Things that women must know about an injection called Depo-Provera
Thousands of women get injections at Family Planning Clinics. They get the injections so they won’t have babies. The injection is called Depo-Provera. The injection is healthy for some women. But the injection is unhealthy for other women.
WOMEN GET SICK
Now many people are angry. They say too many women get the Depo-Provera injection. Many women get sick from the injection.
CLINICS MUST BE CAREFUL
People say that clinics must be more careful. The clinics must not give the injection to everybody. And clinics must always tell women how the injection works.
WOMEN DON’T GET PREGNANT
The Depo-Provera injection lasts for three months. A woman won’t get pregnant for three months after the injection. But the injection lasts longer on some women. Other women don’t get pregnant for a year or longer after the injection.
WOMEN DON’T BLEED
Sometimes the injection changes the way a woman bleeds. Some women bleed a lot after the injection. And other women don’t bleed for a long time after the injection. Women must go back to the clinic when this happens. The clinic can easily help these women.
SOME WOMEN MUST NOT GET INJECTION
Dr. Elin Hammar is a worker at the Johannesburg Family Planning Clinic. She says some women must not get the injection.
Here is a list of women who must not get the injection:
INJECTION NO GOOD
The injection is not good for a woman who wants a child soon. Many women don’t get pregnant for a long time after the injection.
BAD FOR FAT WOMEN.
The injection is bad for very fat women. A fat woman will get fatter from the injection.
BAD FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Some women have a sickness called “high blood pressure”. The injection is bad for these women. People get high blood pressure when their hearts work too hard. Workers at a clinic must always check a woman’s blood pressure. A woman with high blood pressure must not get an injection. The injection will make these women very sick.
Dr Hammar says: “There are lots of ways to stop getting pregnant. An injection is only one way. A woman must ask about all the ways when she goes to clinic.”
Every woman is different. A woman must use the way that is best for her. The nurse or doctor must help her to choose.