The effect of past use of the injectable contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate on bone mineral density in normal post-menopausal women.

ABSTRACT

PIP: The possibility that use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) has residual effects on postmenopausal bone mineral density was assessed in a cross-sectional study of 346 postmenopausal former users of DMPA and controls from Auckland, New Zealand. 34 women (10%) reported past use of DMPA, for a median duration of 3 years, starting at a median age of 41 years. Dual-energy, x-ray absorptiometry failed to reveal significant differences between past users of DMPA and never-users in bone density in the spine, proximal femur, or total body. However, in women who had used DMPA for more than 2 years, there was a nonsignificant trend toward lower bone densities in former users compared with never-users. The difference between mean measurements was 1.6% in the lumbar spine (p = 0.6), 3.1% in the femoral neck (p = 0.4), and 0.5% in the total body (p = 0.8). There was no correlation between bone densities and the duration of DMPA use, age at discontinuation of DMPA use, or the time between DMPA discontinuation and menopause. These findings suggest that any residual effects of DMPA use on postmenopausal bone density are likely to be small and without a substantial impact on fracture risk.