A Questionable Drug: Depo Provera

A Questionable Drug: Depo Provera

For decades, Depo Provera has been used around the world, not always for the same purpose. The drug, medroxyprogesterone acetate, more commonly known as Depo Provera, was originally made to be an injectable form of long-term birth control. When Depo was first approved in the US as an effective form of birth control this seemed liked a miracle drug for women. You would not have to remember to take a pill every morning, fewer side effects, even a shorter menstrual cycle. Now with more and more complaints being filed with the FDA, many are wondering if it is safe at all. As I was researching for this paper, I was beside myself with so many emotions. I was on Depo Provera for almost 3 years, so coming across all these bits of information that I feel has been hidden from me was unbelievable. When I was considering birth control, my doctor recommended this for me. I remember I asked him about any side effects and the only response he gave me was "You might gain a little weight, which you need so don't worry about anything". I have to say after researching this drug, immense

concern has consumed me, because I have discovered that Depo Provera causes long lasting ( in some cases irreversible) side effects.

When I first learned of the other uses for this drug I immediately wondered what sort of experiments had been done. Throughout my research, I have found an extremely limited number of experiments open for the public eye to view, and that fact frightened me. I was able to find four main experiments. The one with the most information was The Million Woman Study (Banks). This experiment involves roughly one million women age 50 and over that currently lived in the UK. The purpose was to find factors that may play a role in developing breast cancer. The most questioning results came from hormone replacement therapy, such as Depo Provera. The study concluded that Depo users double their risk of breast cancer. The study also concluded that the use of hormone replace therapy greatly increases the chance of heart disease.

Another study in 1998 was done by an undisclosed laboratory (qtd. Undisclosed Study). This study tested Depo Provera mainly on dogs and mice. This study had devastating effects to the animals. It revealed that with only two treatments of Depo Provera the dogs developed mammary tumors. Even more frightening was the other results that the undisclosed study revealed, after the treatments were stopped. After one year of being off the treatment, (it was reported that teratogenic effects were concluded in all the species tested,) in smaller words, it means even after stopping treatments birth defects still occurred.

There was one human testing experiment available for public viewing, unfortunately the FDA would not disclose where, when or who it was performed by. While reading this experiment it seemed to me that it was carefully planned and monitored. It involved 25 women ages 18- 35, different ethnicities. All of the women were given 100mg, (50mg less than women who receive it as birth control). They were given two treatments, one every three months, which is over the course of six months. The subjects were required to keep a journal during this time. The side effects these women listed horrified me! They started small and what I thought was somewhat predictable from a hormone treatment. Side effects would start off such as a small headache, all starting at the base of the neck. The headaches would lead to migraines and then on to bigger problems such as abdominal discomfort, anxiety, nervousness, and extreme weight gain. Other extreme side effects included breast nodules, development of dysphasias, and carcinoma insitu of the cervix. At least one of the extreme side effects was found in 19 of the 25 women tested.

The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development performed the fourth experiment I found. To conduct the study, the researchers recruited women from two Baltimore, Maryland area clinics. One clinic was within the city of Baltimore and served a predominantly African American clientele. The other was in the Baltimore suburb of Towson and predominantly served white, college-age women. The women chose whether they wanted to use Depo Provera, oral contraceptives, or a non-hormonal contraceptive method. Of the 819 women included in the study's