 Depo’s notorious for causing all kinds of problems for women. For those using it, coming off of it and those that have used it in the past, Depo can be a complete nightmare. Lack of informed consent is unfortunately extremely common.
Back in 2010, I took two shots that destroyed my health. I wasn’t properly informed prior to use either. Here’s 13 things that I wish I was told before taking the Depo shot. Which I wouldn’t have, obviously. 1. Depo has a black box warning. The Depo shot got a black box warning in 2004. The black box warning is the strictest warning there is, reserved for drugs that are known to cause serious health problems or even death. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 2. Depo is a controversial drug with a dark past. From the start, Depo’s been nothing but trouble. Trials were done on poor women and women of colour without their consent, many got sick or died. Depo is disproportionately marketed and is known to be associated with population control. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 3. Depo increases breast cancer risk. Depo’s a carcinogen so it’s no surprise then that it’s been shown to increase breast cancer risk. Decades-old studies show increased breast cancer risk that is continuously underplayed and ignored. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 4. Depo weakens immunity, increasing risk of infection – including HIV. Immunosuppression makes it harder to fight infections. This happens with Depo because the contraceptive acts like a glucocorticoid (steroid effect) in the body putting women at risk for sorts of infections, including HIV. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 5. Depo wreaks havoc on reproductive health. Depo stops the natural production of progesterone and has negative effects on both the HPA and HPO Axis’. Hormones can drop to menopause levels. An imbalance is almost guaranteed. Some bounce back. Others don’t. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 6. Depo can leave you unable to have children. Not all women will be able to get pregnant after stopping Depo. Some do but miscarry. Some will need help restoring fertility, some will require hysterectomies while others are just never able to conceive after using Depo. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 7. Depo can have catastrophic effects on mental health. This isn’t just about mood changes. Many women say that after they took Depo, they became increasingly angry, volatile, unable to control feelings, were overly emotional, anxious, depressed – even suicidal. 8. Depo comes with a long list of (not-so-rare) side effects. From headaches to prolonged bleeding, weight gain, hair loss, depression, hot flashes, loss of libido, rashes, infections, sore breasts, bone loss – the list literally goes on and on and on. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 9. Depo Withdrawal is hell. So many women struggle with debilitating symptoms when stopping Depo, the term “Depo Withdrawal” was coined – for some, the hell they experience after stopping is worse than the hell they experienced on the shot. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 10. Depo is also used to chemically castrate male sex offenders. It’s true. The very drug used as a female contraceptive is being used (in some places) on male sex offenders as a form of chemical castration. Think about that for a minute. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 11. Depo can cause a domino of bad health. Depo just isn’t worth the risk. From side effects, increased risks, its black box warning for bone loss, withdrawal when stopping and long list of post use effects – sometimes damage is irreversible. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 12. Depo can destroy your relationships and career too. Depo’s effects can not only wreak havoc on your health but everything else in your life too. Many women have lost relationships, their careers, their hobbies – life can literally get flipped upside down because of Depo. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE 13. Depo can leave you with life-long health problems. For some, health problems don’t stop when they stop using Depo. Many women experience life-long health problems after using the Depo shot, problems they didn’t have prior to using the shot. CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE Making an informed choice requires having all the information. Keeping that in mind, if you were given all the information that you should have, would you have chosen to use the Depo shot? Additional Reading Most recent (September 2022) Depo-Provera Product Monograph
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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.  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.
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  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.
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;
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  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:
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:
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
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!
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)  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. |