by Jonathan Abbamonte
Meta-analysis finds higher incidence of HIV infection among women using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA)
A new peer-reviewed study shows that women who use Depo-Provera are significantly more likely to acquire HIV.
Due to significant funding from organizations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Depo-Provera
is the most widely used form of birth control by women in Sub-Saharan Africa where HIV prevalence remains high. It is possible that international
aid program’s procurement of DMPA contraceptives could be contributing to the spread of AIDS.
Depo-Provera, a popular injectable contraceptive owned by Pfizer, Inc., is a long-term non-permanent steroidal method of birth control. Depot medroxyprogesterone
acetate (DMPA) is the active ingredient in injectables like Depo-Provera.
The meta-analysis was drawn from 24 studies making it the most comprehensive study of its kind to date. Researchers found that women who use DMPA were
almost 50% more likely to acquire HIV than women not using hormonal contraceptives (HR=1.49, 95% CI 1.28-1.73). In total, 88% of cross-sectional
studies and 75% of longitudinal studies demonstrated a higher risk among DMPA users.
Joel Brind, Professor of Biology and Endocrinology at the City University of New York, Steven Condly, Research Psychologist at the U.S. Military Academy,
Steven W. Mosher President of the Population Research Institute, Anne Morse, and Jennifer Kimball, Adjunct Professor of Bioethics at the Ave Maria
School of Law participated in the study.
According to figures reported to UNFPA, approximately 70% of injectable contraceptives procured worldwide from 2012 to 2013 by international aid programs
were for Sub-Saharan African countries.
For more information, visit: https://www.pop.org/depo-