Injections

The contraception injection contains the hormone progestogen which is similar to the body’s own hormones.

Pregnancy happens when a sperm reaches an egg and fertilises it.

The injection helps to prevent pregnancy in three main ways:

It stops you from releasing eggs (called ovulation), so there’s no egg for sperm to fertilise.
It thickens the mucus at the entrance to your womb (uterus), making it harder for sperm to get through.
It thins the lining of your womb, so if an egg did get fertilised, it wouldn’t be able to attach and grow.

It is long lasting – you will need injections every three months – and is a very effective method to prevent pregnancy.

The injection is a long-acting method of contraception (LARC).
You don’t have to remember to take anything every day – each injection lasts about 3 months – so you only need 4 injections a year.
You don’t need to take breaks from using the injection.
There are two main brands of injection:
- Depo has to be given by a healthcare professional
- Sayana Press you can give yourself at home . We have a step by step guide for use – Sayana-Press
It’s a very effective way of preventing pregnancy
The injection may change your bleeding pattern. They may become lighter, stop completely or become irregular.
When you stop having injections it can take up to 6 – 12 months for your fertility to return.
It is very discrete, no one else can see it.
The injection does not protect against STIs so you’ll still need to use condoms for protection.

You can get the contraception injection from:

To find contraception services near you, search using our find a service tool.

More information

Simple and straightforward information to help decide what is the best option for you.