The effect of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate contraceptive on body weight and blood pressure in indigenous Kenyan women

Abstract

Background: Concern has been raised that depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) contraceptive leads to weight gain and possibly rise in blood pressure among its users. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the magnitude of body weight and blood pressure changes in indigenous Kenyan women on DMPA contraceptive and assess whether these changes lead to stoppage of its use as a contraceptive. Study Design: This was a prospective cohort study Study Setting: Family Welfare Centre at Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya Subjects and Methods: The study subjects were 50 black normotensive Kenyan women aged 20-40 years newly accepting DMPA as a method of contraception while the control group comprised 50 black normotensive Kenyan women aged 20-40 years newly accepting non-hormonal copper-bearing intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUCD) for contraception The subjects and control group were chosen through simple random sampling technique. Results: The mean age of DMPA users was 27.880 years vs 30260 years for IUCD users, 2-tailed p-value 0.0269. The mean parity, marital status, occupation, religion and number of years in school were similar among DMPA and IUCD users.