Ive been hearing many answers to this question but I don’t know who to believe. When does the birth control shot take affect? Ive heard that it takes 1 week to even a month to become effective…
Exactly when the birth control shot starts working depends on when you get it, but it never takes more than seven days to become effective. If you get the birth control shot within the first seven days after the start of your period, you’re protected from pregnancy immediately. If you get it at any other point during your cycle, you’ll need to use a backup form of birth control, like condoms, for the first seven days.
Each shot of Depo-Provera will protect you from pregnancy for 12 weeks. So you need to go to your nurse or doctor every 12 weeks for a shot. If you don’t get your shot on time, you could be at risk of getting pregnant. If you’re always on time getting your next shot, you’ll stay protected against pregnancy and won’t have to worry about backup birth control at all. That said, since the shot doesn’t offer any protection against STDs, using a condom every time you have sex is still a really good idea because then you’ll be protected against both STDs and pregnancy. Read more about the birth control shot.
Tags: depo, Depo-Provera, birth control shot, depo shot