Mood Changes in Adolescents Using Depot-Medroxyprogesterone Acetate for Contraception: A Prospective Study

Abstract Study Objective: Depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is thought to cause changes in mood among patients using it for contraception. The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in negative and positive affect among adolescent females using DMPA as a contraceptive agent. Design, Setting, Participants: This prospective study was set in an urban hospital adolescent clinic. Thirty-nine adolescents choosing DMPA as a contraceptive agent and 24 adolescents not using any hormonal contraception were enrolled as subjects and controls, respectively. Two standardized questionnaires, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist–Revised (MAACL-R), were administered at baseline to all participants and readministered at 3, 6, and 12 months. Main Outcome Measures: Changes in negative affect from baseline to 3, 6, and 12 months were evaluated by the BDI and by “dysphoria” subscale scores of the MAACL-R. Paired t -tests were used to measure these changes in subjects and controls separately. Results: The mean change in BDI scores from baseline to one year for those who completed one year was −4.8 for subjects ( P = .02) and +.3 ( P = .84) for controls. The mean change in the dysphoria subscale scores was −5.7 ( P = .21) for the subjects and −.1 ( P = .98) for the controls while the change in the positive affect scores over a period of one year were −2.1 ( P = .46) and +.1 ( P = .98) for subjects and controls, respectively. Conclusions: Adolescents using DMPA do not show depressive symptoms when using DMPA as a contraceptive agent over a period of 12 months as measured by the BDI and show no significant changes in negative or positive affect as measured by the MAACL-R.