I have never used depo, but I play a doctor on a daily basis

How old are you? Are you done having kids? Have you had an ultrasound?

Jodi

33, no kids- maybe in 2-3 years.

Have two fibroids, one about 1 cm, one about 6 cm.

The plan so far is to see if periods can become tolerable before going for myomectomy. If I can hold off for a while that would be cool, since I'm trying to get back into IM training and 3-6 weeks of recovery doesn't really sync with that. However, it's also hard to IM train when I can't run consistently or swim at all for almost a third of the month.

I sometimes have the impulse to scoop my insides out with a melon-baller...which is guess is not so different from the surgery, from what I read :-)


--L

In my experience Depo can work to help regulate the bleeding but it generally is a very temporary solution. I haven't heard any talk about exercise related side effects. Mirena (progestin IUD) is not a bad choice as many people end up losing periods all together, but I'm not sure what the impact of fibroids would be. Also, IUDs are a little touch and go for people who have not had kids. Many people love them and have no problems(including my friends). Of the people who come to the ER demanding I remove them, they are all people who have never had kids (smaller uterus).

Fibroids are a bitch. I hope you can find a good solution to make you feel better!!

Jodi

I did depo several years ago for a few years at a stretch. No problems. No period, no weight gain, no effect on training. I loved it.

same here. I was on it for probably 7 years, no problems.

I was on depo for awhile, no real issues with it at all. I stopped b/c at teh time it just freaked me out not having periods. :D I went through like a bajillion pg tests, b/c I was CONVINCED it had failed.

Switched to the pill later--helped keep my cysts uncer control, and reduced the migraines I got related to my cycle. I took it continuously, which was great and stopped my periods. Then, at an annual exam, the doc asked if any of my migraines were aural--and some were. Not many, any more (more when I was younger), but I still get one occasionally. She told me to st op the Pill and switch to an IUD.

I've had my MIrena for three years now...it took awhile to get ebverything settled down, but now that it has, it's awesome. Almost no periods ever, no weight gain, no effect on performance. I'm 36, no kids.

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mmm-mmm-Momo Charms
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I had a very similar experience - mid-30's, no kids, 1 fibroid (7cm), long, heavy bleeding that interfered with daily life (forget training - just daily life sucked when I was on my cycle). I looked at all options and went with the Mirena IUD. What a difference. Went from 8-10 days of bleeding as you described to 3-4 days, 1 moderate, 2-3 spotty. Plus not having to worry about birth control. Mirena will last 5 years, but can pull at any time if you want kids. Insurance did not cover the Mirena itself (it covered the office visit and insertion but not the device) - I think it was $650 but worth every penny.

nothing negative on the exercise end but depo = no period = sense of security = only discovered pregnancy at 32 weeks :( on the positive side the shot had no effect on the fetus and pregnancy was easy but the ease of gestation had nothing to do with the shot. Just be aware that birth control is not a given. 3 other women I know got pregnant despite having the depo shot. To get rid of menstruation, absolutely works well, remaining active was not an issue at all.

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When they kick at your front door, How you gonna come?
With your hands on your head
Or on the trigger of your gun
Paul Simonon

+1 on getting pregnant while on depo :/

I was wondering, and maybe Jodi (if you're reading this) you could comment, is it possible that endurance athletes or women with faster metabolisms for some other reason, could just "burn out" their depo faster than the recommended 12 (? I honestly don't remember what it is) week interval?

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Trying to fight gravity on a planet that insists

I think there is some controversy (or at least there used to be) about using hormones to control the symptoms of fibroids, with the theory being that in the end, the hormones simply act as "fertilizer" for the fibroids. One plus to menopause is that the fibroids shrink in size. ;-)

My experience is over a decade ago, so the technology and research may have changed. My gyn tried to control the symptoms with hormones, and I ended up having continuous bleeding for more than five months that did not end until I stopped taking the hormones.

Surgery was the solution. Gyn suggested myeomectomy via cutting through the abdominal wall (hence the 3-6 week recovery period). I did my own research at a medical college library, and learned that myeomectomy can be done vaginally, carrying a much faster (ie, several days) recovery time. Suitability is based on location and size of the fibroids--works best with fibroids protruding into the uterus (which also happen to be the ones most likely to produce painful and copious bleeding). Even though I didn't plan on having kids, I went to a fertility specialist to the have the surgery done, since they are the best at preserving tissue structures in that area and minimizing scarring. (Took some advocacy with insurance, because they didn't cover fertility treatment, but doctors were successful in presenting the case that this was not for fertility purposes.)

I think that since then there have also been developments in removing fibroids under a certain size laproscopically.

Again, my experience is from a decade ago, so things may have changed quite a bit since then. But the bottom line is--be sure to research the options before making a choice. Best wishes whatever you do.

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No coasting in running and no crying in baseball

Thanks to everyone for the responses.

For those that have had periods eliminated with the shot- how long did it take? I hoped it would kick in the first month, but sadly no luck. Ugh.

For those that became pregnant (or know someone who did) while on the shot- a few questions. Did you always get it on the scheduled date? From what I've read online most failure is related to delayed doses. And how did you finally find out about the pregnancy? It turns out my cousin got pregnant while on depo, didn't know until late, and then had a lot of complications (not necessarily related to the meds, but traumatic nonetheless).

Thanks so much, Womens!

--L

I came in on my regularly scheduled appointment and found out. I was within the current recommendation at the time. FWIW, I think I have always had an incredibly fast metabolism and I build muscle mass very easily. In short, I look like a muscular guy with hips;) I have no idea if this is relevant or not, but it has always made me wonder if that was the reason depo didn't work for me. I'm sure if I was in the regular forum I would get blasted for some sort of ridiculous backdoor brag here, but believe me when I tell you, this is not meant as a "brag" but as potentially helpful info. I have uncommon muscularity and vascularity for a woman, and I have always wondered if this is, in some way, connected to birth control being less effective for me. It was, of course, emotional for me to find out that I was pregnant. I did not continue that pregnancy for a host of reasons, not the least of which was I was concerned about the possible impact the depo could have had on the fetus.

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Trying to fight gravity on a planet that insists