Depo-Provera: Women push for change over contraceptive tumour risks at Holyrood

After years of feeling unheard, a group of women have taken their voices to Parliament, claiming their long-term use of a common contraceptive caused them to develop brain tumours.

The women, who took part in an emotional cross-party round-table discussion with MSPs, all used the Depo-Provera injection for decades.

Each believe their long-term use of the drug has caused benign brain tumours.

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is now being sued over links between Depo-Provera and serious health issues.

Depo-Provera has been used by millions of women worldwide since the 1980s. Given every three months, it is regarded by many as a convenient and effective form of contraception.

But a study published in the BMJ in 2024 reported an association between prolonged use of the contraceptive (more than one year) and an increased risk of developing meningioma, a type of tumour that develops in the membranes surrounding the brain.

‘Many more women will come forward’

Among those who shared their story was Sonja Ferrier, a grandmother who had used the injection for 33 years.

Sonja first noticed symptoms in 2020, but it took three years before a contrast scan in 2023 revealed she had a brain tumours which was deemed inoperable.

It wasn’t until January 2024, when a friend sent her an online article abot the drug, that she discovered the potential cause.

“Once I read it, I was astounded,” she said. “My neurologist had never heard of it. Thankfully, he now believes screening should be done on women who’ve been on Provera for a long time.”

Sonja was given a difficult choice: Undergo compression surgery – the side effects of which would quickly degrade her quality of life, or opt for radiotherapy, which would only delay the tumour’s growth.

She chose radiation. The treatment damaged her optic nerve, diminished her muscle mass and impaired her cognitive function.

Now relying on annual scans, Sonja says she lives in constant anxiety.

“You’re damned if you do, damned if you don’t. If you go for surgery, it doesn’t remove it, but I’ve got all these issues to be faced. Or do I wait and have something occur later on down the line?

“My tumours are small at the moment, my tumours can take a growth spurt at any given time. It’s a hard one to swallow.”

Sonja is now demanding the medical community is more vigilant, arguing the drug should be banned outright to protect future generations.

“Today, it’s making people aware of what this drug is. It can take so long for symptoms to arise before you know you’ve been impacted. As I said, it was 33 years before I even knew I had symptoms. It’s scary.

“There are going to be many more women who are going to be diagnosed.

“I’ve got two granddaughters. I’ve thought, if this drug is still out there by the time they’re out there looking at contraceptives, I would hate to think they would be told ‘it’s okay, it’s a rarity.'”

‘We can’t let the next generation suffer like us’

Following the BMJ findings, Pfizer updated the patient information for the medication later that year to include the risk. But for women like Tammy Croston from Fife, that warning came far too late.

Tammy had used Depo-Provera for around 17 years when she developed persistent double vision in 2028.

After preliminary surgeries failed and one of her four tumours grew back, she underwent a craniotomy – a procedure in which part of the skull is temporarily removed to access the brain.

The operation left her without the use of one eye.

“When you look at someone, you’re looking at their face, I’ll never look the same as I did five years ago. I can’t change that, but what I can change is stopping the next generation having to go through what we’re going through.”

Tammy discovered the contraceptive link through social media years after she had already stopped using the injection.

Today, she now runs a Facebook support group to connect affected Scottish women, while actively lobbying for a UK-wide public inquiry.

“Women are going to their GPs and being pushed aside,” she said. “As of 2024, every GP and sexual health clinic should have had this information and given it to women. You buy a pack of cigarettes, you can see the risks on it; why were we not given this information?

“This drug is dangerous. Meningiomas were classed as rare; they are not rare.

“There are women today at their doctors being prescribed Depo-Provera. It should not be used and continued to be prescribed to women.

“I want to prevent more women ending up in the same situation we’re in at the moment.”

‘This is the tip of the iceberg’

Patrick Maguire of Thompsons Solicitors, the firm spearheading the litigation, says over 150 women have now joined the legal action.

He said: “Three women spoke powerfully, emotionally, and they laid bare the trauma they experienced because of Depo-Provera.

“For decades they’ve tried to raise issues with medical professions, and they’ve been ignored and pilloried. It’s a great step forward that they were listened to by a group of parliamentarians, and they were grateful for that.

“This is the tip of the iceberg. There will be thousands of women affected by this scandal.”

Dumbarton MSP Jackie Baillie attended the round-table and described the testimonies as “hugely emotional” and called for an urgent review.

“We’ve discovered in recent years there appears to be a direct link between that injection and brain tumours, and obviously that is horrific for the women. I want to be sure in Scotland and across the world that when women are being prescribed contraceptives, that they are safe. It doesn’t appear Depo-Provera is entirely safe for usage.

“A lot of women are only just beginning to realise the enormity of this. We are convinced that there will be other women who will come forward when this awareness is raised.

“Equally for me, it’s about what you can do now. I’d like the Scottish Government to have an urgent review of this medicine. I’d like them to consider what is safe to do, but also for women who have symptoms, what services are in place, what scans will they be provided with so they can be reassured as well.

“There is a lot of practical things we can do in terms of educating women, but also GPs and clinicians about safe contraception.”

Trish Saunders from Aberdeen speaks at the roundtable STV News

In 2024, Pfizer updated product information relating to Depo-Provera following emerging evidence concerning meningioma risk.

The pharmaceuticals giant told STV News that patient safety remains its top priority.

A spokesperson said: “We conduct rigorous and continuous monitoring of all our medicines, including assessments of reported adverse events, in collaboration with health authorities around the globe.

“Depo-Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate) has been approved in more than 60 countries over the last 30 years, has a well-established efficacy and safety profile and has been a treatment option for millions of patients during that time.

“People should talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse if they have any concerns or experience any side effects.”

NHS Inform, in line with the European Medicines Agency, updated side-effect warnings to say that long-term use of medroxyprogesterone for three years or longer may increase the risk of developing a meningioma, but it’s very rare.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said product information was updated following studies that identified a risk of meningioma associated with medroxyprogesterone acetate, the active ingredient in Depo-Provera, and was updated again in early 2025 with additional advice and risk-management measures.

The MHRA said that for the majority of people, the benefits of Depo-Provera continue to outweigh the risks, but anyone with concerns should speak to their GP, pharmacist or contraceptive provider.

Dr Alison Cave, MHRA chief safety officer, said: “Patient safety is our top priority. For the majority of people, the benefits of Depo-Provera outweighs the risks, but we advise anyone with any concerns to speak with their GP, pharmacist, or contraceptive provider.

“As with all medicines, the MHRA keeps the safety of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) and other synthetic forms of progesterone under continual review, using the full range of available evidence, including emerging research, global data, and international developments. In line with usual processes, the need for further regulatory action will be considered, should significant new information be identified.”

Public health minister Maree Todd said: “I have the utmost sympathy for women who believe they have been harmed by Depo Provera, and I will be meeting some of the women next week to hear first-hand of their experiences. However, I cannot comment on matters which may be subject to legal action.

“The regulation of medicines is reserved to the UK Government, meaning any further investigation into Depo Provera would be a matter for it the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to consider.”