 
Last Tuesday, the court ordered vaccine clinical trial data was released to the public after Pfizer and the FDA were denied the request to conceal the information for the next 75 years. Fortunately for us, a US District Judge ruled against it and the vast and diverse risks of this vaccine are now exposed.
 
In the document’s Appendix “List of Adverse Events of Special Interest” it lists 1,291 different possible adverse events following vaccination. Things like: brain hemorrhage, tumours, infections of all kinds, kidney failure, vocal cord paralysis, heart failure, blood clots, lung disease, herpes, cardiac arrest, anti-sperm antibody positive, fetal distress syndrome, death neonatal, epilepsy, seizures, autoimmune diseases – even respiratory arrest meaning you could just stop breathing.
 
Overview
 
From December 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021 (3 months) there were a total of 42,086 adverse event case reports with an accumulative total of 158,893 events.
 
Out of the 42,086 case reports:

  • 1,223 people died (1 in 34 OR 3% Mortality Rate/Death Rate)
  • 11,361 not yet recovered from adverse event
  • 520 recovered with sequelae (a condition which is the consequence of a previous disease or injury)
  • 19,582 recovering/recovered
  • 9400 unknowns
 
Out of the 158,893 adverse events reported, the data shows the greatest number of events were:
 
General Disorders and Administration
​Site Conditions 51,335 

disorders that encompass conditions of a general kind that result from a disease, the treatment of disease or administration of treatment at a particular site and are manifested by a characteristic set of symptoms.
 
Nervous System Disorders 25,957
examples of nervous system disorders:
  • Vascular disorders such as stroke and hemorrhage
  • Infections such as COVID-19, Pneumonia, Herpes
  • Structural disorders such as brain/spinal cord injury/tumors
  • Functional disorders such as headache, epilepsy, dizziness
  • Degeneration such as multiple sclerosis

Musculoskeletal and Connective
Tissue Disorders 17,283

musculoskeletal disorders are diseases of the muscles, joints and bones, autoimmune disorders, and non-autoimmune disorders.
 
Gastrointestinal Disorders 14,096
gastrointestinal disorders examples: IBS, celiac disease, crohn's disease.
 
Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders 8,476
variety of conditions and disorders of the skin.
 
Respiratory, Thoracic and
Mediastinal Disorders 8,848 

conditions of the heart, lungs, mediastinum, esophagus, chest wall, diaphragm and great vessels.
 
Infections and Infestations 4,610
in general, the term "infestation" refers to parasitic diseases caused by arthropods (i.e., mites, ticks, and lice) and worms, but excluding (except) conditions caused by protozoa, fungi, bacteria, and viruses, which are called infections.
 
Injury, Poisoning, Procedural
Complications 5,590 

a class of disorders that encompass conditions from an injury, poisoning or procedure.
 
Investigations 3,693

  • An "Identified Safety Concern Risk" is outlined as Anaphylaxis which is a severe potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. 1002 cases were reported, 2958 potentially relevant.
 
  • The following were "Identified Safety Concern Potential Risks" 1. Vaccine-Associated Enhanced Disease which occurs when a person who has received the vaccine develops a more severe presentation of the disease when they're exposed to it. So, in other words; the vaccine may increase the severity of the disease. 2. Vaccine-Associated Enhanced Respiratory Disease which is an adverse event where an exacerbated course of respiratory disease occurs with higher incidence in vaccinated people. There were 138 potential cases, 317 events. Of the 138 cases, 101 were confirmed to have COVID-19 following vaccination. Of the 101, 75 cases were severe resulting in hospitalization, disability, life-threatening consequences or death. (75%)
 
  • 270 pregnancies: 124 adverse event cases reported including but not limited to: spontaneous abortions, premature births with neonatal death, spontaneous abortion with intrauterine death, uterine contractions during pregnancy, premature rupture of membranes, abortion, foetal death, foetal growth restriction, premature birth.
 
  • 133 breastfeeding baby cases: 17 adverse event cases including but not limited to: fever, rash, infant irritability, infantile vomiting, insomnia, diarrhoea, lethargy, allergy to vaccine, anxiety, crying, agitation, pain.
 
  • Page 6 explains that there’s a workflow in place to manage incoming adverse event reports and that if the report isn’t marked complete in their system, the data isn’t included in the reporting periods. (It actually says information is not accurate because of this) It states that there have been large numbers of reports coming in and to properly manage the influx, the manufacturer reports taking multiple actions to alleviate the mounting pile of complaints.
 
  • Page 29 states under Summary and Conclusion that after reviewing the data they confirm a favourable benefit – risk balance for the Covid-19 vaccine. How did they come to that conclusion?
 
Then comes the single spaced, crammed in list of the potential adverse reactions, so tightly typed – it’s basically illegible. Potential adverse effects, so things that have happened to others and could very well happen to you.
 
DISCLOSURE I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice. I simply did a quick Google search for each term to gain greater understanding.
 
There are 1,291 possible adverse events listed in the bombshell of a document released last week. Here are some things that stood out to me.
 
Observations
 
Repetitive words of interest. The number beside the term indicates the number of times the word was mentioned in the adverse events list. 

Definitely gives a good idea what we’re dealing with!

  • Rare (complication/condition) 145
  • Inflammation 139
  • Autoimmune 109
  • Brain 102
  • Skin 92
  • Liver 84
  • Herpes 68
  • Seizure 67
  • Stroke 66
  • Heart 60
  • Lupus 43
  • Kidney 42
  • Lungs 38
  • Pneumonia 32
  • Blood Clots 25
  • Thyroid 25
  • Life-threatening (complication/condition) 22
  • Children 19
  • Newborn (baby) 17
  • Bile 17
  • Multiple Sclerosis 15
  • Fatal (complication/condition) 14
 
More Observations

The list of Adverse Events included: extra sneaky letters/vowels on words, multiple reversed terms, words without proper space between them or the missing hyphenation – words literally shoved together. Going through it wasn’t easy but I’m guessing that’s the point. There were also things that just didn’t belong, like how is “Occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2” an adverse event of taking the COVID-19 vaccine?  

There’s definitely cross-over between the Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine and the Pfizer Depo-Provera contraceptive injection’s side effects and adverse reactions. The universal lack of informed consent as well. Here’s what I noticed about their similar risk profiles.

Altered liver function
Cardiac disorders
Gastrointestinal disorders
Infections/Infestations
Nervous system disorders
Respiratory/Thoracic/Mediastinal disorders
Skin disorders
Anaphylaxis
Blood clots
Stroke
Vision disorders
Thromboembolic disorders
Endocrine disorders particularly Thyroid and Fertility
Renal disorders
Inflammation
Immune system  


Depo-Provera seems to have more side effects but the COVID-19 vaccine has a great deal more (and really horrific) adverse effects.  

Children’s Health Defense (CHD) says that between December 2020 to February 2022 VAERS, the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System in the United States received 1,134,984 reports of adverse events following vaccination. This includes 24,402 deaths. These numbers are for the United States only, can you imagine what they are globally?

Here's the link to the article from CHD: 
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/press-release/chd-says-pfizer-clinical-trial-data-contradicts-safe-and-effective/
 
And the link to Pfizer’s documents: 
https://phmpt.org/pfizers-documents/
 
And the Pfizer vaccine trials study: 
https://phmpt.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/5.3.6-postmarketing-experience.pdf
​

​Click here to view the 2018 DEPO-PROVERA Product Monograph
  
​Here we go. Here’s the list of 1,291 potential adverse events with a short description. (Source: Google)

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We Deserve Better

2/17/2021

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Originally posted on DANGERS OF DEPO FACEBOOK PAGE 12.30.20

So many of us here took the Depo shot and weathered storms that we weren’t prepared for. Many of us still struggle years later.

Some of us experienced ill effects after the first shot, others after subsequent shots. For some, the problems started only when they stopped the shot. Many of us have been riddled with health problems that we didn’t have prior to using the shot.

We’ve experienced everything from a weakened immune system to pain so bad that we feel three times our age. Bones and joints are frequently impacted, why are we ignoring that black box warning anyway? We’ve experienced cancer, infections of all kinds. Even HIV. We’ve experienced bleeding for months at a time. Clots the size of your palm. We’ve been suicidal. We’ve felt everything with intensity. Anxiety, deep depression. We’ve struggled with infertility. We’ve lost our fertility. We’ve lost babies with miscarriage. We’ve experienced hormone imbalances. We’ve had the worst headaches and feel so dizzy. We’ve lost clumps of hair. We’ve lost our uteruses. And our teeth. We’ve lost relationships. Jobs. Careers. Who we were. We’ve cried ourselves to sleep so many nights. So many of us have never been the same since.

Many of us struggled without the help of our doctors and often times without real understanding from those around us. It’s just birth control right? Oh how alone we’ve felt. We’ve looked online and found both validation and comfort in others’ stories. There are so many of us out there hurt in one way or another, sometimes temporarily, sometimes indefinitely. Either way, we all have a story to tell about what Depo’s done.

Informed consent is a common problem with Depo. Women are routinely told very little about it and when they develop health problems, Depo is never to blame. But our stories are so similar. And there’s so many of us. Everyday women join our community, send emails, direct messages and ask questions. By now there are over 4,100 of us here, sadly that number is always climbing. Let’s face it, you’re not following this page unless you’ve been affected by Depo in some way or another.

We deserve better.
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Depo Shot Ingredients

2/10/2021

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The Depo shot is quite the concoction of dangerous chemicals. Here’s what you need to know.

There are seven listed ingredients plus "when necessary, pH is adjusted with sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid, or both.” – adding these two, makes nine. Of these possible nine ingredients, only one of these things isn’t an irritant, health hazard, flammable, corrosive and or acutely toxic.

When I was doing research for this piece, I double and triple checked the spellings of the chemical names, I couldn't believe what I was reading. I kept thinking out loud “there’s got to be a mistake here, there’s NO WAY this is actually in the shot.” But, ingredient after ingredient the spelling was right, these are the terrifying chemicals that make up a Depo shot.

The ingredients list can be found here: 
  • PRESCRIBING INFORMATION pg 10
  • 2018 PRODUCT MONOGRAPH pg 47
​Both of these documents are easily found online but aren’t reader friendly. I imagine that most of us feel overwhelmed by the medical jargon that bombards the pages. Small print too. For many of us, it’s like a foreign language and it gets overwhelming fast. It can be a deterrent, I think that’s where many of us get derailed and give up on understanding what any of it means.

For all the things that have a glossary of terms index, having this for product information like the Depo shot, where using the drug comes with so much risk would be so helpful – don’t you think? How many of us even saw the product monograph or FDA highlights of prescribing information before taking Depo? Those that did, how many breezed through it because we simply couldn’t understand what we were reading? Often without proper consult from prescribing doctors too, so many of us took this shot blindly.

This is what the FDA Highlights of Prescribing Information document lists as Depo’s ingredients:

Medroxyprogesterone Acetate 150 mg
Polyethylene Glycol 3350 28.9 mg
Polysorbate 80 2.41 mg
Sodium Chloride 8.68 mg
Methylparaben 1.37 mg
Propylparaben 0.150 mg
Water for injection quantity sufficient
When necessary, pH is adjusted with Sodium Hydroxide or Hydrochloric Acid, or both.


For each of these ingredients I’ve listed the amount that’s in a single shot, its drug class, chemical safety and safety signal information. I’ve also broken down what each drug class classification means and then discussed the ingredient itself.
 
Grab a warm beverage and cozy in – we have a lot to cover.

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    Traci Johnstone 

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Depo-Provera is a registered Trademark of Pfizer. This website is for educational purposes only.Please see a medical professional regarding all health concerns.
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