Studies Link Depo-Provera to Higher Risk of Brain Tumors [2025 Update]

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A recent scientific study revealed a possible link between the well-known injectable birth control, Depo-Provera, and intracranial meningiomas, a type of brain tumor. Studies also show that taking the Depo-Provera shot for one year or longer may cause someone to develop spinal tumors, breast cancer, and gliomas (a type of tumor that can be cancerous).

For decades, women took Depo-Provera and its generic form—medroxyprogesterone acetate—for birth control and to treat renal cancer and endometriosis. Accusations in recent lawsuits say the pharmaceutical companies who made this drug(including Pfizer) appeared to know the link between Depo-Provera and brain tumors but did not tell US-based women or their prescribing physicians. These same companies made labels for the same drug in Europe and included a warning about the connection between birth control injection and cancer. They didn’t afford women in the United States the same courtesy, putting thousands of women at risk. Many of these women have filed lawsuits for their injuries associated with Depo-Provera use.

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Does Depo-Provera Cause Brain Tumors?

A 2024 study showed that women using Depo-Provera for a year or more may be 5.5 times more likely to get an intracranial meningioma, a type of brain tumor. Usually, this type of tumor isn’t cancer; however, it can push up against brain tissue, which can cause severe symptoms. A 2014 Danish study found that using progestin-only hormonal therapy (e.g., birth control) for a long time (five years or more) may increase a woman’s risk of gliomas, a type of central nervous system tumor that can be cancerous. A similar article found that women who took Depo-Provera—or its bioequivalent, the generic depot medroxyprogesterone acetate—for two years or more when they were under 25 had a higher risk of developing breast cancer.

Links Between Depo-Provera and Brain Tumors

Intracranial meningiomas tend to grow at the base of the skull in the thin layer that protects the brain and spinal cord. These brain tumors tend to have progesterone receptors on them. The Depo-Provera birth control shot increases the amount of progesterone in a woman’s body. Studies suggest that high levels of progesterone may increase the risk of intracranial meningiomas. Several scientific studies, including the French National case-control study on Depo-Provera, have indicated that progestin injections increase the risk of developing brain tumors.

Does Depo-Provera Cause Brain Cancer?

Many studies show a link between Depo-Provera, a progesterone-only birth control injection, and tumors, which are usually non-cancerous. According to a 2020 study, 90 percent of meningiomas with progesterone receptors were in the intracranial region. This is the area at the bottom of the skull behind the eyes or near the spinal cord.

The location of these tumors makes them tricky to operate on. About 78 to 81 percent of meningiomas are benign tumors (aren’t cancer); however, women may have severe symptoms because the tumor presses against their spinal cord and brain tissue. As a result, women may require surgery to improve their symptoms and avoid harming their brains even more.

Does Depo-Provera Cause Other Sorts of Tumors?

Depo-Provera may cause other types of tumors. A 2023 study discovered that spinal meningiomas (tumors) have progesterone receptors. The researchers noted that there could be a link between these tumors and exposure to high levels of progesterone—the hormone that Depo-Provera increases.

Scientists are exploring a link between progesterone-only drugs and other sorts of central nervous system tumors like gliomas. Gliomas are more common in men; however, the researchers noted that the use of hormonal contraception seems to increase someone’s risk of getting a spinal tumor. Another study confirmed a possible link between a higher chance of developing a central nervous system tumor after long-term use of progestin-only birth control. Depo-Provera use is associated with a range of long-term side effects.

2024 National Study Examines Depo-Provera and Brain Tumor Link

In “Use of progestogens and the risk of intracranial meningioma: national case-control study,” researchers uncovered a possible association between using Depo-Provera for a year or longer and a 5.55-time increase in developing an intracranial meningioma. This study looked at data from 108,366 women, where 18,061 of them had intracranial meningiomas. The study’s authors did note, “Future studies should further clarify the association between the duration of use and risk for the progestogens studied.” That said, they did see a strong connection between long-term Depo-Provera use and brain tumors.

Results of the Progestogens and Intracranial Meningioma Study

The 2024 French study published in The BMJ surveyed 108,366 women, 18,061 of whom had surgery for intracranial meningiomas between 2009 and 2018. Nine out of 18,061 participants who had an intracranial meningioma had taken injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA). In contrast, 11 out of 190,305 women who did not use this drug required surgery for an intracranial meningioma. Researchers found that women were 5.55 times more likely to develop a brain tumor if they used a progesterone-only injectable birth control, like Depo-Provera, versus another type of birth control or none at all for a year or more.

Why This Study Is Important

The French study published in The BMJ is important because it is the first large-scale observational study to look at the link between progesterone use and intracranial meningiomas. Additionally, researchers noted a strong link between using medroxyprogesterone acetate—what’s in Depo-Provera—for a year or more and a 5.55 times increase in developing a brain tumor.

Other Scientific Studies About Progestogens and Intracranial Meningiomas

For decades, scientists and others in the medical community saw a possible connection between progesterone and brain tumors. Brain tumors like meningiomas have progesterone receptors, a protein that binds with progesterone.

Progesterone is the hormone that a woman’s body naturally produces. Progestogens can be artificial or natural and act like natural progesterone does. Progestin is an artificial version of progesterone, and it is what birth control products like Depo-Provera have in them.

Past studies reported that increases in progesterone in a woman’s body—such as during pregnancy or while using some hormone replacement therapies—can raise her risk of meningiomas. Until recently, however, researchers didn’t look at or know if medroxyprogesterone acetate—e.g., Depo-Provera—could also play a role.

Study Links Progestogens to Brain Tumors

A 2022 study took a closer look at the connection between progestogens and the risk of brain tumors. The researchers looked at three drugs with progestogen: cyproterone acetate, nomegestrol acetate, and chlormadinone acetate. People may use these drugs as birth control, as menopausal hormone therapy, and to treat different reproductive disorders impacting women.

The study found that there was a strong connection between higher doses of progesterone—what’s in these drugs—and having to have surgery to remove a meningioma (brain tumor). Long-term use of progesterone greatly increases the chances of getting a brain tumor and having to surgically remove it. Researchers said they believed consumers should be told about these risks.

Study About Menopausal Hormone Therapy and Brain Tumor Risk

In “Menopausal hormone therapy and central nervous system tumor risk: Large UK prospective study and meta-analysis,” researchers looked at tumor risk and using estrogen-only hormone treatment for menopause. According to their findings, consumers in their study who took an estrogen-only hormone treatment for menopause were 1.35 times more likely to develop a central nervous system (CNS) tumor than people who did not take those drugs. People taking estrogen-only hormone therapy were also 1.22 more likely to develop a glioma and 1.31 more likely to have a meningioma. This study supports other research that reveals a link between sex hormones—like progesterone and estrogen—and tumors.

Study Finds Brain Tumors Shrink After Stopping Progestin

In 2021, the research article “Intracranial Meningiomas Decrease in Volume on Magnetic Resonance Imaging After Discontinuing Progestin” showed that some brain tumors—like meningiomas—get smaller after the woman’s progesterone levels decrease. In the study, the authors looked at brain tumors in 252 women who had been taking progestin cyproterone acetate. This drug is a birth control and hormone replacement medication that raises the level of progesterone in a woman’s body.

The researchers noticed that, for 188 of the women in the study, the average size of her tumor decreased by 33 percent after she stopped taking progesterone. They also noted that the tumor’s size increased when the woman was taking birth control and hormone replacement therapy. These substances both raise progesterone levels in the woman’s body, just like Depo-Provera does.

Women Who Used Depo-Provera and Developed Tumors Should Contact a Lawyer

A large body of scientific research shows that hormonal birth control and hormone replacement therapies—such as Depo-Provera—can cause women to develop brain tumors. Evidence suggests that drug companies knew or could have known this risk and even included a warning on the European label for a Depo-Provera brain tumor. Women in the United States weren’t given this same notice, nor were there US-based doctors. For decades, pharmaceutical companies have let thousands of women in the United States take something that could have caused them to get a brain tumor or cancer.

If a woman got cancer or a brain tumor and she was taking Depo-Provera, she may qualify to sue the drug companies that made or sold her the drug. A personal injury lawyer can help women shape cases against those who hurt them. Experienced attorneys understand what it takes to go up against these large-scale businesses and hold them accountable for their harmful actions. Contact our team to understand how to file a Depo-Provera lawsuit. Our team can help eligible women pursue settlements from Pfizer and other depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) manufacturers.

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