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How Do I Stop the Birth Control Shot?

When you decide to stop the birth control shot simply don’t get your next scheduled injection.  If you’ve received a prescription for the birth control shot, it will likely cover your injections for one year. Since the shot is given every 12 to 14 weeks, most prescriptions include four injections. Many patients set up appointments in advance to make sure they receive their shots on time.

You don’t have to complete all of the injections. If you decide you no longer want to use the birth control shot, contact your medical provider to let them know you’d like to cancel your injection appointments. Or if you give yourself the shot at home, simply don’t use your next dose.

If You’re Switching to a New Contraceptive

Women who want to switch to a different form of hormonal birth control, such as the pill or the patch, may need to wait until the effects of their last shot wear off. Each injection delivers the hormones required for a few months of protection against pregnancy, so it’s not a good idea to take another type of hormonal birth control while those hormones are still active.

Get the Birth Control Shot At Home

Nurx offers the birth control shot for as little as $0 with insurance or $75 per month without insurance.

If you’re not sure when it’s safe to switch to a new type of birth control, talk to your medical provider. Inform them of the date of your last birth control injection to find out when you can start using a different prescription to prevent pregnancy.

If You’re Trying to Conceive

After you stop getting the birth control shot, it may take a while until you’re able to conceive. It typically takes several months for the body’s menstrual cycle to regulate after the injections stop. For a woman who has been getting the shot for one year, it takes an average of six months after the last injection for her normal menstrual cycle to return.

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