Researchers studied depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), commonly known by the brand name Depo-Provera. The drug affects the arteries' ability to "respond to different stimuli and particularly affects the ability of the artery to dilate," says senior author, Dudley J. Pennell, M.D., a professor of cardiology at the Imperial College School of Medicine in London. Problems with arterial response can reduce blood flow, which can damage the heart.
DMPA had been considered a good drug for women who may have some cardiac risk factors such as smoking or high blood pressure or a family history of heart disease, Pennell says. But the new findings suggest that women with cardiovascular disease risk factors "would be wise to review that decision with their physician."
Pennell and colleagues measured vascular function in women who used DMPA for at least a year and compared the results to those of women who didn't use DMPA. They evaluated vascular function by measuring changes in the brachial artery (the artery in the arm where blood pressure is usually measured) using cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR).
Twelve women taking DMPA and nine controls completed two brachial artery evaluations by CMR. Researchers evaluated the DMPA group at the end of a three-month DMPA cycle and within 48 hours of a new DMPA injection. They evaluated controls during the first 1-3 days of a menstrual cycle and again when the women were ovulating.
DMPA blocks hormonal signals that activate ovulation, so women using DMPA have very low circulating levels of estradiol, the estrogen produced by ovaries. In the controls, CMR studies were do
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Contact: Carole Bullock
carole.bullock@heart.org
214-706-1279
American Heart Association
2-Sep-2002