Women at risk of gaining excessive weight with injectable birth control identified by UTMB study

Medical News Today, July 27, 2009

A study by UTMB’s Yen-Chi L. Le, Mahbubur Rahman and Dr. Abbey Berenson identified that some women are more likely to gain weight while using depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, more commonly known as Depo-Provera or the birth control shot. These findings dispel the myth that all women who use DMPA will gain weight and will help physicians to counsel patients appropriately. "DMPA-related weight gain is linked to increased abdominal fat, a known component of metabolic syndrome, which raises the risk of obesity-related conditions such as cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes," Berenson said. Science Daily published its own version of the article.