{"id":11565,"date":"2021-02-09T12:10:39","date_gmt":"2021-02-09T18:10:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/topics\/hiv-transmission\/"},"modified":"2025-05-08T11:52:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T16:52:39","slug":"%d0%bf%d0%b5%d1%80%d0%b5%d0%b4%d0%b0%d1%87%d0%b0-%d0%b2%d0%b8%d1%87","status":"publish","type":"topics","link":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/ru\/topic\/hiv-transmission\/","title":{"rendered":"\u041f\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0434\u0430\u0447\u0430 \u0412\u0418\u0427 \u0438 \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0442\u0438\u0432\u043e\u0437\u0430\u0447\u0430\u0442\u043e\u0447\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u0443\u043a\u043e\u043b\u044b Depo Provera"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most women know that pharmaceutical birth control does not protect against STDs. But did you know that certain forms of birth control can actually increase your risk for contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which\u2014 if left untreated\u2014may progress to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)?  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we shared in our webcast<\/a> on its risks, Depo-Provera (also referred to as DMPA, or DMPA-IM), a brand of birth control that is often referred to as \u201cthe birth control shot,\u201d is one such form of birth control that is so risky for users that a group of doctors and researchers have <\/span>petitioned the FDA<\/span><\/a> for its complete removal from the market. While all forms of pharmaceutical birth control come with side effects, the FDA petitioners claim the health complications of the Depo-Provera birth control shot are too high to justify the benefits of pregnancy prevention. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doctors and researchers who petitioned the FDA presented evidence that conclusively shows that Depo-Provera is responsible for increased transmission of HIV from men to women. Again, if left untreated, HIV will progress to the deadly disease known as AIDS.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to UNAIDS<\/a>, between 39 million people globally were living with HIV in 2022. An estimated 630,000 people globally died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2019. Sub-Saharan Africa alone contains more than two-thirds of all people living with HIV globally. Notably, according to data from the United Nations, <\/span>Depo-Provera is the most popular method of contraception in Sub-Saharan Africa.<\/span><\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2016<\/span> <\/span>meta-analysis<\/span><\/a> of global survival rates from HIV diagnosis to AIDS onset, and from AIDS onset to death, found that \u201cthe majority of HIV-positive patients progress to AIDS within the first decade of diagnosis. Most patients who receive highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) will survive for >10 years after the onset of AIDS, whereas the majority of the patients who do not receive HAART die within 2 years of the onset of AIDS.\u201d <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite significant advances in HAART, HIV is clearly still an extremely serious and deadly disease. And although Depo-Provera carries the increased risk of HIV transmission, this side effect is currently not reported by mainstream sources of contraceptive information, such as <\/span>Planned Parenthood<\/span><\/a>. Notably, when discussing the side effects and disadvantages of Depo-Provera, Planned Parenthood also neglects to mention another serious, well-established risk of the birth control shot: <\/span>bone mineral density loss<\/span><\/a>, which leads to an increased risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis later in life for women.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding the ECHO study on Depo-Provera users<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As it happens, the ECHO study <\/span>did <\/span><\/i>find that compared to the use of the levonorgestrel implant, Depo-Provera use was associated with an increased risk of HIV infection (with a hazard ratio of 1.29, as seen in their \u201ccontinuous use\u201d dataset in <\/span>Table 2<\/span><\/a>, almost identical to the Morrison SRMA trial, which concluded an increased HIV risk with Depo-Provera use). However, the study wasn\u2019t statistically powered to measure the percent increased risk of hazard ratios below 1.3 (which would indicate a 30% increased risk). So while we can\u2019t conclude with certainty from these data what exactly the increased HIV infection risk of Depo-Provera is, it does seem that there is at least <\/span>some <\/span><\/i>increased level of risk (especially when considered with other robust studies which have indicated similar levels of increased risk), despite the ECHO Consortium\u2019s insistence to the contrary.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the ECHO study, the exact level of risk has been obscured for unknown reasons, making it difficult for women to get accurate information about HIV risk and Depo-Provera. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since other robust studies have indicated an increased risk of contracting HIV for Depo-Provera users\u2014even if it\u2019s less than a 50% increase\u2014women should be informed of it so that they may consent to taking the risk. Greater transparency about birth control risks is, in fact, what motivated the Citizen\u2019s Petition writers to urge the FDA that, of all the birth control methods available, Depo-Provera should be removed from the market. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given how many highly effective methods of birth control are available to women today, there is little justification for downplaying the risks women face by receiving the Depo-Provera birth control shot. If you have had a negative experience with the birth control shot, we encourage you to <\/span>submit your experience<\/span><\/a> as a comment on the FDA petition.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen to our Depo-Provera webcast replay here<\/a>.  <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click on \u201cReferences\u201d below to view scientific references for HIV transmission and its connections to birth control use.<\/p>\n\n\n