How long after the Depo shot can you get pregnant?

What does the evidence say about Depo-Provera shot before trying to conceive while trying to conceive?

1. Fertility might be lower for a while after stopping the Depo-Provera shot, but this effect is temporary for most people, and fertility is expected to return to normal levels. 1
2. In healthy adults, it takes 120 to 200 days on average for depot medroxyprogesterone acetate to be mostly cleared from the body, which is part of why the return to fertility after the shot is slower than after stopping birth control pills. 2
3. A pooled review of return-to-ovulation studies found a median time to ovulation of about 183 days (roughly 6.1 months) after a single intramuscular Depo-Provera injection, with a range from about 3.5 months to just under a year in the studies analyzed. 3
4. By 12 months after the last injection, studied cohorts found 94.7% to 97.4% of users had ovulated again, and the review found no significant difference in how quickly fertility returned based on body mass index, age, or geographic region. 3
5. Recovery of fertility after Depo-Provera injections may take longer than other methods, up to 10 months in some cases, compared with a return to a normal cycle within 1 to 2 months after stopping birth control pills. 4

What to know about Depo-Provera shot before trying to conceive while trying to conceive

• In the weeks right after your last shot, don't be surprised if ovulation hasn't returned yet. The most commonly studied window before ovulation resumes is roughly 6 to 7 months, so an early negative pregnancy test doesn't mean anything is wrong.
• By around 6 months to a year after the last injection, most people have started ovulating again: cumulative research finds close to 95% or more had ovulated by the 12-month mark in studied groups.
• If it has been over a year since your last shot with no pregnancy and no signs of ovulation resuming, that is a reasonable point to check in with your provider, since Depo-specific research on delays beyond a year is limited and other fertility factors may be worth evaluating.