quick clicks

preconception articles

preconception q&a

message boards

research baby names

prepare a birth plan

content channels

ip channel rss feeds

read birth stories

read parenting stories

recommended books

e-newsletters

safety recalls

ip diaries

ip store

mom of the month

dad of the month

editor's letter

letters to the editor

Not the Way Nature Intended?

Birth Control and Your Fertility

Part One

When Lisa* tried the Depo Provera shot, she also bled for three straight months. "My option was to get another shot (increasing the dosage slightly)," she says. "I declined that, as I wanted to try to get pregnant. At my 6-week checkup, when I got the shot, I really wasn't thinking about when I wanted another baby, only that I wanted one eventually. After I got the shot, I read the literature and found out that sometimes the shot can be effective for up to a year. At that point I was really upset with myself that I wasn't completely informed about the drug."

When she was still bleeding at the three-month mark, Lisa finally decided to go on the pill for a short time to regulate her cycle. Fortunately, she had no problems conceiving afterwards.

Melissa* conceived her first two children with no problem. Then she decided to try the Norplant implants. "After Norplant, it took me four years to conceive a child," she says. "I had Norplant in for two years, two years of non-stop bleeding." At the time, her doctor convinced her that her symptoms were normal, but she has since learned otherwise. In fact, there are several class-action suits against Norplant's manufacturer, Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, with plaintiffs complaining of dizziness, nausea, excessive bleeding and other side effects.

"I am having trouble conceiving now," Melissa says. "I had two miscarriages

Want to see more?

• Check out our Article Library.
• The Caffeine Connection: Is Your Daily Habit Hurting You?
• Women's Health and the Environment
• Too Toxic to Conceive: Is Your Lifestyle to Blame?
• Talk about it!