Can you get pregnant 2 days after depo shot

  • Depo Shot
    • What Is the Depo Shot?
  • How Does the Depo Shot Work?
    • How Effective is the Depo Shot Birth Control?
  • Guide
    • How Long After the Depo Shot Can I Have Unprotected Sex? Topic Guide

Can you get pregnant 2 days after depo shot

A woman may be able to have unprotected sex as soon as she gets the Depo shot, depending on when during her cycle the shot is given. If the first shot is administered within the first 7 days after the start of a woman’s period,she is protected from pregnancy immediately and can have unprotected sex right away.

A woman may be able to have unprotected sex as soon as she gets the Depo shot, depending on when during her cycle the shot is given. 

If the first shot is administered within the first 7 days after the start of a woman’s period, she is protected from pregnancy immediately and can have unprotected sex right away. If the Depo shot is given during any other time in the menstrual cycle, another form of birth control, such as a condom, is needed for the first week after getting the shot.

Women should get a new shot every 12-13 weeks (about every 3 months, or 4 times per year) to stay protected against unwanted pregnancy.

What Is the Depo Shot?

The birth control shot (Depo-Provera, also called the Depo shot or DPMA) is an injectable form of birth control administered every three months.

How Effective is the Depo Shot Birth Control?

The Depo shot contains the female hormone progestin which prevents pregnancy by preventing the release of an egg from the ovary (ovulation). If a woman doesn’t ovulate there’s no egg to meet the sperm and no pregnancy can occur. 

The Depo shot also causes cervical mucus to thicken, which helps prevent sperm from getting through. If the sperm can’t get through, it can’t reach an egg, and pregnancy cannot happen.

Reviewed on 3/11/2021

References

https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/birth-control/birth-control-shot

Can you get pregnant 2 days after depo shot
Thanks for your question. Whether or not the Depo-Provera® injection will protect you from pregnancy depends on when you received it. For example: If you received the Depo-Provera® injection during the first 5-7 days of a normal menstrual period, you are protected from pregnancy right away. If you received the Depo shot after having a negative pregnancy test and you didn’t have unprotected sex for two weeks before the shot, you should also be protected. If neither scenario applies to you, talk to the provider who gave you the Depo shot to see if you need to take emergency contraception. Remember to schedule your next Depo-Provera® injection so you can get it within 12 weeks and use condoms EVERY TIME you have sex to lessen the chance of getting and/ or sharing sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

How does the Depo shot affect your body?

Signs of ovulation after stopped Depo

Chances of infertility after Depo

Can you get pregnant 2 days after depo shot

Depo-Provera, or the birth control shot, is a convenient form of birth control but many people have questions about how it affects fertility.  If you’re trying to conceive, you need to ovulate and since the depo shot affects ovulation it’s understandable you’d have questions.  You may be wondering how long after the shot do you ovulate or even what the signs of ovulation are after stopping the Depo Provera shot.  

Getting pregnant after Depo Provera is possible since there are no long-term effects on your fertility, but it can take some time for your cycle to return to normal.  In this post, we’ll go over all things ovulation after depo and getting pregnant after Depo Provera.  We’ll also review ovulation and how you can keep track of your cycle to know if your fertility has returned.

How does the Depo-Provera shot affect your body?

Depo-Provera is the brand name for a progestin-based contraceptive injection known as depot medroxyprogesterone acetate.  Not only does the shot work by suppressing ovulation, it also thickens the cervical mucus while thinning the uterine lining to prevent pregnancy. 

In other words, it stops the ovaries from releasing an egg, makes it harder for sperm to enter the uterus so it can’t fertilize an egg, and makes it even harder for a fertilized egg to implant in the uterine lining.  

Injections provide three months of birth control and need to be repeated every 90 days to stay reliable.  The storage (or depot) of medroxyprogesterone acetate at the site of injection allows progesterone levels to reach their peak before slowly declining over this time.  Progesterone levels need to be at a certain level to suppress ovulation so once they fall below a certain level, ovulation should return. It is 99% effective in preventing pregnancy if used properly and has no long-term effects on your fertility.   

Signs of ovulation after stopping Depo

Assuming you had no fertility problems before getting the shot, there are three key signs of ovulation after stopping the Depo Provera shot: your menstrual cycle returning, a positive ovulation test, and detecting ovulation by basal body temperature (BBT).  Every individual is different and there is no set timeline for restoring your hormonal balance.  

Your Menstrual Cycle Comes Back 

One of the most common side effects of the birth control shot is a change in menstruation.  Many users report a complete lack of menstruation (amenorrhea) with continued use, although not everyone will experience this.  A regular cycle is an obvious sign of ovulation so if your period starts to come back online, meaning it’s occurring every 21 days to 35 days and lasts two to seven days, it’s a good indication.  

Irregular cycles are normal after the injection and when you first come off the shot, but the majority of women will see their periods resume within 12 months.  Every person’s experience will be different and it may take longer (or shorter) for others.

Positive Ovulation Test

An ovulation predictor kit (OPK) or ovulation test is a type of at-home hormone test that detects the presence of LH in urine.  Similar to a pregnancy test, a positive test indicates that your LH levels are “surging” and that ovulation is likely to occur within the next 24-36 hours. 

According to the American Pregnancy Association, OPKs and ovulation tests are approximately 99% accurate when taken and used correctly.  Although they don’t technically measure the exact day of ovulation (they measure the LH surge that occurs just before), they are a useful tool in predicting ovulation.   

BBT Charting after Depo

Your basal body temperature (BBT) is your body temperature when you are completely at rest.  After ovulation, there is a slight rise in your BBT and you can use this temperature increase to confirm ovulation.  The shift is very subtle and requires a special thermometer to measure temperature in tenths of a degree for better accuracy.

This method can be affected by many lifestyle and environmental factors and several studies have found that BBT can be inaccurate.  Still, if used properly this method can be a helpful way to know if ovulation has returned.  You can use the increase in BBT to predict your fertile window and maximize the chance that you will conceive. 

Chances of infertility after Depo

Although the average return to normal fertility is approximately 10 months after the last injection, this may not be the case for everyone who gets the birth control shot.  Some women experience a longer return to fertility and it may take as long as 12 months after the last injection.  Research indicates that this delay may be related to weight and how the body metabolizes progestin.  Generally speaking, women who weigh more may take longer for their fertility to return to normal.  

There is no association with length of use and return of ovulation.  In other words, the length of time you were on the shot doesn’t matter and your fertility should return to normal regardless of how long you were on the shot.

Your body needs time to return to “normal” and unfortunately there’s not much you can do to increase ovulation naturally.  There are several methods for balancing hormones that may help to increase your odds of ovulation, but if you are still having trouble it may be necessary to seek medical assistance.      

Getting pregnant after depo provera will look different for everyone.  Some women get pregnant right away, while others will see their fertility return on a longer timeline.  Although a return to ovulation and fertility will likely be delayed, most women will conceive within 18 months from the last injection.  The shot does not affect long-term future fertility but there are risks to consider, including bone loss, so if you are planning a pregnancy it’s best to talk with your healthcare team about when to stop the shot and what ovulating after depo might look like for you. 


Using an ovulation kit or fertility device after stopping the Depo-Provera shot will help you to determine when you’ve started ovulating again. Learn how Mira’s fertility trackers and hormone concentration analyzers can help you ovulate and get pregnant after the Depo shot.  Mira provides personalized and accurate ovulation analysis through lab-quality hormone tracking.  Using urine samples to track certain hormones, Mira gives you a clear idea of when you’re ovulating and when you’re most likely to conceive. 

Can you get pregnant 3 days after Depo shot?

If you get the birth control shot (also known as Depo-Provera) within the first 7 days after the start of your period, you're protected from pregnancy immediately. Otherwise, you need to use some form of backup birth control — like a condom — whenever you have sex during the first week after getting the shot.

Can you get pregnant immediately after Depo shot?

Getting pregnant after depo provera will look different for everyone. Some women get pregnant right away, while others will see their fertility return on a longer timeline. Although a return to ovulation and fertility will likely be delayed, most women will conceive within 18 months from the last injection.

Is Depo effective after 24 hours?

Your very first injection is usually given during the first five days of your period in your arm or buttocks, although it may be given at any time in the cycle if there is no chance you are pregnant. It becomes fully effective 24 hours after the injection.

How long after the Depo shot is it effective?

If you have the injection during the first 5 days of your menstrual cycle, you'll be immediately protected against becoming pregnant. If you have the injection on any other day of your cycle, you'll need to use additional contraception, such as condoms, for 7 days.