HEALTH RISK ADMITTED IN DEPO-PROVERA CONTRACEPTIVE INJECTION

LONDON, England, September 4, 2002 (LSN.ca) – The scientific community is tentatively admitting health risks associated with Depo-Provera contraceptive injections, billed as a “convenient alternative for women” rather than swallowing the pill every day.  A new study from Britain’s Imperial College School of Medicine has found that users “may suffer physical changes which increase their risk of heart disease.” Scientists say they have no direct proof, but that “there is enough evidence to concern women” who already have heart disease risk factors, such as smokers. The effect of the drug seems to be to restrict the ability of arteries to contract and expand, making them more vulnerable to clogging and hardening.  A spokesman said the UK’s Family Planning Association is not prepared to comment until it has had a chance to “study” the research, published in the medical journal Circulation. Ironically, injections have been prescribed for years to women whom doctors believed had a higher risk of heart problems—because the pill has “been shown to increase the risk of blood clots,” the BBC reports. So far, no one has concluded that women should in future be warned about health risks of *both* injections and the pill.  For a BBC News story see:  https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2231609.stm   To read the abstract from Circulation see:  https://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/106/10/1224