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What Causes Prolonged Vaginal Bleeding While On Depo Shots?
Question: Hi, I'm a 19 year old college student on the deep shot. My period has been going on for nearly 2 months now. there's no pain, mood swings or cramps happening, its just blood. the weird thing is the blood. In the morning and late night, its brown, but in the afternoon, its red. it doesn't leak or flow out as usual. it is just there. meaning i rarely ever have to wear a pad or tampon. I recently had my 2nd deep shot and my period was still going on then too. Please help me and tell me whats wrong with me.
Brief Answer:
It is common and normal to bleed lightly on the depo shot for 6-12 months
Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.
Because the Depo shot is a continuous dose of hormones, you do not get regular menstrual cycles while on it. Most women experience irregular bleeding and spotting for the first 6 months when they first get on the shot. But once your body gets used to it, your bleeding will stop completely, meaning you will not get periods at all... But you are still protected against pregnancy because the shot prevents ovulation.
So the very light bleeding is not your period, it is just a side effect of the shot. It will disappear eventually. There is nothing harmful about not having periods or having light bleeding in between. If you stop using the shot, your regular cycles will come back. I know the bleeding is annoying, but there really isn't much that can be done about it and it goes away in most women by the end of the second shot. In some cases it can last up to a year but this is not typical.
So I encourage you to be patient because the shot is a very effective method of contraception once your body gets used to it. In the meantime, the color of the blood mostly has to do with how fast it is flowing. In the morning, the blood coming out has been sitting in your vagina overnight and that is why it has turned brown, when you are on your feet, the blood looks more red as gravity makes it flow out of your uterus faster.
I hope this information is reassuring and that I was able to adequately answer your question.
Best wishes, Dr. Brown
It is common and normal to bleed lightly on the depo shot for 6-12 months
Detailed Answer:
Hello, and I hope I can help you today.
Because the Depo shot is a continuous dose of hormones, you do not get regular menstrual cycles while on it. Most women experience irregular bleeding and spotting for the first 6 months when they first get on the shot. But once your body gets used to it, your bleeding will stop completely, meaning you will not get periods at all... But you are still protected against pregnancy because the shot prevents ovulation.
So the very light bleeding is not your period, it is just a side effect of the shot. It will disappear eventually. There is nothing harmful about not having periods or having light bleeding in between. If you stop using the shot, your regular cycles will come back. I know the bleeding is annoying, but there really isn't much that can be done about it and it goes away in most women by the end of the second shot. In some cases it can last up to a year but this is not typical.
So I encourage you to be patient because the shot is a very effective method of contraception once your body gets used to it. In the meantime, the color of the blood mostly has to do with how fast it is flowing. In the morning, the blood coming out has been sitting in your vagina overnight and that is why it has turned brown, when you are on your feet, the blood looks more red as gravity makes it flow out of your uterus faster.
I hope this information is reassuring and that I was able to adequately answer your question.
Best wishes, Dr. Brown
Note: Revert back with your gynae reports to get a clear medical analysis by our expert Gynecologic Oncologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
Answered by
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