effect on breast cancer risk - less than or similar to the combined oral contraceptive pill (1)
there is possibly a weak association between current use of DMPA and breast cancer. Any increased risk is likely to be small and reduce with time after stopping (2)
not associated with increased risk of ovarian, cervical or liver cancer (1)
protective effect against endometrial cancer (five-fold - relative risk 0.2) - this protective effect continues for up to eight years after discontinuation (1)
there is a weak association between cervical cancer and use of DMPA for 5 years or longer. Any increased risk appears to reduce with time after stopping and could be due to confounding factors (2)
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