Yashoda Hospitals > Medicine FAQS > Medroxyprogesterone

Medroxyprogesterone: Frequently Asked Questions Answered

What Is Medroxyprogesterone?

Medroxyprogesterone is a type of progesterone (or progestin). It is prescribed to help regulate menstrual periods and ovulation. Medroxyprogesterone is similar to the progesterone that the body naturally makes, and is prescribed to replace the hormone when your body is not making enough of it.

The medicine is not only used to treat conditions such as absent or irregular menstrual periods, but also abnormal uterine bleeding.

What Are The Uses Of Medroxyprogesterone?

In postmenopausal women on hormone replacement therapy, Medroxyprogesterone is known to prevent growth in the uterine lining as well as reduce menopause symptoms such as hot flashes. In combination with estrogen replacement therapy, it cuts down the risk of uterine cancer.

Medroxyprogesterone is prescribed by doctors for absent or irregular menstrual periods, and in cases where there are signs of abnormal uterine bleeding.

This medicine is available only with a doctor’s prescription.

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    What Are The Side Effects Of Medroxyprogesterone?

    Side effects associated with Medroxyprogesterone include abdominal pain; missed, absent, or irregular menstrual periods; breast tenderness; chills; cough; dark urine or decrease in the amount of urine; lightheadedness; headache; loss of appetite; pain in the chest, or legs, especially the calves; bad breath; and weight gain. You may also experience shortness of breath, slurred speech, and unusual fatigue or weakness.

    If these or any other side effects persist, contact a medical professional.

    What is Medroxyprogesterone

    Uses of Medroxyprogesterone

    Side effects of Medroxyprogesterone

    References

    1. https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/medroxyprogesterone-oral-route/proper-use/drg-20146771
    2. https://www.drugs.com/medroxyprogesterone.html
    3. https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/medroxyprogesterone-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20146771?p=1
    4. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682470.html#:~:text=Medroxyprogesterone%20comes%20as%20a%20tablet,are%20scheduled%20to%20take%20it
    5. https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-8674/medroxyprogesterone-oral/details

    Disclaimer: The information provided herein is accurate, updated and complete as per the best practices of the Company. Please note that this information should not be treated as a replacement for physical medical consultation or advice. We do not guarantee the accuracy and the completeness of the information so provided. The absence of any information and/or warning to any drug shall not be considered and assumed as an implied assurance of the Company. We do not take any responsibility for the consequences arising out of the aforementioned information and strongly recommend you for a physical consultation in case of any queries or doubts.

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    Frequently Asked Questions about Medroxyprogesterone

    Medroxyprogesterone is prescribed every day for 12 to 14 days a month. It is usually taken once daily for 5-10 days during the second half of the planned menstrual cycle. Under normal conditions, progesterone level in the blood increases a week before the period begins. Taking Medroxyprogesterone mimics the natural rise in progesterone levels, thereby resetting the period.

    Medroxyprogesterone is a menstrual regulator, so yes, it can be used to delay your periods. The drug, available only with a doctor’s prescription, supplements the female sex hormone progesterone, which is produced in the body.

    Medroxyprogesterone is usually prescribed to help with irregular or missed periods and in hormonal replacement therapy.

    Medroxyprogesterone, which is only given in consultation with a healthcare professional, can be used to prevent pregnancy. Medroxyprogesterone mimics the natural rise in progesterone levels and works by preventing the growth and release of an egg (ovulation) during the menstrual cycle. In short, it is like long-acting birth control.

    In healthy adult women, it takes between 120 and 200 days for the body to eliminate Medroxyprogesterone. Most women, who try to get pregnant after stopping the medication, get pregnant within a year and a half after their last shot.

    Note that Medroxyprogesterone should not be used as a test for pregnancy.

    Many people on Medroxyprogesterone do not have serious side effects, but fatigue, headache, mood swings, body pain, breast tenderness, nausea, bloating, and light-headedness may occur. Sometimes, women experience withdrawal bleeding 3-7 days after the medication is stopped.

    If any of these side effects persist or worsen, you must inform your doctor immediately.

    Medroxyprogesterone is usually taken once a day on prescribed days of a regular monthly cycle.

    Dosage varies depending on the condition for which it is prescribed. For instance, to treat stopped menstrual periods, it is usually prescribed by a doctor for 5-10 days during the second half of the planned menstrual cycle.

    You may experience withdrawal bleeding within 3-7 days after Medroxyprogesterone is stopped. But you need to let your doctor know if your condition worsens.

    This medication has to be taken only as directed by a doctor, and the dosing schedule must be followed carefully.

    Medroxyprogesterone is a progestin, which is a form of the naturally occurring female hormone progesterone. It therefore not only helps regulate menstrual periods but also ovulation (release of an egg from an ovary).

    Medroxyprogesterone may affect ovulation, but is not a substitute for other forms of contraception, as it does not prevent ovulation.

    Medroxyprogesterone does appear to cause weight gain in many women and is often cited as the reason for stopping the medication. It is, infact one of the recognized side effects of the drug.

    Consult your doctor in case you experience any discomfort on taking the medication.

    A miscarriage can occur in any pregnancy. Studies though have not found that Medroxyprogesterone is responsible for an increased chance for ectopic pregnancy or a miscarriage.

    There are studies though that have shown there may be a link between certain birth defects in mothers exposed to progestins in the first trimester of pregnancy.