A study has found women receiving ‘depot medroxyprogesterone acetate’ (Depo-Provera), an injected contraceptive administered to patients every three months, within two years of it, tend to lose as much as 5% of their bone mineral density in both hip and lower spine regions.

According to the report published in the January issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, smokers, women who have never given birth, had a daily calcium intake of 600-mg or less, far below the recommended amounts seemed at highest risk, continuing to experience considerable losses in the 3rd year of use.

Age, race or ethnicity, previous contraceptive use, including body mass index were not associated with higher bone mineral density loss.

Senior study author Dr. Abbey Berenson said, women using this method of birth control are not significantly concerned about bone mineral density loss. However, based on the findings of the study, clinicians should recommend basic behavioural changes for high-risk women, to help minimize bone mineral density loss.

The two-year study involved 95-patients who had used the contraceptive injection, with 45 out of the 95-study participants losing 5% of bone mineral density in the lower back and hip region. Further research for one more year found, 27 of the study participants at high risk of bone mineral density loss, lost even more bone mass.

According to background information in the news release, there are over two million women who use the injected form of contraception in the United States.