Forearm bone density in long-term users of oral combined contraceptives and depot medroxyprogesterone acetate

Objective: To compare the bone mineral density of users of combined oral co ntraceptives (OC) or depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (depot-MPA) with wom en who have never used a hormonal contraceptive method. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Academic tertiary-care hospital. Patient(s): A total of 189 women, aged 30 to 34 years old, were allocated t o three groups: 63 who had used OC for at least 2 years; 63 who had used de pot-MPA for at least 2 years; and 63 control women who had never used hormo nal contraceptives. Intervention(s): Each woman's bone mineral density (BMD) was evaluated at t he distal and ultradistal section of the radius of the nondominant forearm by the use of single x-ray absorptiometry. Main Outcome Measure(s): We obtained BMD measurements for each participant. Result(s): Independent of the period of use and the section of the forearm studied, we found no difference in BMD for OC or depot-MPA users when compa red to women who had never used hormonal contraceptive methods. In addition , BMD was similar between OC users and depot-MPA users. The multiple linear regression analysis showed that the variables associated with BMD were wei ght, number of pregnancies, and the woman's occupation. Conclusion(s): Women aged 30 to 34 years who have used OC or depot-NIPA hav e similar BMD as control women. These findings suggest that the use of OC o r depot-MPA does not affect the BMD of women in this age group. (Fertil Ste ril(R) 2001;76:469-73. (C) 2001 by American Society for Reproductive Medici ne.).