When Should I Start Ovulating After Depo-Provera?
QUESTION
Dear Midwife,
Could you please tell me how long it takes to start ovulating after using Depo-Provera for 6 months? Can I get pregnant when I haven't had a period for almost 9 months?
ANSWER
How long it takes to ovulate really varies from woman to woman. Some women can get pregnant as soon as they miss a shot by less than a week, even if they've been on Depo for years. Others take over a year to start again even if they've only had a few shots.
Sometimes if a woman is having trouble, I put her on birth control pills for 2-3 months which seems to help "jump-start" her system again.
-- Cynthia, CNM
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Cynthia Flynn
Cynthia Flynn, CNM. PhD, teaches in the College of Nursing at Seattle University and is President of the American Association of Birth Centers. She also practices midwifery at Valley Medical Center where she cares for pregnant and birthing women, and practices well-woman gynecology, family planning, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases.
Cynthia founded Columbia Women's Clinic and Birth Center, where she took care of pregnant women and infants up to two weeks of age and attended both birth center and hospital births. Before Cynthia earned her CNM, she worked as a registered nurse in labor and delivery and postpartum and is a certified Doula and Doula trainer.
Cynthia hosts a monthly "Ask the midwife" chat as well as answers questions via our expert section.
Listen to Cynthia live on Pregnancy.org Live: Before, During and After.
