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Some women using injectable birth control show an increased risk for bone loss
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More than 47% of women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate experienced high bone mineral density loss in the hip or lower spine within 2 years of beginning the contraceptive, according to the findings of a recent study published in Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The research included 95 women who had used depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) for 2 years. During follow-up, Mahbubur Rahman, MD, PhD, MPH, and colleagues at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston discovered that 45 women (47.4%) had at least 5% bone mineral density (BMD) loss at the lumbar spine or femoral neck at 24 months.
The investigators found that BMD loss of at least 5% was associated with current smoking, calcium intake and parity among DMPA-users. Age, race-ethnicity, previous contraceptive use and BMI were not associated with higher BMD loss.
When the investigators followed 27 women for an additional year, they found that those who experienced significant BMD loss in the first 2 years continued to lose bone mass, especially at the hip.
The investigators concluded that the risk for higher BMD loss associated with DMPA use may be reduced by smoking cessation and increased calcium intake.
“BMD loss is not a significant concern for all women who choose DMPA,” Abbey B. Berenson, MD, MMS, director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Women’s Health at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, stated in a University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston press release. However, “based on these findings, clinicians have the information they need to recommend basic behavior changes for high-risk women to minimize BMD loss.”
For more information:
- www.utmb.edu
Reference:
- Rahman M, Berenson AB. Predictors of higher bone mineral density loss and use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate.Obstet Gynecol. 2010. Jan; 115(1): 35-40.