About Brigid Kowalczyk Expertise Natural Family Planning issues related to fertility and health
Experience Your period is a natural normal function of your body. Protect your fertility. Birth control pills are bad medicine for something that is delicate and easily destroyed. Now is a good time to quit using the pill.
Question I have been on the Depo Provera shot for roughly 8 years now. I have
not had a period since my first shot which I know is a side effect. I
have been researching myself for a new method to use because I want to try
to have kids. I know that you are suppose to wait for at least a year
before you try and I plan on doing that because I have heard that birth
defects are common. My main fear of having children is, since I have
been taking the shot for so many years, then does that give me a more
likely chance of having a child with birth defects. How long should I wait
before I tried to concieve? or should I not even try at all because the
risk would be so high for myself of having a child with a birth
defect?
Answer Children are a gift from God. Even a child with a birth defect. I don't know what to tell you because you have lived with fear for so long that I don't think you will be able to let go of it. Unless your desire for a child is greater than your fears. There will always be fears in life: fear of pregnancy has been one of yours, fear of a defective child, fear of not getting pregnant, etc.
You need to replace fear with faith. Faith that God will not give you more than you can handle (haven't you always been able to overcome any adversity that came your way?); faith that you will be able to love generously; faith that you will be a good mother no matter what kind of day you are having. Even a normal child is not trouble free. If you have even a little bit of faith (Jesus said as big as a mustard seed) you can develop it and watch it grow so that you will be confident that whatever life hands you, you will be able to survive.
How big is your desire for a child? How much faith do you have for the demands of being a mother? What kind of husband do you have?
After you stop taking the shot, work very hard on being as healthy as you can: eat right, exercise, take vitamins (especially folic acid) and omega-3 oils, get enough sleep and focus on faith instead of fear. A good six months of doing all those things should put you in the right place for trying to get pregnant.
I don't think you should worry about birth defects. You didn't worry about the myriad of side effects that the depo shot subjected your body to. Your baby will be fine, too. I think side effects cause problems if you get pregnant when the depo drugs are still in your body. After 6 months they should be gone. But it might take longer than that for your periods to start up again, so be prepared for that possibility, too.
