LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Provera: Periods
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Depo-Provera is an approved form of birth control. It contains provera, which is a man-made hormone similar to the naturally occurring hormone progesterone. With one dose, it can provide highly effective birth control for a 3-month period.
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[I]t first gives your body the progesterone boost it needs to prepare for implantation and then when you stop taking the Provera, the lack of progesterone induces the shedding of the uterine lining (which causes the bleeding). For a more in depth and still easily understandable explanation, read the article from iVillage "Provera to Induce Period" by Dr. Mark Perloe.
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Preliminary results from an ongoing, open-label, self-selected, non-randomized clinical study of adolescent females (12-18 years) ... showed that Depo-Provera CI use was associated with a significant decline in BMD from baseline (Table 3). In general, adolescents increase bone density during the period of growth following menarche, as seen in the untreated cohort. However, the two cohorts were not matched at baseline for age, gynecologic age, race, BMD and other factors that influence the rate of acquisition of bone mineral density, with the result that they differed with respect to these demographic factors.
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Fifty percent of women will stop having periods all together (amenorrhea) within the first year of starting Depo-Provera®. This is not unhealthy and, for women who have heavy or painful periods, this may be a positive side effect.
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As your body is adjusting to Depo Provera, it is likely that you will experience irregular bleeding (spotting) and/or prolonged bleeding (like a continuous period). This reaction is considered completely normal. If... you notice that your bleeding is very heavy or if you are concerned, it is important to contact your health-care provider.
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Hormone levels are very low while using Depo Provera, so there is some concern that this may lead to some thinning of the bones (osteoporosis) in women who use Depo Provera for a long period of time. The importance of this is not yet known, but the changes would be expected to happen more slowly than those that occur normally after menopause and reverse after the injections are ceased.
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