The birth control injection is a safe and private birth control method for young women that works really well in preventing unintended pregnancy if you always get it on time. You will need to visit a clinic every three months to be given the injection.

How it works:
The injection contains the hormone progestin. Progestin stops you from getting pregnant by preventing ovulation. When there are no eggs present, a pregnancy cannot happen. Progestin also makes cervical mucus thicker. When the mucus on the cervix is thicker, the sperm cannot get through.

Need to know:
You may have some changes in your period, including bleeding on more days than usual, spotting between your period, or no period at all. This is most common during the first year of use. Some women find that their period stops altogether after about a year of using it.

The injection does not change your ability to get pregnant in the long term. But it can cause a delay in falling pregnant for about 9-10 months after you stop using it.

Remember that you need to get a new injection at the clinic every 12-13 weeks for it to be effective. If you don’t want to go to the clinic every three months you should consider an implant. Also remember that the injection does not protect you from STIs including HIV so it is still strongly recommended to also use a condom for safer sex.