Depo Provera and Weight Gain

A recent study has shown that the method of birth control where you get a shot in the arm about once every three months, known best by the brand name of Depo Provera, may cause a weight gain in specific women who are susceptible to it, that may be very hard to shed once it is put on, potentially putting them at risk for all those headaches that are associated with a higher weight like difficulty breathing, diabetes and the like.

Depo Provera is already not without it’s critics.  Many believe that it causes a higher risk of strokes and other health problems that make it not even worth the convenience it offers to women who want to use a birth control method.

The weird part about the weight gain experienced on Depo Provera is that women who were already mothers and of a normal weight were at the highest risk of early weight gain while on the contraceptive, most of them citing an almost immediate increase in their appetite after getting the injection.  The larger appetite may be explained by the alteration of hormones that are involved in hunger and satiety in the body, caused by the contraceptive method.

The study to see which women were at higher risk involved women of quite a few ethnic backgrounds, so it should have been a pretty good study outcome.  The women who gained about 5% of their current body weight within six months of getting the injections were the most likely to also continue on with the weight gain trend throughout the years.  The interesting part is that the women who gain weight early on and quickly with Depo Provera were identified as much  more likely to continue that trend than the women who were on it and gained weight at a slower pace from the onset.

For that reason, Doctors should recommend that patients who see this high increase in weight very early on the shot should seriously consider going on something different as an option so that they do not put on weight and jeopardize their health. My personal opinion on the shot is that there are better options.  I think that it causes too many complications in my opinion to be a viable birth control option that minimally interferes with a woman’s health.