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.
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.
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
1. How Long Does It Take For Medroxyprogesterone 10Mg To Work?
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.
2. Can Medroxyprogesterone Delay 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.
3. Can Medroxyprogesterone Prevent Pregnancy?
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.
4. Can You Get Pregnant While Taking Medroxyprogesterone?
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.
5. What Happens After Taking Medroxyprogesterone?
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.
6. When Should I Take Medroxyprogesterone?
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.
7. How Long Do You Bleed After Taking Medroxyprogesterone?
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.
8. Do You Ovulate On Medroxyprogesterone?
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.
9. Does Medroxyprogesterone Cause Weight Gain?
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.
10. Does Medroxyprogesterone Cause Abortion?
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.
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