Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Controlled Clinical Trial
. 2009 Mar;200(3):329.e1-8.
doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2008.12.052.

Changes in weight, total fat, percent body fat, and central-to-peripheral fat ratio associated with injectable and oral contraceptive use

Abbey B Berenson  1 , Mahbubur Rahman
Affiliations
Controlled Clinical Trial

Changes in weight, total fat, percent body fat, and central-to-peripheral fat ratio associated with injectable and oral contraceptive use

Abbey B Berenson et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2009 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine changes in bodyweight and composition that result from hormonal contraception.

Study design: Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry was performed at baseline and every 6 months for 3 years for 703 women (African American, 200; white, 247; Hispanic, 256) who were beginning the use of oral contraception (OC; n = 245), depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA; n = 240), or nonhormonal contraception (NH; n = 218). DMPA discontinuers were observed for up to 2 years to examine the reversibility of the observed changes.

Results: Over 36 months, DMPA users increased their weight (+5.1 kg), body fat (+4.1 kg), percent body fat (+3.4%), and central-to-peripheral fat ratio (+0.1) more than OC and NH users (P < .01). OC use did not cause weight gain. After DMPA discontinuation, NH users lost 0.42 kg in 6 months; OC users gained 0.43 kg in 6 months.

Conclusion: Bodyweight and fat significantly increase with the use of DMPA. After discontinuation of DMPA, some decrease in bodyweight and fat occurs when NH is used.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow of recruitment and retention across the study.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Changes in (A) body weight, (B) percent body fat, (C) total body fat, (D) central to peripheral fat ratio, and (E) lean mass by contraceptive method over 36 months of follow-up. Red squares = depot medroxyprogesterone acetate; green triangles = nonhormonal contraception; black diamonds = oral contraceptives. Solid lines = modeled change; dashed lines = observed change.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kaunitz AM, Miller PD, Rice VM, Ross D, McClung MR. Bone mineral density in women aged 25–35 years receiving depot medroxyprogesterone acetate: recovery following discontinuation. Contraception. 2006;74:90–9. - PubMed
    1. Polaneczky M, Liblanc M. Long-term depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera) use in inner-city adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 1998;23:81–8. - PubMed
    1. Templeman C, Boyd H, Hertweck SP. Depomedroxyprogesterone acetate use and weight gain among adolescents. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol. 2000;13:45–6. - PubMed
    1. Bahamondes L, Del Castillo S, Tabares G, Arce XE, Perrotti M, Petta C. Comparison of weight increase in users of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate and copper IUD up to 5 years. Contraception. 2001;64:223–5. - PubMed
    1. Clark MK, Dillon JS, Sowers M, Nichols S. Weight, fat mass, and central distribution of fat increase when women use depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate for contraception. Int J Obes (Lond) 2005;29:1252–8. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances