A recent study offers more evidence of the benefits of Depo-Provera, an injectable hormonal contraception that’s sometimes the only method of birth control available to underfunded clinics in sub-Saharan Africa. The research team created a model wherein the injection was pulled from Burkina Faso, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and six other countries. They found that making Depo-Provera unavailable to women in those countries would significantly lower their life expectancies, as the chances of dying from childbirth would go up.
But Depo-Provera use is not without risk. As Kathryn Joyce reported for Pacific Standard, there’s evidence that the injection may increase women’s chances of contracting HIV, and women in poorly run clinics may not be told clearly what risks they face.
A version of this story originally appeared in the May 2018 issue of Pacific Standard. Subscribe now and get eight issues/year or purchase a single copy of the magazine.
