Fear of contraceptive failure
Question
I recently started using Depo Provera, and received my first injection on day nine of my menstrual cycle. The doctor who administered the injection assured me that I would be protected seven days following the injection. I read all the information they gave me, and it emphasized the shot being administered within the first five days of the cycle. Pregnancy was ruled out before the injection, but I am still scared to have sex without using a back-up method because I feel that the effectiveness might not be as strong as it should be since it wasn’t administered “normally.” I want to be able to enjoy sex, but am constantly worried that my Depo won’t work….Please help!
Answer
Last Updated: July 22, 2013
You say that you want to be able to enjoy sex, but are anxious about pregnancy and the effectiveness of the depo injection. I think I would probably feel the same way if I was in your shoes. It was initially my desire to learn more about precisely when in my cycle pregnancy could occur, and how to know when I entered that time, that led me to check out programs that teach women how to understand their fertility, the way their bodies work, and how this information could be used to plan their families—-avoiding the fertile time to avoid a pregnancy, and knowing exactly when they are fertile to achieve a pregnancy—while avoiding medications or devices that might be harmful to their future fertility. Learning to be more intimately aware of the normal rhythms of my cycle, I also found I became very confident in my body, my ability to read it, and cooperate with it. There is something reassuring about placing your confidence in your own body, rather than a medication or device.
We are fortunate to now have a state association dedicated to helping women learn more about this method of planning their families, and taking charge of their health. CANFP has a list on the website of professionals who can help you become more educated on this yourself. I think you will find you will experience your sexuality in a entirely new way, and will begin to enjoy it the way it is meant to be.
We are fortunate to now have a state association dedicated to helping women learn more about this method of planning their families, and taking charge of their health. CANFP has a list on the website of professionals who can help you become more educated on this yourself. I think you will find you will experience your sexuality in a entirely new way, and will begin to enjoy it the way it is meant to be.
Answered By:
Sheila St. John
Sheila St. John is the Executive Director of the California Association of Natural Family Planning, coordinating the non-profit’s education and advocacy efforts throughout the state. Initially attracted to NFP as a healthy, effective method for planning families, drug, device and surgery free, her passion for NFP has grown over the last 42 years as she has journeyed with the over 900 couples she has personally instructed in its use, and been privileged to witness its role in overcoming infertility, women’s health, and the transformation that occurs in lives of men, women, and families, when we embrace God’s design for love and life.
