DIY injectables - what do you think?

[Dr_Paula]

I’ve just come back from the International Conference on Family Planning in Rwanda where there was a lot of discussion of self-injectable contraception.

These are available in the UK, but I am not sure how commonly they are prescribed… There has been quite a lot of discussion on injectables on this forum recently but not about self-injectables.

It basically has a plastic ‘bubble’ that holds the medication attached to a needle. Here is a video on how to use it, although you should have the person who prescribes it for the first time go through it with you first.

You have to have a small ‘sharps box’ to dispose of the needle.
The injection lasts 3 months, just like the Depo Prover injection.

I was wondering if anyone has experience of self injection to share?
Did you seek it out, or were you offered it at a contraceptive appointment? How do you get on with it?

Paula

[jellybelly]

I really like this idea. I haven’t used injectable contraception, but I have had to self-inject medication in the past (as I’m sure others have). After the initial squeamishness I found it very quick and easy - although I did sometimes have a soreness at the injection point after repeated injections (a dull pain like bruising), so I don’t know what that might be like if you did it for years. It would be easier than travelling to the clinic for an injection.