Depo-Provera: adverse event reports filed with FDA

18,669

reports as suspect product

0.1% of all reports · about 830 a year

11,383

reports, 12 months to June 2026

1,075 in the 12 months before

87.1%

marked serious by the reporter

41.9% across the class

0.4%

record death among outcomes, as reported

81 reports · not verified by FDA

Reports by month, five years

Reports by the month FDA received them. FDA releases FAERS data quarterly, so the newest months are incomplete and grow in later releases.

By year received

2026 covers reports received through June 2026 only.

Reactions recorded in the reports

share of Depo-Provera reports recording the termmedian drug in progestin

1. Meningioma60%11,209
2. Meningioma benign3.1%582
3. Unintended pregnancy2.9%548
4. Weight increasedweight gain2.6%488
5. Amenorrhoeaperiods stopped2.5%470
6. Drug ineffectivethe medicine did not work as expected2.3%430
7. Headachehead pain2%374
8. Depressionlow mood1.9%363
9. Osteoporosisthinning of the bones1.9%363
10. Menorrhagiaheavy periods1.8%334
11. Metrorrhagia1.7%315
12. Nauseafeeling sick1.5%273
13. Dizzinesslight-headedness or unsteadiness1.3%246
14. Incorrect dose administered by devicethe device gave the wrong dose1.3%240
15. Fatiguetiredness1.2%228
16. Painpain, site not specified1.2%225
17. Device leakagethe device leaked1.2%219
18. Off label useused for a purpose or in a way not on the label1.2%218
19. Drug dose omission by device1.2%215
20. Anxietyanxiety1.1%203
21. Osteopenia1%185
22. Alopeciahair loss1%183
23. Dyspnoeashortness of breath0.9%176
24. Vaginal haemorrhagevaginal bleeding0.9%176
25. Needle issuea problem with the needle0.9%173
26. Abdominal painstomach or belly pain0.9%172
27. Haemorrhagebleeding0.9%171
28. Back painback pain0.9%163
29. Injection site painpain where the injection was given0.8%158
30. Abortion spontaneousmiscarriage0.8%154

Top 30 of 841 MedDRA preferred terms recorded across these reports, with a plain-language gloss where one is available. One report can record several terms. The hollow bar is the median share across the 17 drugs in the progestin class; it describes the reports, not the patients. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Outcomes recorded

Outcome flags as the reporter set them; a report can carry several, and "other serious" is FDA's own category for serious reports outside the named outcomes. Grey bar: all 293,492 reports in the class. FDA has not verified any outcome and states that the reports "cannot be used to estimate the incidence of these events."

Patients and reporters

Age and sex as stated in the report; the reporter's qualification is the primary source recorded by FDA. 84.9% of reports give the United States as the country of the event or reporter.

Reason for use recorded

The indication field is filled in by the reporter and is often blank; shares are of all 18,669 reports.

Drugs most often listed in the same reports

Other products listed in reports where Depo-Provera is a suspect product, whatever their own role. Co-listing means the two were recorded together; it says nothing about either product's part in the event. Only the 2,500 most-reported names are counted here.

In context

Shares are of reports, not of patients treated. The number of people taking a product is not in the data, so none of these figures is a rate, and differences between columns reflect who takes a product, who reports and how long it has been sold. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic."

Other drugs in the progestin class

Ordered by report count for navigation only. FDA states that adverse event reports "represent a small percentage of total usage numbers of a product", that "common products may have a higher number of adverse events due to the higher total number of people using the product", and that the data "by themselves are not an indicator of the safety profile of the drug or biologic." A brand and its generic are separate rows because reporters name them separately.

Where this comes from. Counts are built from the openFDA Drug Adverse Event (FAERS) bulk export released 28 Sep 2026, which holds reports FDA received through 30 Jun 2026. Drug names are as reported, resolved to the brand or generic name on the FDA label where openFDA's harmonisation matched them; classes are the pharmacologic class (EPC) from the label and the National Drug Code Directory of 17 Sep 2026. A report counts here when it lists Depo-Provera as a suspect or interacting product; reports listing it only as a concomitant medication (3,554) are excluded. No report narrative, lot number, patient detail or reporter identity is published. See the methodology and sources; FDA's record is authoritative, and corrections are handled within five working days.