We use an injectable contraceptive to control conception since long but its one side effect has revealed that it causes vaginal mucosa prone to HIV infection by 40%. The contraceptive depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is an injectables birth control shot that works by releasing the hormone progestin into the body which prevents the ovaries from releasing eggs and thickens the mucous layer around the cervix to block sperm from getting through. In the study, researchers from the University of Cape Town in South Africa examined the animal, cell and biochemical research on the form of progestin used in DMPA -- medroxyprogesterone acetate, or MPA.
Their analysis, published in the journal Endocrine Reviews, revealed that MPA acts differently than other forms of progestin used in contraceptives. MPA behaves like the stress hormone cortisol in the cells of the genital tract that can…
