Depo Provera
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Depo Provera Contraceptive Injection (medroxyprogesterone acetate) is the U.S. brand name of a birth control product manufactured by Pfizer Inc. It is a hormonal birth control method containing synthetic progesterone, without estrogen, and is administered to women in the form of an intramuscular injection once every 11 to 13 weeks. Depo Provera causes the ovaries to stop producing eggs, and is 99.7% effective at preventing pregnancy.
Side effects
One side effect (and to some a benefit) is that many women stop having a regular menstrual cycle while on the drug. It provides hormonal birth control without the risks associated with estrogen and may in fact reduce the risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers.
Recent research has shown that Depo Provera significantly decreases bone density in women, as compared with others in the same age group (see below). For some women, Depo Provera may have a number of potentially intolerable side effects, including loss of interest in sexual activity, infertility, severe headaches, constant bleeding, weight gain, panic attacks, muscle pain, heart palpitations, pain during sex, and acne.
Side effects of Depo Provera may persist up to six months after the last injection.
Depo Provera is also used with male sex offenders as a form of chemical castration as it has the effect of drastically reducing sex drive in males.
Black box warning
While it has long been known that Depo Provera causes bone loss, it has recently been discovered that the osteoporotic effects of the injection grow worse the longer Depo Provera is administered and may last long after the injections are stopped. For this reason, on November 17, 2004 the United States Food and Drug Administration and Pfizer agreed to put a "black box" warning on Depo Provera's label. The details of this black box warning can be found on the FDA website (http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/ANSWERS/2004/ANS01325.html).
External links
- Pfizer official site (http://www.depo-provera.com/)
- Feminist Women's Health Center fact sheet (http://www.fwhc.org/birth-control/bcdepo.htm)