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Fertility issues chat with Dr Sarah Brewer
continued from page 2
Problems with conception after depo provera
Q: I am posting this question on behalf of lots of girls on the board who have had difficulties with their periods after coming off depo provera, or the Pill, following several years of treatment. The main problems seem to be:
1) Irregular cycles on a monthly basis 2) No sign of periods at all for several months after treatment has finished 3) Heavy bleeding immediately after finishing the depo treatment. petals2004
A: Research suggests that women trying to conceive after stopping depo progestogen take at least four months longer to become pregnant compared with women stopping other methods of contraception. In some cases, fertility may take up to a year or longer to return. Therefore, if there is no sign of a period returning after treatment, it is really just a question of waiting for menstruation to start again. If it is delayed for more than six to 12 months, your GP may be willing to start tests looking for another cause such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). If your periods have returned but are irregular, it is helpful to use an ovulation predictor kit to see whether or not you are ovulating. This can work out expensive each month, however, so I like the new re-usable kit called Calista, available from most pharmacies. Calista consists of a powerful, pocket-sized, back-lit microscope through which you examine a sample of saliva (really!). You just place a little saliva on the optical block and wait for it to dry. Your dried saliva will show a dotted pattern on non-ovulating days, or a clear fern-like pattern that indicates ovulation is imminent and you have reached your fertile peak. Clinical trials show that Calista is 98 per cent accurate and - unlike urine-based ovulation predictor kits - can be used month after month for over two years, making it a less expensive method to use.
When periods are really heavy, this will usually settle down within a few months but keep seeing your doctor to ensure you don't become anaemic and that you don't have another gynae problem such as dysfunctional uterine bleeding (again, usually associated with not ovulating).
Back to main question page
Problems with conception after depo provera
Q: I am posting this question on behalf of lots of girls on the board who have had difficulties with their periods after coming off depo provera, or the Pill, following several years of treatment. The main problems seem to be:
1) Irregular cycles on a monthly basis 2) No sign of periods at all for several months after treatment has finished 3) Heavy bleeding immediately after finishing the depo treatment. petals2004
A: Research suggests that women trying to conceive after stopping depo progestogen take at least four months longer to become pregnant compared with women stopping other methods of contraception. In some cases, fertility may take up to a year or longer to return. Therefore, if there is no sign of a period returning after treatment, it is really just a question of waiting for menstruation to start again. If it is delayed for more than six to 12 months, your GP may be willing to start tests looking for another cause such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). If your periods have returned but are irregular, it is helpful to use an ovulation predictor kit to see whether or not you are ovulating. This can work out expensive each month, however, so I like the new re-usable kit called Calista, available from most pharmacies. Calista consists of a powerful, pocket-sized, back-lit microscope through which you examine a sample of saliva (really!). You just place a little saliva on the optical block and wait for it to dry. Your dried saliva will show a dotted pattern on non-ovulating days, or a clear fern-like pattern that indicates ovulation is imminent and you have reached your fertile peak. Clinical trials show that Calista is 98 per cent accurate and - unlike urine-based ovulation predictor kits - can be used month after month for over two years, making it a less expensive method to use.
When periods are really heavy, this will usually settle down within a few months but keep seeing your doctor to ensure you don't become anaemic and that you don't have another gynae problem such as dysfunctional uterine bleeding (again, usually associated with not ovulating).
Back to main question page
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