Depo-Provera Lawsuit

Depo-Provera, a birth control shot made by Pfizer, has been linked to a risk of brain tumors called meningiomas.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Depo-Provera induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with a brain tumor (meningioma) after using Depo-Provera birth control shots, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

What is Depo-Provera?

Depo-Provera is a birth control shot that has been sold by Pfizer since 1992. The shot is given every 3 months, usually in the arm or buttock by a nurse.

Depo-Provera® is a trademarked brand-name that has been sold worldwide for decades. This birth control shot is also sold as a generic drug under the name medroxyprogesterone acetate. Another version called Depo-SubQ Provera can be prescribed for women to self-inject at home.

How Does Depo-Provera Work?

Depo-Provera contains depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA), which is a long-acting synthetic hormone that helps prevents pregnancy. Depo-Provera may also be used to treat endometriosis or other gynecological conditions.

The active ingredient in Depo-Provera is a type of medication called a progestogen, which is a synthetic drug that mimics the effects of the female sex hormone progesterone.

Study Links Depo-Provera and Brain Tumors

In March 2024, Depo-Provera was linked to a 5.6-fold higher risk of meningioma brain tumors in a major study that was published by the British Medical Journal.

The study was large, which adds significance to the conclusions. The researchers in France looked at data on 108,336 women, including 18,061 who developed meningioma brain tumors and had surgery.

What Is The Risk?

Women who used Depo-Provera for at least 1 year were 5.6-times more likely to develop meningioma brain tumors and need surgery, according to the research study in the British Medical Journal. Around 74 million women worldwide use Depo-Provera for birth control, so millions of women could be at risk.

What About Other Types of Birth Control?

The study also linked other progestogen-based medications to higher rates of meningiomas, such as Colprone® (medrogestone), medroxyprogesterone acetate, and promegestone. These drugs are used for menopause or Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).

However, no risk of meningioma brain tumors was linked to other types of hormonal birth control, such as progesterone, dydrogesterone, and some hormonal Intra-Uterine Devices (IUDs).

What is a Meningioma?

A meningioma is a brain tumor that starts in the meninges, which is the membrane that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord.

Meningiomas are the most common type of brain tumor, accounting for around 30% of all brain tumors. Most are slow-growing and benign (non-cancerous), but some can be persistent or return after treatment.

Women Have Higher Risk of Meningiomas

Women are about 3-times more likely to develop meningiomas than men, especially in older age. Studies have shown that meningiomas contain progesterone receptors that respond to female sex hormones, which may explain why women are more likely to develop this tumor.

Early Studies Linking Depo-Provera and Brain Tumors

Early research into the link between Depo-Provera and brain tumors dates back to the 1980s. In a study published in Surgical Neurology, experts looked at 15 women who were using Depo-Provera before they were diagnosed with an intracranial or spinal meningioma and had surgery.

The researchers concluded that Depo-Provera binds to progesterone receptors in meningioma cells, but they did not know if Depo-Provera was responsible for causing the tumor or speeding up its growth-rate.

Meningiomas May Not Cause Symptoms For Years

People can live for years with a slow-growing meningioma before they develop symptoms. Meningiomas often do not cause any symptoms until it gets big enough to push on the brain, nerves, or blood vessels.

Signs & Symptoms of Meningioma Brain Tumors

The symptoms of a meningioma depend on where the brain tumor is growing and how big it is, but commonly include:

• Headaches (often worse in the morning)
• Seizures
• Blurry vision or double-vision
• Weakness in the arms or legs
• Numbness
• Hearing loss
• Loss of smell
• Memory loss
• Pituitary gland dysfunction

Lack Of Symptoms May Delay Diagnosis

Meningioma symptoms may be subtle, like blurry vision or a loss of smell. The symptoms may also start slowly, like dull headaches that eventually become persistent enough that a patient visits a doctor. The lack of symptoms can delay diagnosis until a doctor orders a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the head or spinal cord.

Surgery To Remove Brain Tumors

Meningioma treatment involves surgery to remove the brain tumor and radiation therapy to prevent it from coming back. Brain surgery can have complications like problems focusing, memory loss, personality changes, seizures, weakness, trouble talking, sensory loss, and more.

Long-Term Outlook After Treatment

Any meningioma can come back after treatment, which means the patient will need another surgery to remove the tumor. Meningiomas that come back might be more aggressive or malignant. This is why patients will need lifelong check-ups after having the tumor removed.

Can I Join a Depo-Provera Class Action?

Pfizer has already faced many lawsuits involving Depo-Provera. Our law firm is only accepting cases involving brain tumors, but in the past, Pfizer paid a $2.2 million class action lawsuit settlement for women who used Depo-Provera and developed bone mineral density loss.

How Much Money Is My Lawsuit Worth?

Our lawyers are concerned that women who used Depo-Provera were not adequately warned about the risk of brain tumors. If lawsuits are filed, women who were diagnosed with a meningioma after using Depo-Provera could seek compensation for their injury, medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional distress, long-term injuries, lost income, and more.

Do I Have a Depo-Provera Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Depo-Provera induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with a brain tumor (meningioma) after using Depo-Provera birth control shots, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Drug Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

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