Can Depo-Provera Destroy Your Sex Life?

Lora Elsom was a healthy 21-year-old woman when she went to see a doctor about birth control. The willowy blonde had recently moved in with her boyfriend. Elsom had never used any kind of chemical contraceptive, and worried about using the pill because her mother once had a bad reaction.

Like many women, Elsom saw barrier methods such as condoms and diaphragms as an ineffective choice. Despite all the promotion of condoms, men remain notoriously reluctant to use them. They commonly complain that it reduces their enjoyment. Her boyfriend was about to learn what could really reduce his enjoyment.

Elsom's doctor recommended Depo-Provera, a long-lasting birth control injection. "She says, 'This thing came out. It's great for young people. It lasts three months,'" Elsom recalled.

Elsom was told about a few potential side effects, such as the average five-pound weight gain and the possibility of irregular menstrual bleeding, but they didn't sound bad. "You feel like there's the authority figure. There's a doctor, and on top of that she's a woman," Elsom said. "So what they say is really, really valid."

She got her shot a few minutes later.

It worked -- but not in the way she imagined. For the next year, Elsom couldn't stand to have her boyfriend touch her. It took more than two years before she could actually enjoy sex again.

Turning Off Libido

Elsom is one of thousands of women who complain that Depo-Provera turned off their libido. Just how many women are affected by loss of libido is unclear. Pharmacia, the drug company that markets Depo-Provera, says that between one percent and five percent (1 in 20) of the users experience "decreased sexual desire," as they benignly describe the side effect. But an Australian study said that one of the most common side effects of the drug was "dispareunia" (meaning painful sex) or loss of libido, which affected eight percent (1 in 12) of the women.

Dr. Andrew Kaunitz, a professor and assistant chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Florida in Jacksonville, believes far fewer than five percent experience declines in libido. Kaunitz has worked with the drug for more than 20 years and testified on behalf of the manufacturer during hearings before the FDA in the early 1990s. He says more than a million women in the U.S. use Depo-Provera and the vast majority are satisfied.

"There is a subgroup of women who may experience a loss of libido," Dr. Kaunitz says. "But clinical trials that we've done have not suggested this is a common concern."

However, one Internet survey conducted by a woman in Great Britain suggests that loss of sexual desire is common among women who have complaints. Teresa Campbell solicited responses from more than 3,000 users of Depo-Provera and copyrighted the results. Campbell complains about serious side effects from Depo-Provera herself, so those attracted to her survey undoubtedly tend to have worries about the drug.

The number one complaint was weight gain (68%), but the number two complaint was loss of libido. Nearly six out of ten women (58%) complained of it. The number three and four complaints were aggression (56%) and depression (54%). Among those new to the drug (less than three months), complaints of depression, aggression and loss of libido were even higher than complaints of weight gain.

The Hormone Doctor

Dr. John Lee, a medical doctor and author of two best-selling books on female hormones, believes that Depo-Provera has adverse affects on the sexuality of nearly every woman.

"It's given to sex offenders as a chemical castration to kill their sex appetite," Lee said. He sees that as a hint about what it does to women. "Depo-Provera is the worst possible way to provide birth control. It's a long-term continuous release form of Provera. It lasts three months. There's a terrible incidence of side effects and it should not be used."