Victor R. Claveau, MJ
Depo-Provera is a type of sex hormone called a progestin (more specifically, depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate, or DMPA). It works by decreasing ovulation and by changing the lining of a woman’s uterus. Norplant (another carrier of progestin) is placed into rubber-like tubes and placed under the skin of a woman and left there for up to five years. Norplant and Depo-Provera are abortifacient; both cause an early abortion when conception does occur. Women who use Norplant will probably experience more than one abortion each year since the average woman ovulates in more than 40% of her cycles while taking Norplant.[i] Norplant users can experience headaches, heavy and continuous menstrual bleeding, blood clots, nausea, excessive weight gain, abdominal pain, breast tenderness, depression, and vision impairment. Depo-Provera may theoretically cause just as many abortions as Norplant since it is also a type of progestin.
One estimate by Pharmacists for Life International is that the IUD, Norplant and Depo-provera result in 6 to 8.6 million infant homicides per year.[ii]
Major studies have found that women who had taken Depo-Provera for between 2 and 3 years before the age of 25 had a 310% statistically greater risk of getting breast cancer whereas women who had taken Depo-Provera for more than 3 years prior to the age of 25 had a 190% increased risk.[iii] In addition, in 2004, Pfizer, the manufacturer of Depo-Provera, announced that the drug may cause a significant loss of bone mineral density, that the loss increases with duration of use, and that the loss may not be completely reversible.[iv] In one study on Depo-Provera, researchers found women had declines in bone mineral density averaging 3 percent annually. Those taking shots for two years had losses in bone mineral density of roughly 6 percent, compared with a loss of 2.6 percent among women on birth control pills.[v]How many women and adolescent girls have been unnecessarily exposed to an increased risk of osteoporosis as a result of using Depo-Provera?
Another researcher has found that women who had received injectable progestins (i.e., usually Depo-Provera) for at least five years and who had used them at least five years ago, suffered a 430% increased risk of obtaining cervical cancer.[vi]
Several studies have shown that women who receive injectable progestins have a much higher rate of contracting the AIDS virus if their partner has it, with one study showing a 240% increased risk.[vii]
Norplant, which was developed later than Depo-Provera, has received less scrutiny, but there is no reason to believe that Norplant is any less dangerous than Depo–Provera, and when one considers the fact that women keep this hormone in their bodies for 5 years at a time, it could cause a significantly higher risk than Depo–Provera.[viii]
By 1996, more than 50,000 women had filed lawsuits, including 70 class actions, against Wyeth Pharmaceutical Company and/or its subsidiaries, or doctors who prescribed Norplant.[ix] Wyeth never lost a Norplant lawsuit. On August 26, 1999, after winning 3 jury verdicts, 20 pretrial summary judgments and the dismissal of 14,000 claims, Wyeth offered out-of-court cash settlements of $1,500 each to about 36,000 women who contended that they had not been adequately warned about possible side effects of Norplant.[x] The crux of the matter is that it has been said that birth control pills usually act by contraception, that any abortions that result should be accepted as an unfortunate accident. This is a little like saying that it’s alright to fire a gun randomly in the dark, as you usually won’t hit anybody, and in the few cases when you do, it should be accepted as an unfortunate accident.
[i] Croxatto HB, Diaz S, et al. Plasma progesterone levels during long-term treatment with levonorgestrel silastic implants. Acta Endocrinologica 1982; 101: 307-311.
[ii] Infant Homicides through Contraceptives, 2000, 4th edition. Bogomir M Kuhar, Pharm D, BS Pharm, FASCP. Eternal Life Publishing, Bardstown, KY.
[iii] Skegg DCG, Noonan EA, et al. Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate and breast cancer [A pooled analysis of the World Health Organization and New Zealand studies]. JAMA. 1995: 799-804.
[iv] http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/SAFETY/2004/DepoProvera_deardoc.pdf
[v] Effects of hormonal contraception on bone mineral density after 24 months of use. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-0587, USA.
[vi] Herrero et al. Injectable contraceptives and risk of invasive cervical cancer: evidence of an association. Int. J. of Cancer. 1990; 46: 5-7.
[vii] Ungchusak, et al. Determinants of HIV infection among female commercial sex workers in northeastern Thailand: results from a longitudinal study. J Ac Immune Defic Syn Hum Retro. 1996; 12: 500-507.
[viii] White E, Malone K, Weiss N, Daling J. Breast cancer among young U.S. women in relation to oral contraceptive use. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1994; 86: 505-514.
[ix] Erica Johnson. Medical device lawsuit“, CBC news, April 1, 2003.
[x] Morrow, David J. (August 27, 1999). Maker of Norplant Offers a Settlement in Suit Over Effects. The New York Times: p. A.1.