Birth control shot

While the Paragard and hormonal methods that don’t contain estrogen—the shot, the Mirena IUD, the implant and the mini-pill—are safe for people who are postpartum to use immediately after giving birth, combination pills, which contain estrogen, shouldn’t be used until three weeks after giving birth, since estrogen can increase a postpartum person’s risk of blood clots.

One of the main ways hormonal birth control prevents pregnancy is by stopping ovulation—meaning that the egg never leaves the ovary. The pill, the patch, the ring, and the shot are the methods that are the most reliable at blocking ovulation, so people using these methods may have fewer ovarian cysts. If you tend to get ovarian cysts, your provider may recommend one of these methods to prevent future cysts. The progestin-only pill, also called the mini-pill, has an unpredictable effect on ovulation and may actually lead to more cysts. These cysts almost always disappear on their own, but if you’ve had problems with cysts in the past, the mini-pill may not be the best birth control for you.

Depends on your insurance status, but on average the shot costs about $25 per month (or $75 per shot).

In a word, no. The best way to guard against sexually transmitted infections (STIs) if you’re having sex is still the good ol’ condom. If you’re concerned about both pregnancy and STIs, doubling up with the shot and condoms is a great option.

Any form of birth control is better than no birth control when it comes to the environment. But let’s look a little closer at the claim that hormones in birth control are getting into the environment through pee. The simple answer is: yes, it is. But—and this is a big but—it is small compared to other sources of estrogen. Current research finds that the contribution of EE2 (the primary active ingredient in the pill, the ring, and the patch) to the total amount of estrogen in of our waterways is small. Bigger—much bigger—sources of estrogen in the environment come from industrial and manufacturing processes; agricultural fertilizers and pesticides; the drugs we give livestock; and the waste and runoff produced by these sources. Simply removing hormones from contraceptives will not eliminate the environmental impacts of estrogenic compounds. It’s much better to buy organic food if you can and even better to tell Congress to do its job and regulate chemicals, than to forego birth control. From Mother Earth’s standpoint, any form of birth control is better than no birth control.For purists who don’t want to add any hormones to the environment or to their body, no matter how small, there are options for you. Natural latex condoms and the copper IUD are two frequently cited examples of ultra-green contraceptives.

The pill is the most popular in the United States, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bargain in the long run. For women who know that they don’t want to have a baby for at least a few years—you’re in school, starting a career, or are just not ready—an IUD, the shot, or the implant can save you a bundle of money.

No, most forms of birth control are not effective immediately, so you want to check with you doctor before having unprotected sex. Until then, use a condom for added protection.

Using a method of birth control with estrogen, like the pill, patch, or ring, increases the risk of forming a blood clot, but the risk is so low that if you don’t have any factors that increase your chances of having a blood clot, you can safely use all types of birth control. If you do have an increased risk of blood clots because you’ve had one before you’ve had a stroke or heart attack, or you have a medical condition that increases your risk of a blood clot, like high blood pressure, then adding birth control with estrogen to the mix increases your risk too much and it’s not recommended that you use birth control with estrogen in it. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a birth control method for you! 


If you can’t take estrogen, you have quite a few options available to you. First you have the non-hormonal methods, like the copper IUD. You can also use any of the hormonal methods that only contain progestin, not estrogen, like the implant, mini-pill, shot, and hormonal IUDs, like Mirena, Skyla, Liletta, and Kyleena. These don’t increase your risk of blood clots and are all really good at preventing pregnancy.

If you’re worried about blood clots or don’t know if you have risk factors, talk to a health care provider about which birth control methods are options for you.

Some methods are much easier to hide than others. The shot and the implant are invisible, so nobody will know you’re using birth control. The IUD is also very discrete, so that’s another possibility, though some guys may be able to feel the strings during sex. And if you are looking for a permanent solution, sterilization surgery is also undetectable, but there may be age restrictions and waiting periods for this procedure.

A new study from England found that women using the shot did have a higher risk of broken bones compared to women using other types of birth control—but that was the case before they ever used the shot.

Women who eventually used the shot were 30% more likely to have a broken bone before starting the method compared to women who went on to use a different birth control method. After starting the shot, women were no more likely to have a broken bone than before.

Maybe you’re wondering, if this is true, why the label for Depo carries a warning about its effect on bone density. Unfortunately, a lot goes into updating labels, so they don’t always reflect the latest research.

A cyst is basically a bubble—a collection of fluid with a thin wall around it. Functional cysts are formed when a follicle (the fluid-filled sac that develops around an egg during ovulation) grows larger than expected. Sometimes they can cause un-fun symptoms like abdominal discomfort, pelvic pain, pain during bowel movements, or pain during sex. Most cysts disappear on their own, but if they keep growing they can cause severe pelvic pain or pain that causes dizziness or fainting and comes with a fever or vomiting. If you have any of these severe symptoms, go see your health care provider ASAP. Some hormonal birth control methods—the ones that work by blocking ovulation—may mean fewer ovarian cysts. If you tend to get cysts, your provider might recommend you try a method like the pill, the ring, the patch, or the shot.

If you’re just not vibing with your choice of birth control, it might be time to switch things up! But before you do, it’s important to take a second to ask yourself some questions to make sure you’re ready. Thinking about why you want to switch methods and what your needs are going forward will help you and your health care provider plan your next steps.

If you’d like to stop your birth control and try to get pregnant, here’s some information about returning to fertility after using different methods of birth control.