Advantages:

• Lasts for 13 weeks
• Don’t have to think about contraception for as long as it lasts
• Not affected by diarrhoea and vomiting, as not absorbed by the tummy
• May make periods lighter and less painful
• Can self-inject once assessed – meaning only one clinic visit per year

Disadvantages:

• Bleeding may stop or become irregular or heavier
• Fertility may take up to 12 months to return after stopping the injection
• No protection against STIs
• Some people gain weight
• Can cause slight thinning of the bones mostly in younger people or women over 50 (usually recovers once the injection is stopped)

Comments:

• Injection cannot be removed from the body, so any side effects may continue for as long as the injection lasts.
• Important to have your next injection at the right time.
• Not affected by other medicines.

Further information:

https://www.sexwise.org.uk/