To assess whether temperature is increased by medroxyprogesterone (MPA) and thus whether basal temperature records could be used to determine ovulation during cyclic MPA therapy.
Design
A 2-month double-blind placebo-controlled crossover trial in which oral basal temperature was measured daily.
Setting
Normal human volunteers in an academic medical environment.
Subjects
Eleven postmenopausal women not taking gonadal hormones.
Intervention
Medroxyprogesterone acetate (10 mg/d) or placebo, calendar days 16 to 25, with crossover.
Main outcome measures
Comparison of mean temperature days 17 to 26 during MPA versus placebo; comparison of differences between temperatures days 7 to 16 and 17 to 26 in MPA versus placebo months; and analysis for a significant monthly thermal shift.
Results
The mean temperatures during MPA treatment averaged 0.27 degrees C higher than during the placebo phase and showed a significant change from pretreatment to "treatment" phases during MPA but not during placebo cycles. Eight of the MPA and one of the placebo cycles showed a shift from lower to higher temperatures days 16 to 25.
Conclusions
Medroxyprogesterone acetate has a physiological progesterone-like thermal effect. Therefore basal temperature data cannot reliably indicate ovulation during cyclic MPA administration.
basal body temperature progesterone, medroxyprogesterone basal temperature, progesterone thermal effect, basal temperature interpretation progesterone, temperature shift progesterone, MPA basal body temperature, progesterone temperature increase, basal temperature chart interpretation, synthetic progesterone temperature effect, cycle charting progesterone supplementation, temperature monitoring progesterone therapy
Cite this article
Prior, J. C., McKay, D. W., Vigna, Y. M., & Barr, S. I. (1995). Medroxyprogesterone increases basal temperature: a placebo-controlled crossover trial in postmenopausal women. *Fertility and sterility*, *63*(6), 1222-1226. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0015-0282(16)57601-8
Prior, J. C., et al. "Medroxyprogesterone increases basal temperature: a placebo-controlled crossover trial in postmenopausal women." *Fertility and sterility*, vol. 63, no. 6, 1995, pp. 1222-1226.
Wood M et al., 2025
Open Access
Journal of the Endocrine Society
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