Effects of Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate and 20-Microgram Oral Contraceptives on Bone Mineral Density
Berenson AB, Rahman M, Breitkopf CR, Bi LX.
Obstet Gynecol 2008;112:788–799.
Hormonal contraceptives negatively affect bone mass density (BMD), but the effect is small and reversible. Low-dose OCs in young women are associated with less than 0.5% BMD loss in the hip and spine.
Berenson and colleagues also looked at BMD changes with DMPA and found up to a 5% loss. This is potentially significant in young women. They discovered that the effect was temporary and those who stopped using DMPA gained BMD at about 2.5% per year.
Overall, the benefits of hormonal contraception far outweigh the risks.
Footnotes
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