Objective
The purpose of this study was to determine changes in bodyweight and composition that
result from hormonal contraception.
Study Design
Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry was performed at baseline and every 6 months for
3 years for 703 women (African American, 200; white, 247; Hispanic, 256) who were
beginning the use of oral contraception (OC; n = 245), depot medroxyprogesterone acetate
(DMPA; n = 240), or nonhormonal contraception (NH; n = 218). DMPA discontinuers were
observed for up to 2 years to examine the reversibility of the observed changes.
Results
Over 36 months, DMPA users increased their weight (+5.1 kg), body fat (+4.1 kg), percent
body fat (+3.4%), and central-to-peripheral fat ratio (+0.1) more than OC and NH users
(P < .01). OC use did not cause weight gain. After DMPA discontinuation, NH users lost
0.42 kg in 6 months; OC users gained 0.43 kg in 6 months.
Conclusion
Bodyweight and fat significantly increase with the use of DMPA. After discontinuation
of DMPA, some decrease in bodyweight and fat occurs when NH is used.
Key words
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Article Info
Publication History
Accepted:
December 29,
2008
Received in revised form:
November 15,
2008
Received:
June 30,
2008
Footnotes
Cite this article as: Berenson AB, Rahman M. Changes in weight, total fat, percent body fat, and central-to-peripheral fat ratio associated with injectable and oral contraceptive use. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2009;200:329.e1-329.e8.
Supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Grants R01HD39883 and K24HD043659 (A.B.B.) and General Clinical Research Centers (GCRC) program, National Center for Research Resources, NIH, M01RR000073.
Identification
Copyright
© 2009 Mosby, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
