| Abstract: | When deciding on the choice of a contraceptive, it is necessary to determine whether the method is to be permanent or reversible. If permanent, then the menstrual irregularities, the weight gain, headaches and subjective side effects of depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) would suggest that it is not the most appropriate contraceptive for use up to the onset of menopause. Indeed there would be difficulty, given the frequent incidence of amenorrhea, in determining when this had occurred. If the contraception required is to be reversible, then it would be essential to inform the women that, provided she is of proven fertility, her chance of becoming pregnant after the use of DMPA is severely limited for 12 months after her last injection, and that she will have a conception rate of 75% by 15 months and 95% by 24 months. Very few women planning further pregnancies would tolerate that sort of delay in return of fertility, which makes the reliable spacing of their pregnancies impossible. DMPA seems not be the most appropriate agent for permanent contraception, for nulliparous women, for lactating women, or for women planning to space their pregnancies as accurately as possible. Sensitive discussion and accurate information on the advantages, disadvantages and relative reliability of all the available methods of contraception (hormonal, chemical, mechanical, barrier, and natural methods) should enable the woman, in consultation with her sexual partner and her medical practitioner, to choose the method most appropriate to her current and future needs. On the basis of the most recent information about DMPA, it is doubtful that DMPA will ever be the most appropriate choice. |
