When used perfectly, the birth control shot effectiveness is more than 99%, meaning less than 1 out of every 100 people who use it will get pregnant each year. But when it comes to real life, the shot is about 94% effective, because sometimes people forget to get their shots on time.

As you continue to use Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection, you may skip a period or stop having periods completely. This is normal. More than half of all women who use Depo-Provera Contraceptive Injection for one year have no menstrual bleeding.

Your periods may become more irregular, heavier, shorter, lighter or stop altogether. It can take up to 1 year for your fertility to return to normal after the injection wears off, so it may not be suitable if you want to have a baby in the near future.

Bleeding after the Depo-Provera shot wears off The hormone from the birth control shot stays in your body for at least three months. Side effects, such as bleeding, may continue for several weeks beyond the shot’s effectiveness window. These side effects may last for several more weeks or months after stopping.

Irregular bleeding is normal on Depo-Provera. Around 57 percent of people who have this shot experience irregular bleeding or spotting 12 months after doing so, and 32 percent of people do at 24 months. This symptom usually improves the longer people use the medication.

A menstrual period that lasts longer than seven days is considered a long period. Your doctor may refer to a period that lasts longer than a week as menorrhagia. You may also be diagnosed with menorrhagia if you experience unusually heavy bleeding that lasts less than a week. Five percent of women have menorrhagia.

Only 1 out of 99 women get pregnant on Depo-Provera—and Olivia was one of them.

One of the more common, and perhaps least worrisome, symptoms of Depo-Provera are local reactions to the shot. Some women will report mild pain associated with the injection, while 6% will experience skin reactions around the area where the shot was delivered.