Depo
is available in injectable form.IT
is Injected into the buttock or arm and is often given during the first
5 days after menstruation. 24 hours after injection depo is effective.dOSES
OF the 150 mg/ml sterile aqueous solution LAST FOR 13-20 WEEKS, however
women are advised to get an injection every 12 weeks.If
a dose is late back up birth control should be used for the two weeks.
Effectiveness
Depo-Provera
is one of the most effect methods of birth control available.Occording
to many sources Depo has a 99.7% effectiveness rate.It
is more effective then tubal ligation, vasectomy and oral contraceptives
which have 1-3% failure rate.
Miranda
Duschack
Human
Bio II
Feb.
18, 2003
What it is and How
it works
Depo-Provera
(medroxyprogesterone acetate) is a prescription method of hormonal birth
control.It contains a synthetic
version of the hormone PROGESTIN that is similar to naturally occurring
progesterone.Progestin steroidal
medications prevent ovulation by suppression of hypothalamic releasing
factors; this suppresses pituitary secretion of follicle-stimulating and
luteinizing hormones.Depo provides
progestins at a constant level, which stops the natural production of progesterone
and estrogen.In conjunction with
suppressing ovulation, progestin produces highly viscous cervical mucus
that impairs sperm penetration.Progestin
also produces an endometruim lining that is unfavorable for blastocyst
(fertilized egg) implantation.Often
depo inhibitsmenstruation.
DEPO-PROVERA
Prescription Hormonal Birth Control
SIDE
EFFECTS
Depo-Provera
drastically changes women’s menstrual cycles.Effects
on the menstrual cycle include irregular and unpredictable bleeding or
spotting, after the first year of use 2 out of three women have no menstrual
bleeding at all.Regular menstrual
cycles and decreased fertility may last for up 12 months after discontinuing
treatment.
Depo
use causes a loss in bone density that may or may not be reversible after
stopping the doses.The mean bone
density loss is 2.74%However in
women 18-21 the average bone densitywas
10.5% lower than in women of the same age not taking depo. It is suggested
to ingest 1500 mg of calcium while on depo.
70%
of women experience a weight gain of over 3 pounds.Almost
half of the women using depo gain 5 pounds, and many gain more than 10
pounds.
Long-term
use of depo may cause low estrogen levels.
Because
progestational drugs may cause fluid retention, conditions that are influenced
by fluid retention may be worsened.These
are: epilepsy, migraine, asthma, and cardiac or renal dysfunction.
WARNINGS
Progestational
drugs, such as Depo-Provera, have significant harmful effects upon a fetus
during the first 4 months of pregnancy.These
include genital abnormalities such ashypospadias
in male fetuses and mild genital viriliztion of the external genitalia
of the female fetus.It is therefore
extremely important to get a negative result to a pregnancy test before
administering depo.
Although
the effect upon the baby is unknown, porgestational drugs are detectable
in breast milk.It is advised that
women not take depo while they are lactating.
Depo-Provera
has been associated with causing thromboembolic disorders such as: thrombophlebitis,
cerebro-vascular disorder, pulmonary embolism, and retinal thrombosis.It
has also been associated with the sudden partial or complete loss of vision.If
any of the above are noted or suspected, use of depo should immediately
be stopped.
Women
with a strong family history of breast cancer, fibrosis or nodules should
be carefully monitored as rates of these conditions may be increased.
EPIEMIOLOGY
Depo-Provera
has been available in the USA since 1992.There
have been an estimated 30 million users in the US since its creation in
1960.Currently there are 3.5 million
users in the US.
COST
Each
injection, available from the manufacturer Pharmacia & Upjohn, costs
about $40, so a year’s supply of 4 injections costs approximately $160.
SOURCES
University
of Chicago http://scc.bsd.chicago.eud/depoprovera.htm
Women’s
Health Services
www.allwomens.org.services.depo.htm
Family
Practice Notebook.com
Article:
Bone Density is Women Using Depo-Provera from www.naturalchildbirth.org/natural/resources/risk/risk15.htm
www.Pharmacia&Upjohn.com
Williams
Obstetrics 19th Edition