Depo Provera Effectiveness

[Sequin]

Hello! I know that with “typical” use Depo Provera is 97% affective and with “perfect” use Depo Provera is more than 99% affective. I plan on going for my shots every time 3 months. They usually give me a window of about a week, and I plan on choosing the very 1st one every time. If I do this, does that mean I refer to “perfect” use and my shots will be over 99% affective? Also, if I use a condom with the Depo Provera, is there ANY chance of getting pregnant? Also, I know there are better methods out there like the IUD, but I don’t want to go through the trouble if there isn’t a big difference between the shot and an IUD. After all, it seems that the only difference might be user error (like not getting shots on time) which doesn’t apply to me, since I plan on getting every shot on time. So would switching to an IUD make a big enough difference to switch? Thank you so much!

[Heather]

Unfortunately, even combining more than one method can't get us to 100% protection. But it CAN get us to 99.99%, which is where you'd be at using Depo as you've talked about here and also using condoms correctly and consistently. And that's about the same as it would be for an IUD and condoms, too.

I agree with you, the only difference between the IUD and the shot per effectiveness comes down to getting shots on time, which is usually pretty easy and something most Depo users manage just fine.

[Sequin]

Thank you so much for your response! Can I just ask why no methods are ever 100% effective?

[Heather]

Sure, but it's not a very satisfying answer.

Ultimately, that's because in studies, no methods have been found to be 100% effective. And ultimately that's primarily just because human reproduction -- and our bodies -- and how it works can, every great now and then, just act in unusual ways. In other words: no methods are ever 100% effective because human bodies and reproduction are simply diverse and occasionally act randomly weird enough that there's always going to be some fluke somewhere, even though they tend to be very rare. But not rare enough not to knock off the effectiveness rating for everyone. Make sense?

[Sequin]

Yes I understand! Thank you for the explanation. With just the Depo Provera already being over 99% effective, would the condom do much in terms of effectiveness against pregnancy when coupled with it?

[Sequin]

What I’m asking if the difference is so slight that I shouldn’t bother with it in the case of pregnancy prevention and not STDs.

[Heather]

That's really up to you.

We know that the MOST effective way to prevent pregnancy is to use TWO methods: one primary method and a backup. (We also know STIs are as much of a risk as pregnancy, sometimes even more so,) So, my personal advice if you want to do all you can to avoid pregnancy is to keep using both.

But if you feel comfortable using just one, that's a choice you get to make for yourself, based on what feels best for you.