Hey Dr Sue — How Safe Is The Birth Control Shot?

Depends on how you define safe.

Assuming you’re in the US, Depo-Provera is the shot you’re referring to. There are other options in different countries.

Depo is a shot that’s given by a health care professional every 3 months. The shot is intramuscular and can be given in the butt or the upper arm.

There’s also an at home injection, called Depo-subQ. This is also done every 13 weeks. This one is under the skin, and you give yourself the shot in either the stomach or upper thigh. This version has fewer hormones than the regular Depo shot.

In terms of effectiveness, Depo is pretty effective. In perfect situations it’s more than 99% effective. But when you take into account human error, the effectiveness drops to 96%. This is less than other hormonal methods like the implant and IUD. But it’s better than pills, patches and rings. It’s also way better than external and internal condoms.

Depo doesn’t contain estrogen. So for people who don’t like using estrogen, or can’t use it, this may be a good option.

Like all other hormonal methods, the shot is 0% effective at protecting against STIs.

I want to mention a few things about Depo. They’re not safety issues, but I think they’re important to mention.