Sayana Press injection vs Depo-Provera injection

I was on the sayanna press injection for 3 years. My periods started off a little irregular for the first couple of months and then stopped completely, which was a blessing as they have always been heavy and painful! Would start to get slight cramps in the week before the injection was due but otherwise, it seemed to suit me quite well. I'm a healthcare professional so injecting myself didn't bother me at all! I gained a little weight whilst using it but I am overweight anyway so unsure if I can attribute this to the injection!

I can not tell you how much I adore this. The injection is a bit intimidating, but it's very quick, I did my first one with the help of a nurse (watch videos on how to do it and ask the nurse any questions you have). The injection is a bit weird in that you squeeze it into you, vs using a plunger, but it is a very short needle, and it didn't even hurt! I have had next to no side effects, my life has become a lot better, I sleep better, and I am able to get up early for uni. I get no PMS or cramps and I don't even get a bleed anymore (I am a bit sad as I had just bought a bunch of sanitary towels on a Prime Day). I switch from POP to this, and Syana is what birth control should be. On POP, I had so many side effects (which you can read about on my profile), this is amazing, my mind is so much clearer and I lack the PMS brain fog. My only complaint is to do with my NHS trust, they can only prescribe one at a time so if the one you get is faulty you need to request a new one which could take a week, also means you can't have one on standby for if you don't have time to contact GP and go to a pharmacy. The nurse who is my point of contact dislikes this rule and has tried to change it.

I only ended up using this for the three month period as I found it made my periods longer and heavier. I was left with only two weeks in between my periods, with my menstural bleeding lasting for at least 10 days. It didn't help with my PMDD/PME or my acne, which are my main goals with contraceptive.

Stopped my periods completely which was great, but was depressed the entire time I was on it (and didn't realise why until I came off) also had zero sex drive until I came off it.

I was not offered an alternative injection and was adbised against it as i already was dinosed with depression.its been very difficult trying to feel normal and have a great s** life. I am already a mother and would like to wait a while before or IF i do have any more children. This contraception is extemly strong, i noticed many changes to my body. From the frist day i took the injection. It is brilliant at stopping me from getting pregnnt again though.

I was placed on the Depo injections back in 2019 and had a total of 5/6 injections. They were stopped because they caused severe anxiety, multiple panic attacks daily and severe depression. The GP deemed it unsafe for me to continue as the mental health side effects were incredibly awful.

When I was 15, I started using the injection to manage my menstrual pain (due to Endo). It worked like magic and stopped my periods and pain right away! However, it also had a downside - it really impacted my mental health. Recently, I was diagnosed with endometriosis, and I tried different pills to manage it, but I kept forgetting to take them on time. So, I decided to give the Depot Provera injection another try. I was a bit hesitant at first, but I went ahead with it anyway. It took some time for my body to adjust, and I experienced some spotting and pelvic pain until my most recent injection. (I've had 5 injections now). Now, things have settled down, and I only get occasional twinges. The day after the injection, I experience some period-like pain, but it usually goes away after a couple of days. Overall, I would recommend this contraception, although everyone's experience is different. For me, it has finally given me what I wanted - freedom from pain.

It did it's job in preventing pregnancy but the side affects weren't pleasant - No sex drive, vaginal dryness, caused acne, moody and irritable. I got put on it at 16 as I couldn't be trusted to remember to take the pill. It stopped my period which was great! I came off it during COVID due to not being able to get to the doctor for it and the bleeding aftermath wasn't nice - a lot of heavy periods which calmed after a while. However, what caused me not to go back on it was I didn't realise how it affected my personality until I came off it. Off it I was no longer depressy or irritable, vaginal dryness went away and I suddenly had a sex drive. Overall it wasn't awful as I was none of the wiser to what I was like not being on it.

The injection definitely stops pregnancy but does affect the body in different ways

I’ve been taking the pill for over 7 years and wanted to try the injection for convenience of not worrying about taking a pill everyday, for that it was great no periods no more cramps, however I found too many side effects which overrule the one positive. - The first month was great, however month 2 and 3 I suffered with what I thought was recurring thrush but I went to the gp and did swabs but everything was negative with no infections, turns out to be vaginal dryness which are the same symptoms of thrush and is highly uncomfortable - never had this on the pill, it’s effecting my sex life as it’s uncomfortable and has lowered my libido also. - The mood swings are insane with the first shot, I was very emotional and distressed, increased intrusive thoughts about my relationship, didn’t like my body etc. - I’ve always had clear skin until the injection I noticed the odd one or two almost cystic types spots which were painful and rather embarrassing that would last for weeks. - Noticed fluctuation of breast size too I probably dropped a size or 2 but didn’t loose any body weight. Not sure how long it’s going to take to go back to normal but definitely advise to anyone wanting to go on it, research research research and book a session with your gp to review it.

I used this contraception for nearly 10 years and I loved it- being young and having no periods saved me a lot of money and stress and was ideal when I went backpacking. It is only now I am older and have an interest in having a baby one day that I was keen to switch. It has taken me nearly 12 months to regain a regular cycle! I also never realised how bad it made my acne until I came off it.

I started the depo in June of this year, I then started constantly bleeding 3 weeks later up until the end of August. I had a 2 week break from bleeding, and then I started again for a further 3 weeks, and the pain that comes along with it is unbearable, it’s a constant vicious cycle. My moods are horrendous, I’ve had to start up antidepressants again, my skin hasn’t been this bad in literal months, all the lower part of my face has broken out into sore spots. I have tried all methods of contraception now, various pills, 2x coil and neither time worked as my body rejected both times, the implant which didn’t agree with me and now this. So I’m completely coming off contraception once this dose runs out. Never again

I began using the Depo as it was recommended by a nurse in my GP clinic. During the first 6 months the only noticeable side effect was the decreased sex drive. After my 3rd injection, I began having serious pain when trying to have sex. Due to this pain I booked an appointment with my GP to get swabs done to check for any infections. They completed swabs and no infection was found, I was told it was most likely just dryness. Therefore I stopped having the depo and started the pill again as I had no issues with the pill. I was on the pill for a month and has really bad head aches so decided to come off contraception completely. After coming off the depo it took 6 months for me to be able to have sex again due to the dryness.