Stopping Depo-Provera: The good, the bad and the sore boobs

It’s taken 6 weeks for my next period to come so not quite normal yet. The surge in hormones that’s came with it were absolutely horrendous though. The tummy cramps and back pain were ridiculous but thankfully only lasted the first 3 days. I think the period was pretty normal as things go but I can’t really remember what normal is! Also it’s the first time I have used a tampon in about 8 years – all very strange!  I have stopped taking the vitamins (only as they are out of stock – maybe I should of kept them a secret!) but I feel ok generally. I seem to have stopped having the waves of hormone havoc and possibly those waves are now when my period comes. I’ve started tracking my cycle using an app called ‘Flo’ so I can hopefully start to see a pattern or some sort of normality to my cycle.  I am feeling really chilled out and relaxed about it all now. There have been some pregnancy announcements at work and I thought I’d be upset/frustrated more but I am actually pretty content w

So I wanted to give these vitamins a good go before I wrote about them in this blog and now I can give you the review you’ve all been anticipating. I have been on them now for around 6 weeks and I think they may have changed my erratic hormone life! Since starting them my unwanted hormone symptoms have significantly reduced. I haven’t had any flare ups of the extreme symptoms I have been having at all. I have still had the odd day of feeling rubbish and symptoms of nausea, fatigue, headaches on and off but nothing that lasts or as extreme. But the biggest positive for these vitamins is…. Wait for it… I’VE HAD A PERIOD! Well I think I have in some sort of fashion. Literally cannot think of another time that a woman would be giddy about vaginal bleeding. I immediately text the girls to let them know and we oddly celebrated. So anyway I’m not sure it was a proper period as it only last about 3 days but it’s a start! I probably will never know for sure if it was the vitamins that helpe

Easter came along and so much chocolate was consumed (it’s my hormones). We got loads of Easter eggs donated at work so I figured an egg a day keeps the hormones at bay, except it didn’t. So this next lot of hormone hell lasted just over 2 weeks, if we are following my new cycle then this just ruined it. The usual symptoms started, although I have realised that each time I get a wave of hormone havoc it is more extreme than the last. Is that a good sign? So the nausea was now intermittent throughout the day, headaches on and off, cramps and tiredness. I also started with insomnia during the night, I felt tired all the time and could easily fall asleep but I’d be awake for 2-3 hours in the night which lasted about a week. Now for the most extreme symptom to date, what we have all anticipated – the REALLY sore boobs! Now, when I was a teenager mum always said I’d be glad to have small boobs when I’m older. And yes I am. If my boobs were this painful then I feel very sorry for the bi

God, how much I have become to hate this phrase! Yes, ok I have all the symptoms of being pregnant but no I am not!! And actually I’m bloody well infertile right now and maybe forever!! Just needed to get this off my chest. I never really thought about this phrase before yet I’ve heard it loads especially at work where about 90% of us are women. I have probably said it a number of times myself to other women. I have definitely been asked it many times (not just recently) and not usually in a serious way but in a jokey/throw away comment kind of way and its never bothered me before. But now I can’t stand to be asked it especially when people don’t just take no for an answer. I don’t want to explain myself all the time and I don’t want to think about not being pregnant and the not knowing if I ever will be. I think my hormones have definitely made me more irritable and perhaps I am taking it to heart too much and equally I absolutely know that the person asking isn’t trying to be h

So after that week in February everything calmed down and I felt well again which was nice as I had booked to to go to Iceland as a surprise for my boyfriends 30th birthday, so thanks for settling hormones, we had a great time. Jump to 10th March and it started again. At this point I was wondering if there was some sort of pattern as it had been 4 weeks since the symptoms began previously. Could I call this my new menstrual cycle? This time wasn’t so bad though (to begin with). I had intermittent ‘period’ type pain in my pelvis and back but no bleeding. I felt fatigued and my body was achy for a few days. Then it really ramped up around the 23rd of March, I remember this week because I was on annual leave from work and it was the first week of  COVID lockdown. Absolutely not a complete waste of a precious weeks holiday. Symptoms this time were similar to the first lot in February but I’d say more extreme. The nausea was often in the mornings and then again in the evening, the achy b

This was the week that everything began to change and my hormones started raging (not even being dramatic now). So my post depo symptoms began approximately 8 weeks after missing my injection. See I knew there was a good bit! An extended 8 weeks of feeling well and zero side effects. Anyway my main symptoms to begin with were nausea (sometimes vomiting), fatigue, aching body, period type tummy/back pain but no bleeding. Then I became constipated, bloated and needing to wee more. Back to old trusty Google - what do these symptoms mean? You’re pregnant! Fantastic! What a miracle when I’m not ovulating. Obviously I knew this wasn’t the case, how could I be when I hadn’t even had one menstrual cycle let alone regular cycles. I think the worse symptom was the nausea/vomiting – it got boring really quickly! Although, in case you’re experiencing this, I found that lemon and ginger tea helped. Being at work whilst feeling like this wasn’t much fun either, especially when you’re listening t