Lawsuits have been filed by women who needed surgery for brain tumors after using birth control shots containing medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA), such as Depo-Provera.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with a brain tumor, 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.
Lawsuits For Brain Tumors On Depo-Provera
Depo-Provera® is the brand-name of a birth control shot that contains medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). Lawsuits are being filed by women who used this medication and developed brain tumors (meningiomas).
What Is A Meningioma?
Meningiomas are brain tumors that are typically slow-growing and non-cancerous, but they can grow quite large before they are diagnosed. Most meningiomas are hormone-responsive, which is concerning for women who use powerful hormonal medications like medroxyprogesterone, IVF, or Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
What Do These Lawsuits Claim?
Depo-Provera lawsuits for brain tumors are being filed by women who claim that Pfizer failed to warn them about the risk of meningiomas, despite decades of scientific evidence.
These lawsuits claim that Pfizer knew (or should have known) about the risk of brain tumors from Depo-Provera and medroxyprogesterone.
One of the first lawsuits was filed by a woman from California who used Depo-Provera for 16 years, before she was diagnosed with a meningioma. She had to undergo a highly-invasive surgery called a craniotomy (surgery to open her skull and remove the tumor) in 2022.
Her lawsuit was filed on October 1, 2024 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California — Case 3:24-cv-06875.
What is Medroxyprogesterone?
Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) is a hormonal medication that is most commonly used as a birth control injection like Depo-Provera or Depo-SubQ, but it also comes in an oral pill (called the drug Provera®).
Medroxyprogesterone injections are also called “birth control shots.” They are sold under the brand-names Depo-Provera and Depo-SubQ by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer.
Depo-Provera contains a long-acting version of medroxyprogesterone that is also called depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA).
What About Generic Depo-Provera?
Depo-Provera® is a brand-name drug, but it is available as a generic medication under the name “medroxyprogesterone acetate injections.”
Like the brand-name version, the generic version is also given as an injection every 3 months to prevent pregnancy. Depo-SubQ contains medroxyprogesterone acetate, but it is not available as a generic drug.
Is Progesterone a Risk-Factor For Cancer?
Progesterone receptors are found in most meningioma brain tumors, which is something that experts have known for decades based on studies dating back to the 1980s. These studies showed that meningiomas are hormone-responsive, which may help explain why women are far more likely to develop meningiomas than men.
Major Study Links Brain Tumors to Medroxyprogesterone
In March 2024, medroxyprogesterone was linked to brain tumors in a major study that was published in the British Medical Journal. The researchers discovered that women were 5.6-times more likely to develop brain tumors called “intracranial meningiomas” if they used birth control shots like Depo-Provera (which contain medroxyprogesterone acetate) for at least one year.
How Does Medroxyprogesterone Work?
Medroxyprogesterone acetate is a type of hormone called a progestin. Progestins are synthetic versions of progesterone, which is the naturally-occurring female sex hormone that plays a role in the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. There are many types of progestins.
Medroxyprogesterone acetate is a progestin that works by binding to the natural progesterone receptors, so it mimics the hormone’s effects.
It can prevent pregnancy by preventing ovulation (the release of an egg from the ovary), thickening the cervical mucous, which reduces the chances of fertilization. It can also treat pain due to endometriosis.
Medroxyprogesterone Is Stronger Than Natural Hormones
Medroxyprogesterone is actually more potent than progesterone. This means that it works in the same way as natural progesterone, but it has stronger effects. This is concerning for women who have been diagnosed with hormone-responsive tumors.
What Birth Control Shots Contain Medroxyprogesterone?
There are several types of medications that contain medroxyprogesterone acetate, including contraceptive injections (also called “birth control shots”) that are used to prevent pregnancy. These include Depo-Provera, Depo-SubQ Provera 104, and generic medroxyprogesterone injections.
Other Uses For Medroxyprogesterone
Other medications that contain medroxyprogesterone may be prescribed for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) or the treatment of gynecological conditions, such as heavy periods, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), menopause, and cancer.
Can I Join A Class Action Lawsuit Against Depo-Provera?
Lawsuits are being filed by women who used medroxyprogesterone before they were diagnosed with a brain tumor (meningioma). You may qualify to file a lawsuit and join this litigation if you:
- Were diagnosed with a brain tumor after using medroxyprogesterone
- You must have used at least 2 injections of medroxyprogesterone before you were diagnosed with a brain tumor
- You may qualify if you used Depo-Provera, Depo-Sub Q Provera 104, or generic medroxyprogesterone injections like DMPA
- Oral pill versions of medroxyprogesterone (Provera®) may also qualify for a brain tumor lawsuit
Do I Have a Medroxyprogesterone Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting medroxyprogesterone induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know was diagnosed with a brain tumor, 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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