Subcutaneous versus Intramuscular Depot Methoxyprogesterone Acetate: A Comparative Review

review OA: gold CC0 ⤵ 4 in-corpus citations
AI-generated summary by gemini-2.5-flash-lite, 2026-06-07

This review compares subcutaneous and intramuscular depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, finding the newer subcutaneous formulation equally effective but with fewer side effects for contraception and endometriosis pain management.

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Abstract

Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA; Depo-Provera) is a highly effective and convenient contraceptive method that has been used worldwide for many decades. Recently, a new lower dose of DMPA, administered as a subcutaneous injection, has been approved for use in the USA as a contraceptive and a treatment for pain associated with endometriosis. The newer formulation has a similar efficacy to the older version and, more importantly, has fewer side effects, with improved user tolerability. Similar to the intramuscular DMPA injection (Depo-Provera intramuscular or contraceptive injection), the subcutaneous injection provides effective contraceptive and pain-management therapy for endometriosis, with a 3-monthly injectable protocol for women who seek long-term and reversible contraception without the need for a daily pill or a more frequent dosing regimen.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

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Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-09-01T06:12:48.306406+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-04T00:00:01.174412+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-13T22:15:23.967219+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK