No weight gain in short term with Depo-Provera. (8-Week Trial).

WASHINGTON -- The latest data on Depo-Provera and weight gain indicate that, at least in the short term, use of the injectable contraceptive is not associated with weight gain.

That finding emerged from a small, randomized, placebo-controlled 8-week trial that produced good quality data, unlike previously reported studies of weight gain in DEPO-PROVERA users, Dr. Andrew M. Kaunitz said during the annual meeting of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals.

Dr. Kaunitz is a consultant to and has conducted clinical trials for Pharmacia Corp., manufacturer of Depo-Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate).

In the state-of-the-art metabolic study of 20 student volunteers of normal weight, 10 received one injection of Depo-Provera and 10 received a placebo injection.

After 8 weeks, no weight gain, increase in appetite, or change in basal metabolic rate was seen in either group (Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 73[1]:19-26, 2001), said Dr. Kautnitz, who was not an investigator in the trial.

Larger long-term, randomized, controlled studies that focus on weight and enroll users and nonusers who are otherwise comparable are still needed to definitively address the question of whether the high-dose progestin-only contraceptive causes weight gain, said Dr. Kaunitz, who is professor and assistant chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Florida Health Science Center, Jacksonville.

Until these data are available, he advised sharing the results of this study and other available information with patients in addition to basic advice about exercise and good nutrition.