DEPO-PROVERA

has anyone heard about the possible effects of taking this drug? i heard on the news the other night that it could cause mineral bone loss. my OBGYN has me on this for contraceptive uses only. any thoughts on this is greately appreciative. happy turkey day all!!! jennifer

About Loss of Bone Mineral Density: I believe that weight loss surgery certainly is a risk factor because it has been shown to decrease BMD especially early after surgery. Calcium is certainly one of the vitamins that is malabsorbed and requires supplementation. If you add any of the risk factors listed this would put you at higher risk for osteoporosis (bone fractures with age). Here is the FDA excerpt: "Use of Depo-Provera CI reduces serum estrogen levels and is associated with significant loss of bone mineral density (BMD) as bone metabolism accommodates to a lower estrogen level. This loss of BMD is of particular concern during adolescence and early adulthood, a critical period of bone accretion. It is unknown if use of Depo-Provera CI by younger women will reduce peak bone mass and increase the risk for osteoporotic fracture in later life. In both adults and adolescents, the decrease in BMD appears to be at least partially reversible after Depo-Provera CI is discontinued and ovarian estrogen production increases. A study to assess the reversibility of loss of BMD in adolescents is ongoing. Depo-Provera CI should be used as a long-term birth control method (e.g. longer than 2 years) only if other birth control methods are inadequate. BMD should be evaluated when a woman needs to continue to use Depo-Provera CI long term. In adolescents, interpretation of BMD results should take into account patient age and skeletal maturity. Other birth control methods should be considered in the risk/benefit analysis for the use of Depo-Provera CI in women with osteoporosis risk factors. Depo-Provera CI can pose an additional risk in patients with risk factors for osteoporosis (e.g., metabolic bone disease, chronic alcohol and/or tobacco use, anorexia nervosa, strong family history of osteoporosis or chronic use of drugs that can reduce bone mass such as anticonvulsants or corticosteroids). Although there are no studies addressing whether calcium and Vitamin D may lessen BMD loss in women using Depo-Provera CI, all patients should have adequate calcium and Vitamin D intake." It depends on length of treatment and how early you started its use. It does say that it should only be used if other forms are inadequate. Definitely discuss its use with your PCP. I hope this helps. Sincerely, Calvin Selwyn, M.D. Assistant Professor of Surgery UC Center for Surgical Weight Loss

i was on depo for about 4 years and loved it - never had a period the entire time and thought that it was the greatest thing ever. after i went off of the depo, it took me 6 mos. to have a period - it lasted 3 months and i ended up in the er hemorraging. they did an emergency d&c which cleared things right up. but, again... no period for about another 6 mos. about 3 1/2 months later i ended up back in the er. my gyn came in and told me basically that i had 2 choices: a hysterectomy (i was 27) or this ablation thing. but then told me that i would have to be careful because with the ablation, there would be a small chance that i would still be able to get pregnant. i wanted more kids at some point, so i went with that. i guess what they did was go in and burn away the lining of my uterus. so, i don't have periods anymore at all. since then, i've gotten married and my husband and i looked into what the odds were of getting pregnant. what we found out was that: 1)it would be very rare 2)would only happen if there was still some leftover tissue in my uterus that didn't get destroyed that the egg could attach itself to and 3)if i did get pregnant, i would have to terminate the pregnancy because there would be no possibility of a healthy pregnancy and it would be extremely dangerous for me. depo was also responsible for major weight gain, migraines, complete lack of sex drive, and an atypical cyst that had to be removed from my breast. it's not worth it. do a lot of research online - if i had seen what is out there on depo, i would have never taken it. just be careful.