Depo-Provera contraceptive may increase risk of cardiovascular disease

doi:10.1136/bmj.325.7363.513

BMJ 2002;325:513 ( 7 September )

News roundup

Depo-Provera contraceptive may increase risk of cardiovascular disease

Xavier Bosch Barcelona

The long acting contraceptive Depo-Provera (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, DMPA) may increase the risk of heart disease in women taking the drug for more than a year, new research has suggested.

The study, due to be published on 17 September in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association, and already available on line (www.circ.ahajournals.org/), shows that the contraceptive can impair arterial responsiveness to increased blood flow as a result of endothelial cell abnormality.

Lead author Professor Dudley Pennell of the Royal Brompton Hospital, London, says that long term users with risk factors for heart disease "would be wise to review" with their doctor whether to continue using the drug.

DMPA is one of several long acting hormonal contraceptive methods used by women in developing countries, where local health services are often inadequate or non-existent. In developed nations, where non-compliance may be . . . [Full text of this article]

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