Depo-Provera Injection Linked to Brain Tumors
Injectable medication used for birth control and menopausal hormone therapy.
Pfizer’s Depo-Provera is the brand name for a prescribed, injectable hormonal medication used for birth control and menopausal hormone therapy. The medication is made from the chemical compound medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA).
Peer-reviewed scientific studies have linked the use of Depo-Provera to an increased risk of brain tumors. We at The Yost Legal Group believe the science is strong and are pursuing Depo-Provera-brain tumor claims.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with brain tumors after using Depo-Provera, you may have a case. The Yost Legal Group is reviewing cases nationwide of women diagnosed with brain tumors after using prescribed Depo-Provera. Call or text today for a free consultation with an experienced defective medication attorney.
In the spring of 2024, the peer-reviewed medical journal The British Medical Journal (The BMJ) released the findings of an independent study that linked the use of progestogen to higher chances of developing brain tumors and meningioma.
In March 2024, The BMJ published a study from researchers at France’s National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety.
The study sought to “assess the risk of intracranial meningioma associated with the use of selected progestogens” over a ten-year period using a national case-control study in France.
Intracranial meningioma is a tumor that develops in the meninges, the membranes that cover the brain. It can be benign or malignant.
Understanding the Depo-Provera Brain Tumor Connection
After studying 100,000 people over ten years, the scientists concluded that “prolonged use of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) was found to increase the risk of intracranial meningioma.”
Shortly afterward, The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reviewed the study and determined the science to be sound.
Since The BMJ’s initial publication of the findings, more mainstream media sources and publications such as Brain Tumor Research, Drugwatch.com, and The Guardian have covered the study, noting the worrying findings.
There is still more research to be done as science is an ever-evolving discipline of systems and trials and errors. However, at this time, the science is strong enough that The Yost Legal Group believes it is our duty to help those harmed by their Depo-Provera use.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with brain tumors after taking Depo-Provera, you may have a case. Contact our experienced Depo-Provera lawyers today at 1-800-YOST-LAW. You may qualify to file a Depo-Provera lawsuit.
What is Depo-Provera?
Depo-Provera is the brand name for a class of drugs formulated from the compound medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). MPA is a hormonal medication commonly used as an injectable contraceptive for women and is also regularly used in menopausal hormone therapy.
Other uses include in treatment for endometriosis, abnormal uterine bleeding, and for certain types of cancer.
Medroxyprogesterone acetate was discovered in 1956. By 1960, it was approved in the United States for use as a treatment for endometrial and renal cancer. It was not until 1992 that MPA was approved for use as a contraceptive.
By the 21st century, MPA had become the most widely used progestin in menopausal hormone therapy and in progestogen-only birth control.
Such widespread use and distinctions led to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) decision to include MPA on its 2019 List of Essential Medicines. It has appeared on each list since.
Depo-Provera’s use as a safe and effective form of birth control is quite pervasive, especially here in the United States. Everyone from the Mayo Clinic to Planned Parenthood recommends “the Depo shot,” as it is sometimes colloquially called, because of its ease of use and efficacy.
Once every twelve to fourteen weeks (though 12 seems to be the most recommended), a patient goes to their healthcare provider and receives a shot of Depo-Provera in the arm or buttocks. That is it. There is no daily pill or implanted device.
However, ease and efficacy do not mean there are no downsides.
Depo-Provera’s Risks and Link to Brain Tumors
Over the several decades that MPAs have been on the market as a form of birth control, studies have shown that women have an increased risk of bone mineral density loss (osteoporosis).
This led to the United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) decision to force Pfizer to label all Depo-Provera packaging with a black box warning to inform doctors and potential patients about the risk of bone mineral density loss, which makes it easier to break bones during impacts and falls.
Bone mineral density loss has been noted in women who take Depo-Provera in their first few years. However, longer-term use has led some women to develop full-on osteoporosis.
Roughly 20 years after the FDA hit Pfizer with a black box warning for one Depo-Provera adverse side effect, another, much more severe adverse side effect is being linked to the use of Depo-Provera and other MPAs: brain tumors.
After ten years of research, while testing 108,366 women overall, scientists in France found that 18,061 of them had intracranial surgery to remove or reduce meningioma.
Roughly 22% of those women had what the researchers referred to as a “sufficient exposure” to various progestogens, including MPAs such as Depo-Provera.
In fact, “Depo-Provera increased the risk of intracranial meningioma 5.6-fold if used for longer than a year.”
The Yost Legal Group will be monitoring all subsequent studies into the short- and long-term effects of Depo-Provera and MPA use so that we can help our clients and readers make informed decisions.
This study out of France is but the first of what we expect to be many further warning signs to come.
For example, Noémie Roland of the French National Health Insurance and lead researcher for the team that released the progestogens study out of France said, “In countries for which the use of the use of medroxyprogesterone acetate for birth control is frequent [74 million users worldwide], the number of attributable meningiomas may be potentially high.”
We are still awaiting research and results into the potential dangers of oral usage: “Furthermore, medroxyprogesterone (non-acetate) is also used orally, at lower doses, in some countries other than France (notably in the U.S.), for which no data exists on a risk of meningioma so far.”
For now, what we do know is that the science linking Depo-Provera to brain tumors is quite strong. Researchers are reviewing the side effects, including the risk of developing meningiomas from this type of birth control.
Types and Locations of Brain Tumors
While the French study specifically linked Depo-Provera to meningioma, a type of brain tumor that grows on the meninges or membrane (protective lining) of the brain, there are several other types of brain tumors. The type of brain tumor depends upon the part of the brain upon which the tumor grows.
- Medulloblastoma: tumors on the brainstem or cerebellum
- Meningioma: tumors on the meninges/membrane
- Pituitary tumor: tumors on the pituitary gland
- Pseudotumor cerebri: “false tumors” that mimic the symptoms of actual growths
- Skull base tumors: tumors on the underside of the brain
The Yost Legal Group is pursuing potential cases where a woman was prescribed and receiving Depo-Provera injectable shots for an extended period of time and developed brain tumors.
Beyond the different types of brain tumors and their specific locations, brain tumors can be either benign or malignant.
- Benign tumor: NOT cancerous, grow slowly and rarely spreads.
- Malignant tumor: ARE cancerous, grow rapidly, and spread to healthy brain tissue.
As Johns Hopkins Medicine puts it, “All brain cancers are tumors, but not all brain tumors are cancerous.”
However, that does not mean a benign brain tumor cannot become dangerous or even deadly.
Though benign brain tumors are not cancerous and rarely spread, they can still put pressure and stress on vital parts of the brain and affect behavior, mood, or functions depending upon the location of the growth.
Symptoms of Brain Tumors
Though Pfizer’s Depo-Provera has most directly been linked to meningioma, scientists have not ruled out the possibility that MPAs like Depo-Provera can cause the other types of brain tumors listed in the previous section.
Since different types of brain tumors grow in different regions of the brain, their effects on a person’s health can vary, as different parts of the brain are responsible for different functions.
For example, a tumor on the prefrontal cortex can significantly affect a person’s behavior, mood, and risk processing. It can also impact working memory and speech. However, a brain tumor that grows on the cerebellum will have a greater impact on balance, coordination, and walking.
Some common symptoms may suggest a brain tumor. These symptoms can appear without other factors. They include, but are not limited to:
- Behavior or personality changes (abrupt and inexplicable)
- Difficulty speaking/thinking
- Headaches (constant and severe)
- Loss of balance/coordination
- Loss of hearing
- Memory loss
- Paralysis (abrupt and intermittent)
- Seizures
- Vision changes (blurred, blind, or hazy)
- Weakness of the limbs and joints
These symptoms can come from many causes. If you or a loved one used Depo-Provera or another MPA for a long time before these changes, please talk to a doctor.
Brain tumors, even benign, are a serious health concern and can be life-altering or even fatal.
It is possible to have brain tumors and not show symptoms. This can happen because tumors may take time to grow. They need to reach a size that puts pressure on the brain or skull.
However, it is important to take sudden symptoms seriously. This is especially true after using a drug like Pfizer’s Depo-Provera.
Nationwide Support for Depo-Provera-Related Brain Tumor Cases
Have you been diagnosed with brain tumors after using Depo-Provera? If you have questions about Depo-Provera birth control side effects, contact one of our Depo-Provera attorneys.
At The Yost Legal Group, we are reviewing cases across the country. We are representing women who developed brain tumors after using a hormonal injection for birth control and menopause treatment.
For a free consultation, please call us at 1-800-967-8529. Our skilled professionals are ready to listen and answer your questions. They will help you understand your possible claim against the drug maker.
Let us help you file a Depo-Provera tumor claim to protect your rights. We are committed to protecting your rights with compassion and professionalism.
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