Researchers compared the bone density of 183 women ages 18-39 who had been receiving medroxyprogesterone (Depo-Provera) injections for a varying number of years with that of 274 women of a similar age who had not. They found that the average bone density among those using medroxyprogesterone was 2.5% lower at the spine and 2.2% lower at the femoral neck than non-users. The most striking differences were seen in women ages 18-21, where the average bone density was 10.5% lower at the femoral neck and 9.4% lower at the spine than that in the control group. They suggest that greater bone loss in younger women is probably the result of estrogen depletion, an effect of medroxyprogesterone, while they are still actively acquiring bone mass.
Reprinted from Midwifery Today E-News (Vol 1 Issue 51, Dec 17, 1999)
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