i would like to know if anyone on this board has experience with depo provera and painful intercourse, and how long after stopping the drug i can expect sex to no longer be painful.

i have been on depo for 12 years, and for 12 years sex has been painful for me. i just recently learned that the depo has caused my hormones to dip to menopausal levels, and i may have a condition that many menopausal women get due to estrogen inadequacy called atrophic vaginitis. because i was a virgin when i went on the shot, and nobody ever told me that depo could do this (including my primary care physician and gynocologist) i always thought that there was just something wrong with me.

any experience with this matter would be appreciated.
thank you.

Hi,

I was on Depo and didn't have a problem with it when i would have sex. But, I have read of other women having painful intercourse while on Depo because of dryness due to hormone changes . I hope everything gets better you.

thank you, jenn, for the well wishes...

so nobody experienced painful intercourse or vaginal dryness while on this stuff? and no one has stopped taking it and has any experience with how long it took to feel better? .... :(

I was on Depo for just over 6 years-

Painful sex = never
Vaginal dryness = all the time

Probably a dumb question, but have you tried using lube?

This is kind of off topic, but I thought with Depo provera the most amount of time that they recommend you stay on it is 2-3 years. 12 years is a veryyy long time, one of my friends was told she probably wouldn't be able to have children from it after being on it for 5 years.

no worries, i don't think there's any such thing as dumb questions.
unfortunately for me, the answer is "oh, so many different kinds". they make it easier, if they don't irritate me and make it worse that is, but the pain is still there.

as for the manufacturer's warning, i know about that now, but would you believe that not one of my medical care providers EVER mentioned this to me? and when i spoke to my gyn about it last week she said something about fertility Always returns within a year or two at the most.

upon doing some research i found this to be false info, and when i spoke with my parents about it they said that it isn't uncommon for doctors to rely solely on what the drug reps say to them about drug info. that is probably why my gyn (who has been seeing me for Many years) never said a word about my painful intercourse possibly being related to the depo, in spite of the many women who have had the very same problem (let alone the host of other symptoms i now have).

that's why i was on here... i really was hoping that someone who had the same symptom on depo would see this and tell me how long it took for them to experience normal sex when they stopped taking it. i know everybody is different, but i have been suffering for so long and i just was hoping for a light at the end of this tunnel i'm traveling.

no worries, i don't think there's any such thing as dumb questions.
unfortunately for me, the answer is "oh, so many different kinds". they make it easier, if they don't irritate me and make it worse that is, but the pain is still there.

as for the manufacturer's warning, i know about that now, but would you believe that not one of my medical care providers EVER mentioned this to me? and when i spoke to my gyn about it last week she said something about fertility Always returns within a year or two at the most.

upon doing some research i found this to be false info, and when i spoke with my parents about it they said that it isn't uncommon for doctors to rely solely on what the drug reps say to them about drug info. that is probably why my gyn (who has been seeing me for Many years) never said a word about my painful intercourse possibly being related to the depo, in spite of the many women who have had the very same problem (let alone the host of other symptoms i now have).

that's why i was on here... i really was hoping that someone who had the same symptom on depo would see this and tell me how long it took for them to experience normal sex when they stopped taking it. i know everybody is different, but i have been suffering for so long and i just was hoping for a light at the end of this tunnel i'm traveling.

I was on Depo for 2 years. I never had painful intercourse, but I did have some issues with vaginal dryness, not too bad though.

I began Depo 12 years ago after having my 1st child.......probably about the same time you did. I know for a fact that the info that is out there now was not out there at that time. It was very minimal. My doc swore up and down that this bc was the absolute best...........very little side effects and very effective. What a bunch of bull that was!!! Yeah, in my case it was very effective........so effective that I battled infertility for 2 years after I stopped it!!! My period hadn't returned 2 years after I stopped, so I was put on Clomid......and after 4 months I got pregnant. With the exception of the 4 months I was on Clomid, I didn't get a period until 5 years after I stopped using Depo. From 5 years to 9 years, I only got a few periods per year. Finally, after 9 years, I began getting it every month. This is the first year since 1993 that I have gotten my period every single month with no help of any kind.

Also, your parents are right about the info that doctors give you. While they have a responsibility to us as their patients, they also have a responsibility to the pharmaceutical companies to sell their products.

I can't say how long it'll be before your body bounces back to normal, but for me...........it took 9 years before my body started to seem somewhat normal.......at least as normal as it's gonna get. I won't get rid of the PCOS that I mysteriously developed (the specialist who diagnosed me was from Mayo Clinic and he said that he has seen many women who have developed PCOS after using Depo) or the diabetes that runs hand in hand with the PCOS.

Best wishes to you. Hang in there!

I can't say how long it'll be before your body bounces back to normal, but for me...........it took 9 years before my body started to seem somewhat normal.......at least as normal as it's gonna get. I won't get rid of the PCOS that I mysteriously developed (the specialist who diagnosed me was from Mayo Clinic and he said that he has seen many women who have developed PCOS after using Depo) or the diabetes that runs hand in hand with the PCOS.

Best wishes to you. Hang in there!

thank you for your kind wishes, and your candor.

i thought the PCOS issue interesting in particular, because my sister (2 1/2yrs my junior) got on depo shortly before i did... she was 14 at the time, and wouldn't you know it, she has PCOS and is insulin resistant. go figure.
my dad is in the middle of trying to prove she has FASD so he can prevent my mom from getting any money in their divorce, so when i brought up the depo issue he was sort of dodgy about it... but it sure makes sense to me.

i'm going to be going to see my PCP next wednesday... and i'm requesting a bone density test. i'll post here about the results.

thank you for your kind wishes, and your candor.

i thought the PCOS issue interesting in particular, because my sister (2 1/2yrs my junior) got on depo shortly before i did... she was 14 at the time, and wouldn't you know it, she has PCOS and is insulin resistant. go figure.
my dad is in the middle of trying to prove she has FASD so he can prevent my mom from getting any money in their divorce, so when i brought up the depo issue he was sort of dodgy about it... but it sure makes sense to me.

i'm going to be going to see my PCP next wednesday... and i'm requesting a bone density test. i'll post here about the results.

Yes, it does make sense. If you do a search, you will find many articles out there that attempt to tie the 2 together. Of course no scientific research exists or anything at this point, but you will find that links are suspected.

Definately keep me posted on your progress. I myself haven't had a bone density test done. I'm terrified of the result. I was on it for 2 years, which is nothing compared to the 12 years you were on it..........but my body is so different now that sometimes I fear that my bone density has been affected. I'm not 100% sure of any signs (if there are even any), but I've seen huge changes with my teeth! My teeth are in horrible condition, and I NEVER had a problem with them before. Another big thing I've noticed is that I've shrunk 2 inches in height!!! I'm not certain that either of these could be related to bone density, but something is going on.

I wish you all the best. While I haven't experienced the same effects of Depo that you have (as far as the atrophic vaginitis), I've suffered in other ways. So, I know what you are going through. Keep me posted.

thank you Barton93... i'll definitely keep you posted :)

thank you Barton93... i'll definitely keep you posted :)

thank you Barton93... i'll definitely keep you posted :)

thank you Barton93... i'll definitely keep you posted :)

sorry, it seems this thing posted itself about 5 times. grr.

erm.. any idea why a single reply would get posted 5 times? grr.
anyway, it's been a while, thought i'd drop back in and update.

got off the shot, was due 10-6.

had breast tenderness so bad it hurt them to walk for a while, then tapering off, seems to have just gone away almost completely within the last week or so. got a period 11-9, lasted about 7 days. heavy at first, with cramping and then tapering off. it was about like i remember having them as a teen.

so will see if it comes again the second week of december...