Ok, little update for the ladies on this thread who are still making decisions....
I went to the GP today to talk turkey about birth control options (as an aside, maybe it's where I live but I never ceased to be amazed at how much time he's willing to spend talking to me!) And I'm sort of disapointed to say that he talked me out of the shot.
He said the risk of loss of bone density was just too great. Though he did also say that that particular side effect is somewhat reversible once you're off the shots, for someone like me who's looking for something to use indefinitely, he didn't think it was a wise choice.... I explained my main issues with the pill (vaginal dryness and bloating, tiredness, and frayed patience at PMS time) and he had some interesting comments. He said that my PMS symptoms very well could be due to my personal hormonal makeup and not necissarily the pill, but he said the dryness was most likely a side effect....
So I got my pill prescription refilled so I can stop thinking about this during the holidays, but at his very strong recomendation I'm going to get fitted for a Mirena coil as soon as possible....