Depo Provera Treatment for Sex Offending Behavior - An Evaluation of Outcome

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Ivy

Depo Provera (depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, MPA) is evaluated as a treatment for adult men with sex-offending behavior, using combined MPA medication plus group therapy and individual psychotherapy. Forty treated subjects (including pedophiles, rapists, and exhibitionists) are compared with 21 controls who refused MPA and received psychotherapy only. Reoffense rates during and after treatment are reported, alongside common MPA adverse effects such as weight gain and metabolic or cardiovascular complications, concluding that maintenance MPA may reduce reoffense despite significant side effects.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Materials and Methods

Subjects

Subject Evaluation Program

# Depo Provera Treatment forSex Offending Behavior:AnEvaluation of Outcome Walter J.Meyer II,MD;Collier Cole,PhD;and Evangeline Emory,MD Throughout the last century a numberof countries have utilized castration as atreatment option for sex-offending be-havior.Chemical castration or antian-drogen therapy (estrogen)has been usedsince 1944.²In 1966,Money³began thefirst use of depot medroxyprogesteroneacetate(MPA)(Depo Provera)to reducesexual drive in a transvestite pedophile. Dr.Meyer is with the Department of Psychiatry andBehavioral Sciences,The University of Texas MedicalBranch,Galveston,TX.Drs.Cole and Emory are withthe Rosenberg Clinic,Galveston,TX.Address reprintrequests to:Walter J.Meyer III,M.D.,Department ofPsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences,The University ofTexas Medical Branch,Galveston,TX 77550. Forty men,ages 16 to 78 years,with sex-offending behavior,were treated withcombined medroxyprogesterone acetate(MPA),group therapy,and individual psy-chotherapy.Twenty-three are pedophiles;seven,rapists;and 10,exhibitionists.Fivehad sex-offending behavior that began after head trauma.The duration of MPAtherapy,usual intramuscular dose 400 mg/wk,ranged from six months to 12 years,usually more than two years.These men were compared with a control group of 21men who refused MPA therapy.They had similar types of sex-offending behaviorand were treated with psychotherapy alone with follow-up for a period that rangedfrom two to 12 years.MPA-related side effects included excessive weight gain,malaise,migraine headaches,severe leg cramps,elevation of blood pressure,gastrointestinal complaints,gallbladder stones,and diabetes mellitus.Of the 40individuals who took MPA,10 are sill on therapy.Eighteen percent reoffended whilereceiving MPA therapy;35 percent reoffended after stopping MPA.In contrast,58percent of the control patients,who refused and never received MPA,reoffended.Patients defined as regressed were much more likely to reoffend off therapy thanthe patients defined as fixated.Other risk factors for reoffense include elevatedbaseline testosterone,previous head injury,never forming a marriage relationship,and alcohol and drug abuse.In spite of significant medical side effects,maintenanceMPA offers benefit for the compulsive sex offender by reducing the reoffense rate. Since that time,there have been a num-ber of other reports describing MPAtreatment at Johns Hopkins⁴-8and else-where.9-14During the entire period of itsuse,there has been a raging controversyabout the ethics of this form of ther-apy.5-19None of these involves placebo-controlled studies.Only a few centershave reported their long-term treatmentoutcome,⁵and none has attempted tocompare treated offenders with thosewho refuse treatment. The treatment program at the Univer-sity of Texas Medical Branch began in1977 under the direction of Paul Walker,Ph.D.,and has been continuedat the Rosenberg Clinic by two of theauthors(E.E.and C.C.)since 1980.Thisreport is a retrospective study of theRosenberg Clinic experience using MPAto treat adult male sex offenders from1980 through 1990. Materials and Methods Subjects Out of 153 adult males re-ferred to the Rosenberg Clinic for eval-uation of sex-offending behavior.long-term data outside ofa prison setting wereavailable on 61 who were offered andencouraged to receive intramuscularMPA therapy in conjunction with theindividual psychotherapy and sex-of-fender group therapy.Forty of thesemen agreed to receive weekly intramus-cular injections of MPA.Twenty-oneothers refused the medications butparticipated in other parts of the treat-ment program to the same extent asthose who received the MPA therapy.Ten of the patients who received MPAwere part of a previous report concern-ing 23 patients³and after 1980 werecared for by the Rosenberg Clinic.Otherindividuals not included in this reportwere suitable for MPA and psychologictherapy but were not able to participatein therapy because of incarcerationshortly after being evaluat

FAQs

How was Depo Provera (MPA) used in the treatment program?

Subjects received weekly intramuscular injections of MPA (400 mg/wk) alongside individual psychotherapy and sex-offender group therapy.

How were treated patients compared with those who refused MPA?

Forty men who received MPA were compared with 21 men who refused MPA and received psychotherapy alone, with follow-up lasting up to 12 years.

What reoffense patterns were observed in relation to MPA therapy?

The document reports reoffense percentages during MPA treatment and after stopping MPA, and contrasts these outcomes with reoffense rates in the control group that never received MPA.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Ivy