Depo to Patch - Condoms for a month?!

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2004
Depo to Patch - Condoms for a month?!
3
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 9:12am
Hello, all!

My Depo shot is due today so I went to our good ole local HD to get my usual dose of hormones. I haven`t been very pleased with the way Depo has affected my love life lately, so I asked to switch to OrthoEvra (they, unfortunately, don`t carry NuvaRing). The woman, who had already gotten out the box containing the Depo was kind of crabby to change horses midstream but started the process of the paperwork for OrthoEvra. I was really excited about switching. She then informed me that I would have to use condoms for a MONTH, the entire first cycle, in order to not get pregnant while my body adjusts to the hormones. This really shocked me. My beau and I aren`t wild about using condoms - that`s why I started BC in the first place. So, rather dejectedly, I opted to go for Depo - all because of a roll of Lifestyles condoms that she still made me take, probably because she was angry at me for changing my mind again. ugh...

If I make the switch next time, will we really need to use condoms for a month? Everything I`ve read here has recommended a week, and that`s to be on the safe side while switching. While I understand that a month is probably a good idea, it seems a little like overkill to me. Any ideas?

Lena

Who will now be having outrageous headaches for the next three days, thank you Depo.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-11-2004
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 10:07am
I just checked on the patient instructions for Ortho Evra. They say to use backup contraception for one week after you initially start. I don't know why she would have told you an entire month. If you start Ortho Evra one week before your next shot is due, then you should still have protection from the Depo Provera during your first week on the patch and may not even need backup then.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-14-2004
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 4:11pm
That`s what I thought, too, but when I asked why an entire month, she told me that it was because I was jumping from the high, 4-times a year hormonal dose of Depo to the comparatively lower, daily dosage of the patch and that, while my body was adjusting, it wasn`t guaranteed that I wouldn`t ovulate. It seemed like she was saying that with the difference in the amount of hormones administered, from a high dose to a smaller one, that my body might be like, "Well, hey, this looks closer to normal... I guess I`ll pop out an egg!" It didn`t seem to make a lot of sense to me at the time and, in retrospect, it really _doesn`t_ make a lot of sense at all. Even when you start OrthoEvra off of your period, you still only have to use backup protection for a week - not a month. I`m still not really clear on why she gave me such a long backup time.

Any other thoughts? Anyone in public health perhaps that can tell me why a health department representative - ideally very educated in the ins-and-outs of BC - would tell me this? Is there something I`m missing?

Lena

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Mon, 10-11-2004 - 11:38pm
Doesn't make sense to me either! But some places have a standard "this is what we tell people" kind of thing, I would think, and maybe that's standard procedure for them to advise women to use backup for a month. It keeps them out of trouble because it's more conservative than what the patient information even says!

Even though I don't need to, I've used backup for every pill switch, sometimes for a week, sometimes for a month. It makes _me_ feel better to not worry about it. If you're cool with a week, it's not like Nurse Ratchet is going to be in your bedroom making you use those condoms! ;)

As far as I know, if you go with the patient information, you should be good, but if you're more comfortable erring on the side of extra caution, that would seem reasonable to me too.

Good luck!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control