Is Meningioma Connected to Depo Provera?

A recent study found that patients who take medroxyprogesterone acetate (the generic name for Depo Provera) are at increased risk of intracranial meningioma. Brain tumors such as intracranial meningioma can present serious risks; and, while generally not cancerous, they can lead to lifelong complications in some cases. As a result, patients diagnosed with intracranial meningioma tumor growth after taking Depo Provera need to plan for the future, and they should also talk to a lawyer about their legal rights.

Depo Provera, the popular contraceptive injection, is currently the subject of hundreds of lawsuits pending across the country. If you have been diagnosed with intracranial meningioma or any other “requisite physical injury” identified in the litigation (more on this below), you may be entitled to compensation for your medical bills and other losses due to the increased meningioma risk linked to injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate.

Meningioma has Been Connected to Depo Provera Injections in Studies and Lawsuits Filed By Depo Provera Users

The recent national case control study referenced above was published in the British Medical Journal in 2024. The study’s authors found that patients who received a Depo Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate) birth control shot were at higher risk of receiving a meningioma diagnosis than those who did not. Specifically, they concluded that:

“Prolonged use of . . . medroxyprogesterone acetate . . . was found to increase the risk of intracranial meningioma. The increased risk associated with the use of injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate, a widely used contraceptive, and the safety of levonorgestrel intrauterine systems are important new findings.”

To assess the meningioma risk associated with medroxyprogesterone acetate, the study’s authors used conditional logistic regression to calculate the odds ratio (with a 95% confidence interval) for an association between progestogen and meningioma. Based on this calculation, the authors determined that there was a statistically significant link between medroxyprogesterone acetate use and a higher risk of developing meningioma compared to the study’s positive controls.

In short, according to this national case control study, prolonged exposure to the synthetic form of the hormone progesterone in Depo Provera (via the body’s natural progesterone receptors) puts patients at increased risk of meningioma compared to the use of oral contraceptives and hormonal contraceptives (including intrauterine devices (IUDs)). Now, medroxyprogesterone acetate (Depo Provera) and the associated risk of meningioma are the subject of numerous lawsuits filed in a national multidistrict litigation (MDL) proceeding—and we expect the number of lawsuits in the MDL to grow significantly over the next 12 months.

In the pending Depo Provera lawsuits, plaintiffs allege that the previously undisclosed excess risk of meningioma linked to Depo Provera use entitles them to just compensation. Importantly, these are not class action lawsuits. Unlike filing a class action lawsuit, filing a lawsuit in a national MDL proceeding allows patients to seek full compensation for the costs of their brain tumors, including in cases of intracranial meningioma requiring surgery.  

Types of Meningioma Connected to Depo Provera Injectable Birth Control

In the Depo Provera MDL (commonly referred to as the Depo Provera brain tumor litigation), plaintiffs are seeking just compensation for the increased risk of meningioma linked to injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate. This includes not only the increased risk of intracranial meningioma brain tumors for patients receiving Depo Provera birth control injections, but the increased risk of other meningioma brain tumors as well.

Earlier this year, the judge presiding over the national Depo Provera brain tumor litigation issued a Pretrial Order identifying the conditions that are eligible for the MDL. These conditions are referred to in the Pretrial Order as “requisite physical injuries.” Based on the Pretrial Order, types of meningioma tumors that make patients who received at least one dispensation of Depo Provera eligible to join the MDL include:

• Angiomatous meningioma
• Brain meningioma
• Convexity meningioma
• Cranial meningioma
• Falcine meningioma
• Fibrous meningioma
• Foramen magnum meningioma
• Intracranial meningioma
• Intercranial meningioma
• Intraventricular meningioma
• Meningothelial meningioma
• Olfactory groove meningioma
• Parasagittal meningioma
• Posterior fossa/petrous meningioma
• Psammomatous meningioma
• Recurrent meningioma
• Secretory meningioma
• Skull base meningioma
• Sphenoid wing meningioma
• Suprasellar meningioma

The court’s order also lists meninges tumors and arachnoid tumors (but not arachnoid cysts) as “requisite physical injuries” for filing a Depo Provera lawsuit in the MDL. However, the substantial majority of the Depo Provera lawsuits filed to date involve claims related to the meningioma risk linked to Depo Provera birth control injections. Patients who have experienced meningioma symptoms after receiving Depo Provera intramuscular progestogen injections and who have undergone diagnostic tests (i.e., MRI scans) to confirm the existence of their brain tumors may be eligible to join the MDL—and talking to a lawyer is the first step in the process.

Common Symptoms of Intracranial Meningioma and Other Meningiomas Linked to Depo Provera

Although the specific reason why Depo Provera intramuscular progestogen injections are associated with a higher risk of developing meningiomas remains unconfirmed (and further research is necessary), patients who have developed meningioma brain tumors after receiving medroxyprogesterone acetate birth control shots often exhibit similar symptoms. Common symptoms reported in meningioma cases linked to Depo Provera include:

• Difficulty speaking
• Difficulty walking
• Headaches
• Hearing loss
• Loss of smell
• Memory problems
• Muscle weakness
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• Seizures
• Vision impairments

While meningiomas are often slow growing tumors, prompt diagnosis and treatment can be critical for mitigating patients’ risk following a meningioma diagnosis. While meningioma brain tumors typically are not brain cancer, radiation therapy or surgical intervention (i.e., intracranial surgery) may be necessary to protect patients’ long-term health in some cases.

With this in mind, if you or a loved one is experiencing meningioma symptoms after receiving Depo Provera birth control shots and you have not yet sought a diagnosis, you should do so promptly.

Depo Provera Lawsuits Seek Just Compensation for Brain and Spinal Cord Meningiomas

Due to the increased risk of meningioma brain tumor growth linked to Depo Provera birth control shot, patients are seeking to hold Pfizer, Inc. (and certain companies with which Pfizer, Inc. has financial relationships) accountable for the costs of their diagnostic tests, surgical interventions, and other forms of treatment. Patients who underwent surgery (and others) are also seeking just compensation for their pain and suffering, emotional trauma, and other financial and non-financial losses.

Companies like Pfizer, Inc., have a legal obligation to ensure their health products’ safety. When they fail to ensure their health products’ safety, they can be held liable for the higher risk of serious adverse consequences resulting from their failure.

In the Depo Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate) meningioma cases filed to date, patients have alleged that the increased risk of meningioma brain tumors linked to the popular contraceptive injection make Depo Provera “defective” under the law. They have also alleged that Pfizer, Inc. failed to adequately warn of Depo Provera’s risks—both before and after analyses showed excess risk of meningioma tumors. Again, if you have questions about your legal rights related to medroxyprogesterone acetate’s effects on your body through its progesterone hormone receptors—including the increased risk of meningioma—you should consult with a lawyer who can help you.

Depo Provera Presents Different Risks Than Other Forms of Birth Control (i.e., Levonorgestrel Intrauterine Systems and Intrauterine Devices (IUDs))

If you are taking (or have taken) birth control, it is important to understand the specific risks associated with your specific type of birth control injection, pill, or device. Depo Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate) presents different risks than other forms of birth control—including specifically the risk of intracranial meningioma and the other meningioma brain tumors listed above. Some health experts also recommend against using Depo Provera when undergoing hormone replacement therapy due to its high dosage of a single potent progestogen (other forms of birth control contain three potent progestogens in lesser dosages).

Other forms of contraception such as cyproterone acetate birth control pills, intrauterine devices, intrauterine levonorgestrel (or levonorgestrel intrauterine systems), and other intrauterine systems may present other risks—including the risk of breast cancer and other cancers. However, specific risks vary from one health product to the next. Whether you have concerns about developing meningioma, developing cancer, or facing any other potential health risk related to one-time or prolonged use, you should consult with your doctor to ensure that you are making informed decisions about your health.

In summary, the increased risk of intracranial meningioma linked to the Depo Provera birth control shot is a serious issue—and it is an issue that is currently the subject of national litigation against Pfizer, Inc. However, the progestogen meningioma association that is a concern with Depo Provera use is not the only birth control-related health concern of which patients need to be aware. If you have concerns about the excess risk of meningioma linked to Depo Provera use or the risks associated with any other form of birth control, you should both talk to a doctor about your health and consult with a lawyer about your legal rights.

Experienced Legal Representation for Depo Provera Brain Tumor Lawsuits

If you have questions about the meningioma risk linked to Depo Provera, seeking just compensation for your meningioma symptoms, or any other aspect of filing a Depo Provera lawsuit, we strongly encourage you to get in touch. To speak with an experienced lawyer at Oberheiden Law Group about your legal rights in confidence, please call 866-781-9539 or request a free consultation online today.