Depo-SubQ Lawsuit

Depo-SubQ is a birth control shot that was linked to a risk of brain tumors (called meningiomas) in a recent study.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Depo-SubQ induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with brain tumor after using Depo-SubQ 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.

Depo-SubQ Linked to Brain Tumor Risk

In March 2024, birth control shots were linked to brain tumors in a study that was published in the British Medical Journal. Depo-SubQ Provera was linked to a higher risk of developing a meningioma, which is a type of brain tumor that is usually non-cancerous and slow-growing, but potentially dangerous.

What is Depo-SubQ?

Depo-SubQ Provera 104® is a birth control shot that is manufactured by Pfizer. It contains a synthetic hormone called medroxyprogesterone acetate.

Depo-SubQ Provera is a progestin-based birth control shot. It is approved for the prevention of pregnancy and the management of endometriosis-associated pain. The advantage of Depo-SubQ is that patients can inject themselves at home every 3 months, without going into an office.

How Does Depo-SubQ Work?

Depo-SubQ Provera 104 is a hormonal contraceptive injection that contains a progestin called medroxyprogesterone. Progestins are synthetic versions of the female sex hormone progesterone.

Depo-SubQ prevents pregnancy by thinning the lining of the uterus and preventing the ovaries from releasing eggs (ovulation). In women with endometriosis, it can also prevent uterine tissue from spreading abnormally to other parts of the body and causing pain.

Why Was This Study Significant?

The study linking birth control shots and brain tumors was significant because it was the first big study to investigate this risk.

Earlier studies have suggested a potential link between progestin-based contraceptives and brain tumors, due to the fact that 60% of meningiomas have hormone-responsive receptors.

However, the study in the British Medical Journal was very large, involving data from 108,366 women in France, including 18,061 women who had surgery for a meningioma between January 2009 and December 2018.

The researchers also investigated many types of progestin-based contraceptives. Brain tumors were also linked to medrogestone and promegestone, in addition to medroxyprogesterone acetate, which is the ingredient in Depo-Provera and Depo-SubQ Provera.

What Is The Risk?

Medroxyprogesterone acetate, the ingredient in Depo-Provera and Depo-SubQ Provera, was linked to a 5.6-fold increased risk for intracranial meningioma with long-term use (at least 1 year), according to the study in the British Medical Journal.

Meningiomas Are Hormone-Responsive Tumors

No one knows exactly what causes meningiomas, but women are 3-times more likely to develop meningiomas than men. Studies dating back to the 1980s have shown that meningiomas express progesterone receptors, which might help explain the link between progesterone-based medications like Depo-SubQ Provera and brain tumor growth.

What Is A Meningioma?

Meningiomas are tumors that grow out of the meninges, which is the membrane layer that covers and protects the brain and spinal cord. There are many types of brain tumors, but meningiomas are the most common.

What Is The Risk?

Unlike other brain tumors, meningiomas do not involve brain tissue itself. Instead, most grow on the surface of the brain. About 85-90% of meningiomas are slow-growing and non-cancerous (benign), but the remaining 10-15% are atypical or malignant meningioma (cancerous).

Meningiomas Can Return After Being Removed

Meningiomas can come back after being surgically removed, so patients will need lifelong check-ups. Doctors will make sure the surgery did not cause additional symptoms. Patients will also need to be monitored for tumor re-growth (a complication called “recurrence”).

Large Meningiomas Can Put Pressure On Brain

Meningiomas are usually benign, but they can grow quite large and cause serious health problems as the tumor presses against the brain and other structures in the skull. This can lead to sensory changes, like a loss of smell or vision.

Pressure inside the skull will increase as the tumor grows. This can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, seizures, and other symptoms. In some cases, meningiomas block the flow of spinal fluid around the brain and spinal cord. This can also increase pressure in the skull.

What Are The Symptoms of Meningiomas?

The symptoms of a meningioma depend on its size and location in the brain. Some of the more common symptoms include:

• Headache
• Nausea and vomiting
• Seizures
• Vision loss, double-vision, blind spots, blurry vision, etc.
• Weakness or numbness in the arms or legs
• Problems with speech or motor skills
• Loss of sense of smell
• Hearing loss
• Changes in thinking or personality
• Trouble walking or balancing

Brain Surgery Treatment for Meningiomas

Treatment for a meningioma will involve surgery to remove the tumor, if possible. The goal of the surgery is to remove the tumor without causing more symptoms. This surgery is called a craniotomy, which is a procedure to open the skull and remove the tumor. If a meningioma is not completely removed, it is likely to re-grow within 10 to 20 years.

Meningioma May Not Be Diagnosed For Years

Meningiomas can grow for years without causing any symptoms at all, which can delay diagnosis until the tumor is so large that it starts pressing on the brain, blood vessels, optic nerve, or other structures, resulting in symptoms like seizures, headaches, vision loss, and more.

Can I File A Lawsuit?

Our lawyers are investigating potential birth control shot lawsuits involving women who used Depo-SubQ Provera and were diagnosed with a meningioma. You may qualify to file a lawsuit if you or your loved one:

• Used brand name Depo-Provera, Depo-SubQ Provera or a generic birth control shot called medroxyprogesterone acetate
• You must have used a birth control shot at least twice before you were diagnosed with a meningioma or brain tumor

How Can A Lawsuit Help?

Being diagnosed with a brain tumor is a life-changing experience. Undergoing surgery to remove the tumor is painful, expensive, stressful, requires time off work, and a recovery period afterward.

There is no excuse for pharmaceutical companies who sell medications without warning women about the potential risks — especially risks that could be life-threatening or deadly. Lawsuits can hold drug-makers accountable for selling dangerous medications.

What Should I Do?

If you believe you were injured by Depo-SubQ Provera, you may be able to file a lawsuit and seek justice. Typically, lawsuits involving people who were injured by medication side effects will claim that drug-makers failed to warn patients about potential risks, failed to study the medication for potential side effects, or pull it off the market.

How Much Is My Lawsuit Worth?

Any lawsuits that are filed by women who were injured by Depo-SubQ Provera will likely seek financial compensation through a settlement or jury verdict. This type of lawsuit can potentially end in a payout for pain and suffering, medical bills, lost income, and more.

Do I Have a Depo-SubQ Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Depo-SubQ induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with brain tumor after using Depo-SubQ 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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