Depo-Provera use in an Australian metropolitan practice

To review the characteristics and experience of Australian women treated with depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) in one gynaecological practice in Melbourne since 1973.

A detailed retrospective review of clinical data on 363 women treated with a total of 2298 injections of DMPA over the past 20 years.

The main indication was contraception, although a substantial minority (20%) were treated with DMPA predominantly for medical indications such as endometriosis. No pregnancy occurred within three months of an injection. There was also high acceptability, with a mean of 6.3 injections per subject, and a mean overall follow-up of 43.3 months. The median delay in the return of fertility in those wishing to conceive immediately was 9.2 months. Only one patient complained of difficulty in conceiving. Menstrual bleeding disturbances only led to 7.3% of the discontinuations, although fairly frequent use of short courses of oral oestrogen (in 40% of women) was employed in the early months of DMPA treatment. Other side effects were relatively infrequent, the most common being superficial dyspareunia or reduced libido (in 8%).

This much maligned drug merits a legitimate place among the contraceptive choices available for Australian women. Accurate, unbiased information about the extensive worldwide experience needs to be made available to all Australian medical practitioners.