Depo-Provera is used as contraception to prevent pregnancy. It is also used to reduce pain cause by endometriosis. Learn about side effects, interactions and indications. At a glance This page includes recommendations for health care providers that address provision and use of injectables. This information comes from the 2024 U.S. Selected Practice Recommendations for Contraceptive Use (U.S. SPR). Depo-Provera is a form of prescription birth control that can be taken as an injection once every three months. To give yourself a Depo shot, you’ll need to inject it under your skin. The Shot (Depo Provera) User Guide explains the basics of how to use Depo Provera (The Shot). Answers common questions such as: What if I am late for a shot? Does Depo have risks? How does Depo work? The recommended dose is 150 mg of Depo-Provera CI every 3 months (13 weeks) administered by deep intramuscular (IM) injection using strict aseptic technique in the gluteal or deltoid muscle. How should I take Depo-Provera CI? Depo-Provera CI is given by your healthcare professional as a shot into your muscle (intramuscular injection). The shot is given in your buttock or upper arm 1 time every 3 months. You’ll get instructions that show you how to give yourself your shot. If you have any questions, you can ask the nurse or doctor who gave you your shot prescription. You need to get Depo-Provera shots every three months or every 13 weeks. If you wait longer than 15 weeks between shots, you might need to take a pregnancy test before your next shot and use a backup method of birth control for seven days after the shot. The recommended dose is 150 mg of Depo-Provera CI every 3 months (13 weeks) administered by deep intramuscular (IM) injection using strict aseptic technique in the gluteal or deltoid muscle, rotating the sites with every injection. • You get a Depo shot from your clinician in the arm or in the buttocks. • Use a back-up birth control method for the rst 7 days a er your rst shot of Depo. • Get a shot every 3 months (every 13 weeks). WHEN IS THE NEXT SHOT CONSIDERED LATE? • Depo works best if you get a new shot every 13 weeks.