Depo-Provera IM

Depo-Provera IM Uses

This medication is used to prevent pregnancy. Medroxyprogesterone is like a natural hormone made by the body called progesterone. It works by preventing the growth and release of a mature egg (ovulation), and changing the womb to make it more difficult for an egg to meet sperm (fertilization) or for the fertilized egg to attach to the wall of the womb (implantation).

How To Use Depo-Provera IM

Read the Patient Information Leaflet provided by your pharmacist before you start using this product and each time you get a refill. The leaflet contains very important information. If you have any questions, consult your doctor or pharmacist.

Shake the container well before each injection. This medication is given by injection into a muscle (upper arm or buttock) by a health care professional once every 3 months (13 weeks). The first injection should be given during the first 5 days of your menstrual period to make sure you are not pregnant.

If you have recently given birth, the first injection should be given within 5 days after delivery if you are not breast-feeding and during the sixth week after delivery if you are breast-feeding. Talk with your doctor about the best time to schedule your first injection.

It is very important that you have an injection every 3 months. If more than 13 weeks pass between injections, you may become pregnant. You may need a pregnancy test to make sure you are not pregnant before getting another injection. Other birth control methods (e.g., contraceptive sponge, diaphragm, condom) must be used to protect you from getting pregnant until you can get the next injection.

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Dosage and Storage