Woman Says Male Doctor Gave Her Two-Year Max Contraceptive For A Decade

A TikTok video highlighting the seldom discussed risk of a particular contraceptive has gone viral, with thousands of women reacting in anger.

The video, uploaded to TikTok by influencer Morgan Roos, reveals how she had been using the injectable contraceptive called Depo-Provera for 10 years under her male doctor's advice, only to be told by her new female doctor that the drug should only be taken for two years at the most.

"[The doctor] looks at me, she's like, 'you're on Depo?', and I was like 'yeah, I've been on it for the last 10 years, I don't get a period, that's why I like it'," Roos said in the video, which has gained 3.3 million likes, and over 38,000 comments.

"Her jaw drops to the floor," Roos says of the doctor, "She's like 'no, Morgan, this is like a two-year max birth control, this is not a long-term birth control', and I was like 'what?!'"

Depo-Provera is an injectable contraceptive given once every 13 weeks, which steadily releases the hormone progesterone into the bloodstream. Considered a better option for those who don't want to take a pill every day, progesterone prevents ovulation of an egg from the ovaries, as well as thickens the cervical mucus and thins the womb lining. This makes it much harder for sperm to enter the uterus, and for a stray egg to be fertilized and implant in the womb, therefore making a pregnancy very unlikely. Depo-Provere is 99.8 percent effective at preventing pregnancy.

"Depo-Provera causes a loss of bone mineral density, and bone loss is greater with increasing duration of use," Philip Crilly, a senior lecturer in pharmacy practice and digital public health at Kingston University in the U.K., told Newsweek. "It is particularly an issue in adolescence when it can reduce bone mass during an important phase of its development and put the person at greater risk of fracture in later life. The impact on bone mineral density is mostly reversed once Depo-Provera is stopped but it isn't always 100 percent."

Depo-Provera's manufacturer, Pfizer, advises not taking the drug for more than two years in its patient information leaflet, stating that: "Use of Depo-Provera CI may cause you to lose calcium stored in your bone and decrease your bone mass. The longer you use Depo-Provera CI, the greater your loss of calcium from your bones. Your bones may not recover completely when you stop using Depo-Provera CI."

"If you use Depo-Provera CI continuously for a long time (for more than 2 years), it may increase the risk of weak, porous bones (osteoporosis) that could increase the risk of broken bones, especially after menopause," it states. "You should not use Depo-Provera CI for more than two years unless you cannot use other birth control methods."

Other potential risks associated with using Depo-Provera can include fertility taking a while to return to normal, as well as weight gain, acne, decreased libido, and mood swings.

"A return of fertility after stopping Depo-Provera can take up to a year, regardless of how long they have used it for," Crilly said.

In the comments section of the TikTok video, many others said that they had no idea that taking the birth control for a prolonged period was ill-advised until they saw Roos' post.

"7 years of being on the depo and I'm just finding this out now from your video," one user commented.

"I was on it for 4 years and they finally told me and they said it could cause bone loss if the shot was in your arm," another said.

Others expressed their outrage that Roos' previous doctor had continued to prescribe the contraceptive. This may have been by mistake or design, Crilly said.

"Sometimes, doctors may not be aware of all of the potential side effects of a particular contraceptive. Usually, before a medication is launched, it goes through clinical trials. At this point, the most common side effects are picked up. After this, the drug goes to market. Once on the market, new side effects may be identified, and the drug literature is updated. If a doctor did not keep up to date with these changes, they might miss that a new side effect has been added," Crilly said.

"A doctor may also weigh up the risks and benefits of a particular drug for a patient and decide that the benefits outweigh the risks. For example, for Depo-Provera, the patient has one injection every 13 weeks and then doesn't need to remember to take a tablet every day. So, the doctor may decide that this is a better option for the patient if they feel that they won't remember to take a pill every day," he said.

"While the doctor/pharmacist should always ask, it is wise for a patient to update their healthcare professional about any changes in their medical history, tell them about their family history, and about any new medication they are taking, either prescribed or bought from a pharmacy, to ensure that the healthcare professional has the most up-to-date information about that person."

Crilly advises those who wish to remain on Dep-Provera for over two years to mitigate the risks of bone density loss by taking calcium and Vitamin D supplements, as well as by doing weight-training exercises. Other injectable contraceptives have been linked to bone loss too.

"Sayana Press injection is also associated with bone loss. The manufacturer of Sayana Press advises that women should be re-evaluated at least every year to see if it is still the best option for them," Crilly said. "Noristerat injection lasts for 8 weeks when injected and is only used for short periods, for example when a male partner is having a vasectomy. Given that it is only used for short-term use it is unlikely to cause any lasting effect on bone density."

For those who wish to switch their contraceptive method, Crilly suggests swapping to one of the other options available, including oral birth control—both types of which have no association with bone loss—implants, barrier methods, vaginal rings, or intrauterine devices.

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