Depo-Provera Contraceptive Dosage

Prevention of Pregnancy

Both the 1 mL vial and the 1 mL prefilled syringe of Depo-Provera CI should be vigorously shaken just before use to ensure that the dose being administered represents a uniform suspension.

The recommended dose is 150 mg of Depo-Provera CI every 3 months (13 weeks) administered by deep intramuscular (IM) injection using strict aseptic technique in the gluteal or deltoid muscle, rotating the sites with every injection. As with any IM injection, to avoid an inadvertent subcutaneous injection, body habitus should be assessed prior to each injection to determine if a longer needle is necessary particularly for gluteal IM injection.

Use for longer than 2 years is not recommended (unless other birth control methods are considered inadequate) due to the impact of long-term Depo-Provera CI treatment on bone mineral density (BMD). Dosage does not need to be adjusted for body weight.

To ensure the patient is not pregnant at the time of the first injection, the first injection should be given ONLY during the first 5 days of a normal menstrual period or within the first 5-days post‑partum. In post‑partum mothers who exclusively breastfeed, administer Depo‑Provera CI during or after the sixth post‑partum week. If the time interval between injections is greater than 13 weeks, the physician should determine that the patient is not pregnant before administering the drug. The efficacy of Depo-Provera CI depends on adherence to the dosage schedule of administration.

Switching from Other Methods of Contraception

When switching from other contraceptive methods, Depo-Provera CI should be given in a manner that ensures continuous contraceptive coverage based upon the mechanism of action of both methods, (e.g., patients switching from oral contraceptives should have their first injection of Depo-Provera CI on the day after the last active tablet or at the latest, on the day following the final inactive tablet).