Injectable birth control ups fracture risk

FLORENCE, Italy, May 8 (UPI) -- Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, a commonly used injectable contraceptive, is linked to a higher risk of bone fracture, U.S. and Swiss researchers say.

Researchers at the University Hospital Basel in Switzerland and the Boston University Medical Center said DMPA -- a progestin-only long acting reversible hormonal birth control drug which is injected every 3 months -- is associated with higher bone fracture risk when used alone and not in combination with estrogen.

The researchers analyzed the relationship between long-term use of DMPA -- with or without estrogen -- and the risk of fractures.

The study found for women age 50 and younger, the use of DMPA for two or more years is associated with a 50 percent increased risk of fracture, but for those using the combined estrogen-containing oral contraceptives the risk of fracture was not increased.

The study was presented at the World Congress on Osteoporosis in Florence, Italy.