Started my Depo shots about six months ago, thinking it’d be hassle-free birth control. Wrong! First month was fine, but by the second injection, things got wild. Random bleeding for like 15 days straight, crazy mood swings where I’d cry at commercials, and this constant bloated feeling. Couldn’t tell if it was the shot or just stress.
Tracking Shit Down
Grabbed my old paper planner (the cheap spiral kind) and decided to record everything daily. Every morning after coffee, I’d scribble:
- Bleeding: YES/NO + light/heavy
- Mood: Scale from 1 (want to punch walls) to 5 (normal)
- Other crap: Headaches, cravings, tiredness
- Extra notes like “couldn’t get off couch” or “ate whole pizza”
Took two minutes max. Used colored pens too—red for bleeding days, purple for migraines. Looked like a kindergarten art project by week three.
The Ugly Pattern
After two months of tracking? Saw this messed-up cycle. Week 2 after injection always showed heavy bleeding and mood crashes (mostly 1s and 2s). Week 4? Constant bloating and headaches. Showed the scribbles to my gyno who said, “Whoa, that’s textbook Depo side effects.”
Why Paper Saved Me
Apps never stick for me—too many notifications. Paper felt like journaling, plus seeing red streaks across weeks screamed louder than any app graph. Ended up switching methods because the pattern showed these weren’t flukes. Still use the tracker for any new meds now.
Bottom line? You don’t need fancy shit. A damn notebook works when you actually use it daily. Depo might be great for some, but my body threw grenades. At least now I got proof.
