Depo-Provera Weight Gain Studied

Not all women who get the birth control shot (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate or Depo-Provera) will gain weight.

However, women who experience a 5% weight gain in the first six months of use are at continued risk for further weight gain that may be excessive. That’s what researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston found in their recent study that took a look at weight gain and the birth control shot.

The study found that while the early gainers were in danger of continued, possibly severe weight gain, most women (75% of users) experienced little or no weight gain while getting the shot. The research included 240 women ages 16-33. They used the birth control shot for up to three years.

Researchers found that early gainers had three risk factors:

• body mass index under 30
• having children before starting the shot
• self-reported increase in appetite after six months starting on the shot

Study authors suggest that doctors monitor weight closely with three-month follow-up visits during the first six months of Depo-Provera use. The research appears in the August issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

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