Prior studies have demonstrated the association between Depo-Provera with both weight gain and blood pressure. Side effects of this contraceptive method include: changes in menstrual patterns, loss of bone mineral density and risk of weight gain. The recommended dose of this contraceptive is 150 mg, administered by deep intramuscular (IM) injection at the interval of 3 months using strict aseptic technique in the gluteal or deltoid muscle. Depo-Provera is among a highly effective, convenient non-daily injectable hormonal contraceptive option with a very low failure rate that has been available worldwide for many years. Among the different methods of family planning, injectable hormonal contraceptives Depo-Provera (Depo-medroxyprogesterone acetate) are the most popular contraceptive methods in Sub-Saharan Africa including Ethiopia, contributing to about 40% of the total method mix in the region. In Ethiopia, the family planning service is provided by both governmental and NGO health facilities, including hospitals, clinics, health centers, and health stations. Increased use of family planning methods help to bring these figures down to low levels in less developed countries like Ethiopia. In Ethiopia average total fertility rate is 4.1, which is among the highest in the world. Worldwide average fertility rate is 1.7 in developed countries compared to 4.6 children per woman in least developed countries. The finding of this study revealed that there is an increased weight gain and BMI among Depo-Provera users compared to non-users, which really requires attention of health professionals and other stake holders. There was no significant difference in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) of Depo-Provera users compared to controls or their respective pretreatment value (p-value = 0.85 for Depo-Provera users and 0.67 for non-users). The mean weight and body mass index (BMI) of Depo-Provera users were increased significantly (p = 0.02 for mean body weight and p = 0.019, for body mass index). P-value ≤ 0.05 were considered as statistically significant.
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Paired t test, independent t-test and ANOVA were used to evaluate the presence of mean difference and relationship between changes in variables and duration of use of Depo-Provera. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 software. Institution based cross-sectional study design was conducted from January 2017 to April 2017. Therefore, this study is aimed at to investigate the effects of Depo-Provera on body weight and blood pressure among Ethiopian women.
It has some adverse effects like changes in menstrual pattern, loss in bone mineral density and risk of weight gain. Depo-Provera is an injectable contraceptive method containing medroxyprogesterone acetate.