When we read about Provera, it sounds fairly harmless. A drug developed from Progesterones (Soy Beans) which we take to reduce the hormone imbalance in our body. The drug is called Medroxyprogesterone and essentially it was developed to reduce the amount of Estrogen in our body. There are a variety of brands and means of taking the drug, from tablets to an injection given four times a year. The dose will also vary depending on what your doctor prescribes for you. It also sounds fabulous as you only need to go for an injection every 4months and you don’t get your period at all! Fantastic! No period means no pain! Right?
To give you a brief explanation on how this works…. essentially we have a higher level of Oestrogen in our body than we should. It is this hightened Oestrogen which causes our lining to be thicker than it should and for the Endometriosis to form and grow more rapidly. By reducing the Oestrogen in our body, we reduce the lining and the endometriosis cells from growing as we have cut off the reason they grow too large in the first place.
What Provera does is it mimicks the Progesterones in the body. Progesterone reduces Oestrogen. So, what they are essentially doing is giving you more “fake” progesterone to try and get your Oestrogen levels down. By doing this, we stop ovulating and hence, no lining, no bleeding and no period.
Sounds fair enough? Makes sense right?
Well, unfortunately we are essentially playing with a natural balance in the body. The reason we have elevated Oestrogen in the body is not reviewed at all in this equation. We are simply looking at one area, the Endometriosis and trying to reduce that one problem. When you look deaper you will find out that the reason Oestrogen levels are high are numerous but one main one is poor liver function.
The problem with any drug, whether it is the pill, headache tablets or Depo Provera, it will affect your liver and your body. It is not natural and your body has to process it, as a toxin and get rid of it. The more toxins you give your liver, the more it has to process and the less time it will have for healing your body properly.
Now Depo-Provera is really not much different from any other drug prescribed for Endometriosis. They all try and do the same thing – solve a symptom the body is sending you. Unfortunately, though it might reduce the symptom (the hightened Oestrogen levels) it also causes heaps of other problems while it is in your body. It is also important to note that it might reduce the symptoms associated with hightened Oestrogen, while you are on the drug but it will not cure or heal your Endometriosis. If anything, it will simply create more imbalances in the body.
I feel it is very dangerous to “play” with our hormones. Sure we have elevated Oestrogen but taking something to reduce it, will simply create other imbalances with other hormones in the body. They are intriquit and incredible chemical reactors that don’t just control our periods and our uterus. They perform all sorts of important functions in the body. Who are we to go and dig around in there, within an area we simply don’t understand. It all interlinks and doctors still don’t understand how they all work. So, why are they messing around with it all?
Anyways, there has been some full on stuff about Depo-Provera which will hopefully put you off even considering it.
Here are a list of things I would be worried about:
- It is not recommended for women with liver problems. This seems contradictory to me when we know that the liver is the main reason we have these problems in the first place.
- It is known to cause Osteoporosis in women. Now, they will say that if you only use it for 2years you will be okay. Unfortunately, there are plenty of cases that weren’t and bone loss is not that easily replaced.
The Canadian Coalition on Depo-Provera, a coalition of women’s health professional and advocacy groups, opposed the approval of Depo in Canada.Since the approval of Depo in Canada in 1997, a $700 million class-action lawsuit has been filed against Pfizer by users of Depo who developed osteoporis. In response, Pfizer argued that it had met its obligation to disclose and discuss the risks of Depo-Provera with the Canadian medical community. Source: Wikipedia
- All the usual suspects: Migraines, Headaches, Nausea, Hair Loss, Fatique, Abdominal Cramping, Irregular Bleeding, depression – you know the ones I mean.
- It actually caused Endometrial cancer when it was tested on Monkeys! Now, they say it doesn’t have this effect on humans but would you want to risk it?
- It prevents ovulation which essentially means you won’t be able to try for a baby for at least 9-10monts after being on it.
- It has been known to cause Breast Cancer in younger women.
- Known to cause Cardio Vascular Disorders.
- The other thing which I find somewhat concerning is that it is made from Soy Beans. I can’t find anything to say what type but if they are the ones I am thinking of – genetically modified ones- then that is really scary! Please read this article I wrote about Soy products.
- The drug was tested on women in third world countries and from the information I found, it was a very poorly run trial. Check this out. Do you really want to trust the testing process?
The list goes on. There is a girl who has created a whole site for women who have had bad experiences from Depo Provera. I would strongly advise you read the information on there to see what your life could be like after you have taken this drug. A story of a girl suffering from Depo Provera.
We have the power to make informed decisions through researching information through the internet and books. Don’t just believe the wonderful marketing messages we get from these Pharmaceutical companies. Do your research! Find out more about any drug you are considering. Chances are, they all have side-effects and most of them are not worth the current pain of Endometriosis you might be experiencing.
Here are some scary stories and things you should read before even considering this drug.
Girls stories of their experiences
So, I hope you stop wondering about any drug treatments for Endometriosis. They are all drugs and no matter how pretty the picture is painted, it will have side-effects, whether these are obvious to you or not. It is a question on whether you want to risk the long term damage they do to the body or the pain of Endo? Thing is, you can get your Endometriosis under control by following the heap of information on this site. It is possible as I have done it. I know the road is longer and seems harder but ultimately you will heal properly and not be faced with possible worse situations by taking drug treatments.
Have any of you tried Depo-Provera? What was your experience? What are your thoughts? Feel free to share!
Author of Cure Endometriosis & Eating with Mel.
Hi there,
I took Depo Provera for about a year. In this space of time I started to get pains, and I went to several doctors, and eventually had a laparoscopy. They found that I had pelvic congestion syndome. The supposed treatment of it was to “keep taking the pill” because I was off the Depo at that point.
Useless, incompetent doctors obviously either ignorant to pharmaceutical corruption or just self-centred. They did not once support that it could have been caused by the Depo Provera. But I know it was; I was a healthy young girl, and now I have clicking in some of my bones and varicose veins near my ovaries. I hope people stop taking it.
Alternative; I’m on the Lady Computer for contraception. Its been so far fantastic. It is a reliable fertility monitor (as reliable as the pill) and no hormones put in the body.
Thanks for sharing Lucy and sorry for your struggles with Depo. You can flush all that bad stuff out of your body….give yourself a good cleanse and your body can heal
A great solution for vericose veins is putting some Poke Root on the skin with some castor oil. This will also help with your abdominal area.
The Lady Computer sounds fabulous! I also found that Apple has an application you can download, like an ovulation calender.
Hope you find solutions on here
okay how long have you been taking the depo shot because i have been having alot of complications with the shot such as extrem stress deprission / anxiety and very bad thought of dieing // dej vu // thinking something bad is going to happen chest pain etc…. and im perfectly healthy also heart palpittions
That seriously does not sound good! I would really consider going off Depo Provera! This stuff is clearly not agreeing with you
I really enjoyed this article like many I have been reading on your site:) I really didn’t think that Depo was actually that bad for you…I have been on it for 9 months and have been having very horrible symptoms….one I have is discolouration of my skin on my stomach which I have to go for a biopsy on June 2nd….also hair loss which I thought was from Lupron I was on last year….I wonder now if maybe its the Depo causing it….and thank you for this article again
Hi Tami. Nice to see you commenting again
Unfortunately, I don’t think it matters which drug we take, they are all going to have side-effects. Some may be really visible and obvious, others might be not so obvious. We also don’t know how we are going to react to them, now or years later. I know it can be scary to explore other options but personally I wouldn’t even consider any drug now for my healing. They simply focus on symptoms rather and don’t look at the whole body for healing. It is your journey but perhaps these symptoms are signs to explore more natural methods 
WOW! Decided not to take Depo anymore. I have never been so depressed in all my life not to mention that Depo didn’t stop my bleeding but I have been bleeding everyday since Sept. 2010 and it is April 2011.
The OBGYN said after the second shot to continue it as it takes time for out body to accept the Depo. I took shot number three and four and two weeks ago had severe abdominal pain and went back to him immediatly at 10PM. He did a pelvic ultrasound and told me that my uterus is much larger and sick because of the Endo, he said that I must have a hystorectomy. I did my research and talked to another DR. who told me that I should get off the Depo and treat the pain of Endo and having a hystorectomy doesn’t mean that your not going to have Endo. I have changed my diet dramatically and taking Ibuprophen three x a day. The Doc wants me to try a new hormone treatment but I don’t think this is the right decision. He said if I don’t take it I will have bad pain and be unhappy.
Any ideas?
Judy
Hi Judy, Wow! These doctors sound scary! Telling you, you are going to be unhappy and in pain is hardly a good way to advise you on treatment options. I am on neither hormone treatments and I am perfectly happy and mostly pain free!
At least you are strong enough to recognise these are not the right thing for you.
Why don’t you try a natural therapist, homeopath, Traditional Chinese Doctors or any of the holistic doctors out there? They look at the whole body when healing and consider all the organs in making decisions for your overall health. Read some of the success stories on my blog and this will really encourage you to keep looking.
Check out this article :http://www.cureendometriosis.com/just-take-it-all-out-i-need-relief-what-you-need-to-know-about-having-a-hysterectomy/
There is a link to Carolyn from Endo Resolved story about how she overcame endo. It is a great read and really encouragin!
You have it in you to heal! Just follow what you instinctively know and you will find the right path for you
Hi Melissa,
I’m 35 yr old Irish fem. I have Grade 4 endo, diagnosed 4 years ago. I used depo for two years and I have to say I had no side affects, it completely took my pain away, no cysts and no daily cramping, interestingly enough it didn’t stop my periods, lightened them yes and no Pain! I had a bone density test towards the end of the two years and that too was fine. I was actually very happy on this injection, and obviously very fortunate not to have some of the terrible experiences other women have had. I decided myself to stop taking the depo and see what happened, so less than a year later I have a number of ovarian cysts again, I’m currently attending a herbalist and also an amatsu (google this!) therapist for my lower back pain and to gently help with “unsticking” my organs. It’s been just a month, so I’ve a way to go yet but I’m patient and I’m happy to be taking the natural route this time, yes it’s harder work than turning up at the doctor for a needle lol, but I’m hoping to God that I will have a result from my efforts on the diet front combined with the herbal tonics. I absolutely love your site, there’s so much info on it I could read all day. I just wanted to put in my bit about the depo incase there are other women out there on it who have no problem with it, I would say read up on it I only did this after I stopped and feel very lucky that it didn’t upset my system in any obvious way as it seems to have done to others. Hopefully it’s long gone from my body now, I think it probably is. Anyway keep posting those great blogs.
All the best.
Hi Ann-Marie and thank you for sharing! I only used Depo for a year but it didn’t take at all. I just got spotting with it. I am glad it gave you some relief and was able to help in the short term. More importantly I am glad you have decided to explore the natural options now
I will definitely look up more on the info you have sent. It sounds very interesting and helpful. Glad you love the site and hope to hear from you again soon!
Thanks for the reassurance Melissa
I think also looking back there were quite a few signs with my digestive system that may have given me a clue about my endometriosis.
I’m also intrigued to know whether my hormone inbalance could in anyway be linked with my depression…
I now want to investigate side effects of microgynon and consider coming off it in the future. I know I need to do it sustainably but am making steps in the right direction….about to order some maca root powder and aloe vera today!
Take care and thanks again for your wise words and guidance.
x
It is my pleasure Laura! Well done on the ordering Maca and Aloe – your first two steps! It all starts with little decisions we make each day. Yes, it is definitely related to depression but Maca will help this tremendously. If it still doesn’t work after 3months try some St Johns Wort Oil.
It is amazing how many clues we miss when we aren’t listening!
Dear Melissa,
Thank you so so much for taking so much time and energy to put this article together.
It’s certainly given me a lot to think about.
I was having doubts about provera before, but now I definitely do!!
I ultimately want to be able to come off microgynon and be completely natural and have a goal to aim for: to become pain free through natural methods.
I used a natural contraceptive method (persona) for 4 years before I got diagnosed and I found this stablised my moods and made me feel healthier in general. (I have a history of depression so taking hormones is worrying for me).
After my laproscopy and my diagnosis, I felt I had no choice but to go on the pill and suppress my periods, although I hated how unnatural this was, I was glad to be pain free for a bit. Now I’ve had time to come to terms with my diagnosis, I know this is not how I want to live the rest of my life, waiting for the next laproscopy and taking hormones to change how my body responds.
It was so interesting what you said about the liver, I didn’t realise that endometriosis can be caused by a liver inbalance.
I had a shiatsu massage in 2006 and my therapist said he could sense a liver inbalance!!
I did nothing about it because at the time I had no pain or real symptoms, apart from perhaps some mild digestion issues. It feels looking back that my endometriosis was developing then. I drank way too much in my teens and during university. Do you think this abuse of the body has somehow led to endometriosis or is it purely genetic as I know it runs in my family?
Keep writing, your blog is amazing and inspiring, thank you!!!
Laura x
It is my pleasure Laura! I love writing and helping women so it is great when I get responses like yours
. I think it is a combination. I have also come from what I like to call a poor “gene pool”. I also drank a fair bit in my teens but I think my symptoms were there even before then. I used to get sick from too many sweets and struggle with car sickness and all sorts of signals when I was a kid so perhaps my drinking and poor diet in my teens just pushed it over the edge. Alot of it is also emotional so who knows exactly but I reckon it is a combination and we can kinda go through each one and tick them off and that way we can heal it 
No probs! I shall do
Melissa