Depo Provera and hair?

[archel]

I was on Depo like 20 years ago and it was pretty good for me aside from a slightly lowered libido. I'm considering going back on it again because I have ovarian cysts and menstrual problems (sorry guys, no "girls only" filter like on livejournal). I am wondering if any of you are on it and if it has an effect on hair at all.

thanks!

[andrea1982]

I have a mirena IUD, and haven't noticed a difference in my hair at all. It's the same kind of hormone as the shot, but a much much tinier amount. Has your Dr. given the mirena as an option for you? I love mine, and everyone I know who has one in real life loves theirs. There's a lot of scary stuff on the internet, but I think you find the same thing is true with any kind of birth control you google.

[archel]

I did discuss it with the doc and since I have terrible period pain and an inverted uterus, the IUD is out as it may cause my pain to be more severe and the terrible bleeding to get worse... :(

[artemisjade]

Starting when I was about 16 I was on Depo Provera. I didn't notice anything different with my hair, but I wasn't specifically looking for it.

When I was about 24 I went off of Depo and tried other forms of hormonal birth control including NuvaRing and Ortho-tricyclen (I was looking for a magic fix for my weight -- nothing helped) for about a year until I found Mirena and got it. I was growing my hair out from a pixie cut and I didn't notice any change during this period of time.

When I was 27 I had my Mirena removed and went off of hormonal birth control completely. My hair continued to grow as normal and I didn't notice any extra shedding or hair loss.

29-30 I got pregnant and had a baby. I had pretty normal reactions to this as far as my hair is concerned -- no shedding from pregnancy through 3 months post-pardum then a gigantic, en-mass shed that made me quite literally cry at the thinness of my hair in spots.

After DS was born I had Mirena inserted and I've resumed growing my hair. It's growing very quickly and healthily (is that a word?) and my very thin spots have filled out nicely (he's 18 mo old now).

All of that was the long way of saying that my hair grew long and healthy on both Depo and Mirena.

As a side note, Mirena is distinct from Depo in that it's supposed to keep the hormone localized to your uterus instead of spreading it system-wide the way Depo does. Also, Mirena is supposed to help decrease bleeding and possibly stop periods the same way that Depo does - which is what I experienced with both meds. I know that some people experience the opposite with either. I can't speak to the inverted uterus, though. Whatever you choose, I hope that it works well for you and I encourage you to keep track of your hair tell us how it goes. :)

I forgot to say: If you have trouble with cysts, I wouldn't suggest Mirena. That's one of its possible side effects and it's the reason that I had it removed originally.

[MidnightStar]

I have been on depo-provera on and off for the last 10 years. I've never noticed any issues with hair shedding, or really anything hair-related at all. I was on the full strength version in college, and then quit that after several years (I can't remember why, I think I just got lazy). Then a couple of years ago I decided I wanted to go back on it, and my OB/GYN gave me the lesser strength version which can be administered sub-q.
Of course, this particular medication just seems to "jive" very well with me. After an initial adjustment, I've had no issues whatsoever. Can't say the same thing for the Pill - was on several different versions of that for a long time, and it made me crazy, overweight, and pimply. No such issues with D-P. :) If you go on it, though, make sure you're getting enough calcium, there was a black box warning for calcium loss placed on it a few years ago.