This study purported to determine the effect of pretreatment counseling upon discontinuation of 150 mg depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo-Provera) given for contraception. A total of 350 Mexican women participated: 175 received detailed structured pretreatment counseling about the hormonal effects of the injectable vs. routine counseling upon duration of use and efficacy of the method. Study termination rates were significantly lower in the structured counseling group than in the control group. Cumulative life table discontinuation rates were 17% (30/175) and 43.4% (76/175), respectively (p <0.05). The most common reasons for terminating DMPA were menstrual changes (8.6 and 32% for counseling and control group, respectively). The findings suggest that pretreatment counseling on expected side effects increases the continuation rates of DMPA users.