Beyond the Shot: The Complex History of Depo-Provera and Endometriosis Public Lecture with Dr Jaipreet Virdi, historian of medicine, technology, and disability at the University of Delaware

The Graduate School for Interdisciplinary Studies, in collaboration with the School of Medicine and the Medical Humanities Network are delighted to welcome Dr Jaipreet Virdi to host a lecture on Beyond the Shot: The Complex History of Depo-Provera and Endometriosis.

Jaipreet Virdi is a scholar activist and Associate Professor in the Department of History at University of Delaware. Her first book, Hearing Happiness: Deafness Cures in History raises pivotal questions about deafness in American society and the endless quest for a cure. Her writing has appeared in Slate, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Psyche, The Wellcome Collection, and the New Internationalist. She is on Twitter as @jaivirdi.

In 2005 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer's application for a new treatment for endometriosis, depo-subQ provera 104 (subcutaneous medroxyprogesterone acetate), a new formula of the company's Depo-Provera, a contraceptive injection. Despite being heralded in press releases as the “first new treatment” to be approved for endometriosis in 15 years, the story of Depo-Provera-and is newest itineration-as a treatment for endometriosis has been sidelined against the drug's complicated regulatory history and safety profile, as well as its uneven distribution across the Global South in the 1970s and 1970s. Developed by the Michigan-based Upjohn Company in the late 1950s, Depo-Provera was first approved in 1960 for treatment of endometriosis and threatened or habitual miscarriage. The approval, however, was based on safety, not effectiveness; further testing in Brazil showed the drug's potential for a contraceptive, which thus prompted Upjohn to file new drug applications and shift their marketing focus. The development of Depo-Provera as an early progestin-based treatment, however, is an essential, but underdeveloped, chapter in the medical history of endometriosis. Until Upjohn's application for Depo-Provera as a contraceptive was denied by the FDA in 1967, its potential for endometriosis was discussed by women's health activists. Adopting the practice of citizen science, activists obtained as much information as possible about the drug from health researchers to disseminate through feminist newsletters and community networks. This critical history is essential for outlining how activists were on the frontlines on new scientific advancements for endometriosis care and treatment.

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