How do I use Depo-Provera, Sayana Press and Noristerat?

Depo-Provera and Noristerat must be injected by a healthcare provider. Your doctor or nurse will check your medical history and make sure that you’re not pregnant.

You will be given the injection as you would a standard jab – it is injected into a muscle, usually in your buttocks and can also sometimes be given in the arm.

Sayana Press is injected beneath the skin at the front of the thigh or abdomen. It’s now possible for you to inject Sayana Press yourself at home, making it a much more accessible method!

Still learning how to inject the Sayana Press? Check out our instructions for how to inject the Sayana press contraceptive injection with our very own Dr Becky.

After the injection has been given or administered at home, you only need to go back to your doctor or nurse if you have any problems or when you need a new injection. Both the Depo-Provera and Sayana Press are given at intervals of 13 weeks and can be administered up to 7 days late, so 14 weeks after the last injection, without the need for additional contraceptive precautions (although this is outside the product license for Depo-Provera). If you are using the Sayana Press (which you inject yourself at home) you only have to go back to the clinic annually because you will be given a year supply. 

You can have the injection at any time in your period cycle. If you have it within the first five days of your cycle, you will be protected from pregnancy straight away. Any other time in your cycle and you’ll need to use condoms or other contraception for seven days.

You can have the injection straight after giving birth, even if your are breastfeeding, or after having an abortion or miscarriage.

How do I stop using the contraceptive injection?

To stop using the injection, all you need to do is not have your next dose – if you don’t want to get pregnant then you should use another method of contraception from the day that your injection would’ve been due.

However, a word of caution about the contraceptive injection – it can take several months, and even up to a year, for your fertility and menstrual cycle to return to normal once you stop using it. If you are considering having a baby in the near future the injection may not be the best choice of contraception for you. Check out our blog by one Lowdown reviewer, who shares her experience about coming off the injection with some insights from our resident GP, Dr Mel.

You can also check out our injection side effects results to see how long it took most Lowdown reviewer’s cycles to return to their definition of ‘normal’ after their injection.