Effects of the long-term use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate as hormonal contraceptive on bone mineral density and biochemical markers of bone remodeling.

Purpose And Method: Our objective is to evaluate the effects of the long-term use of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) as a method of contraception on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone remodeling. Forty women (21-44 years old) who used DMPA for contraception for <1, 1-2 and >5 years, in addition to 20 age-matched healthy women (nonusers), participated in this study. Lumbar spine BMD (LS-BMD) was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptionmetry.