Depo-Provera Lawsuits

About Depo-Provera Injuries

• Research shows that high levels of progesterone found in Depo-Provera birth control shots are associated with a significantly increased risk of brain meningiomas, tumors that can cause minor to serious health issues and disabilities. 
• Women who took Depo-Provera and developed a meningioma have begun filing dangerous product lawsuits and are seeking compensation for medical bills, pain and suffering, and other damages. 
• Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuits against Pfizer, manufacturer of the birth control shot, allege failure to warn, defective design, and that Pfizer knew or should have known of the risk of meningiomas.

Depo-Provera FAQs

What is Depo-Provera?

Depo-Provera, known as the birth control shot or Depo shot, is the only injectable contraceptive approved for use in the U.S. It’s progestin-based, and works by stopping ovulation, while also making the cervical mucus thicker to prevent sperm from reaching an egg.

Is Depo-Provera safe?

Most women who use Depo-Provera do not experience serious or long-term side effects. However, Pfizer, the manufacturer, has warned it may cause loss of bone mineral density, and recent Depo-Provera lawsuits suggest the birth control shot may cause a different serious health issue: brain meningiomas. 

Does Depo-Provera cause brain tumors?

Research released in March 2024 found that women who used the birth control shot were 5.5 times more likely to develop a meningioma, a type of brain tumor. This study reinforced findings from decades of previous research: there’s an association between high levels of progestogens, like that in the birth control shot, and brain meningiomas.

What is a brain meningioma?

Meningioma is a type of brain tumor. Most are benign but they can grow to be quite large and cause serious health problems and surgical complications. The size and location of a meningioma affect patient prognosis. In some cases, the tumor(s) can cause life-changing symptoms and disabilities, and they can even be fatal.

What are the Depo-Provera lawsuits about?

Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuits are being filed against the manufacturer, Pfizer because patients and doctors weren’t warned of the risks of developing brain meningiomas from the shot. These dangerous drug lawsuits allege Depo-Provera has a design defect, Pfizer failed to warn doctors and patients of the risks, and that Pfizer knew or should have known of the risk of brain tumors associated with the use of their product.

Who can file a Depo-Provera lawsuit?

In general, individuals who took the birth control shot at least twice and developed a brain meningioma may be eligible to file a Depo-Provera lawsuit to seek compensation for pain and suffering, medical bills, decreased quality of life, and more. A dangerous drug lawyer can assess your case and explain your legal options for justice if you’ve suffered a Depo-Provera injury.

How much are Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuits worth?

Depo-Provera lawsuits have just begun to be filed, and no case has settled or gone to trial, so the amount these cases are worth isn’t yet known. The seriousness and impact of a Depo-Provera brain injury will affect the amount of compensation received through a settlement or jury award. Similar dangerous pharmaceutical lawsuits have generally led to high settlements for plaintiffs.

Why are Depo-Provera Lawsuits Being Filed?

Decades of research have shown that medroxyprogesterone acetate, a synthetic form of progesterone found in the birth control shot, is associated with the development of atypical cells in the meninges, where meningioma brain tumors grow. In March 2024, a new study published in the British Medical Journal further strengthened previous research, showing a significant, increased risk of brain meningiomas among women who took Depo-Provera.

The size of the recent study and the seriousness of its findings have spurred legal action against Pfizer, the manufacturer of the birth control shot. On October 1, 2024, the first Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuit was filed. Since then, more have followed, and it’s expected to become large-scale litigation, with hundreds, maybe thousands, of plaintiffs across the country making claims in the coming months and next year.

Plaintiffs who have filed Depo-Provera lawsuits developed a brain meningioma, or multiple, after using the birth control shot. Meningiomas typically require surgery to remove, unless they’re located in an area that poses significant surgical risks and complications. Sometimes, additional treatment is needed, including radiation therapy.

Depo-Provera injuries caused women to suffer a wide range of health effects, often for years. In some cases, the meningioma wasn’t discovered until it grew dangerously large, making treatment more complicated. Plaintiffs who have filed Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuits weren’t warned about the connection between the birth control shot and increased risk of brain tumors, an important factor in the upcoming litigation.

Beyond the failure to warn, plaintiffs allege that Pfizer knew or should have known of the increased risk of meningiomas and that their product’s design is defective. Anyone who took the birth control shot and was diagnosed with a meningioma should speak with a dangerous products lawyer.

What to Expect from Depo-Provera Brain Tumor Litigation

Some of the birth control shot lawsuits have named multiple defendants. Pfizer, subsidiaries of Pfizer, and companies that make a generic form of the product are all facing lawsuits, though Pfizer is the primary defendant.

As of mid-November 2024, Depo-Provera brain tumor lawsuits had been filed in Nevada, California, Texas, and Louisiana. Attorneys handling these cases expect them to eventually be consolidated into multidistrict litigation (MDL), which will likely occur in California.

Instead of a class action, MDL is much more common in product liability and dangerous pharmaceutical cases because they typically affect many people, sometimes thousands. However, since the impact, required care and treatment, and seriousness of injuries vary, cases like these don’t usually qualify for class action status. Instead, MDL may be pursued to streamline the legal process, while each plaintiff maintains their individual case.

Often, MDL leads to settlements sooner than widespread, individual negotiations and trials that tie up courts nationwide. Resources are pooled and the structure promotes negotiations and mass settlement offers that are based on the seriousness and extent of injuries and damages.

Benefits of Depo-Provera

There are many benefits of Depo-Provera that women consider before taking it. One of the greatest benefits is that the progestin-based contraceptive is administered by injection every three months; it does not require a daily pill or a patch that needs to be changed every few weeks like other forms of birth control. It’s also the only birth control shot approved for use in the United States.

Depo-Provera is highly effective when used correctly and as intended, but it must be taken on time to ensure there are no gaps in protection. In many cases, when someone gets pregnant while taking the birth control shot, it’s due to forgetting or delaying their injection.

Other benefits of Depo-Provera are that it can decrease menstrual cramps, pain, and even the risk of endometrial cancer. It often significantly lessens menstrual blood flow or stops periods altogether and doesn’t require interrupting sex to protect against pregnancy.

Instead of both synthetic estrogen and progesterone hormones like the pill and patch contain, Depo-Provera only uses synthetic progesterone. For many women, this is a benefit of the birth control shot, or even their only safe choice, depending on their medical history and risks. (Some women shouldn’t take estrogen because of their age if they smoke, or if they’re at risk of cardiovascular disease or blood clots).

There are also two forms of Depo-Provera. Pfizer released a lower dose option, called Depo-SubQ Provera 104. Many women who take Depo-SubQ Provera 104 have the added benefit of giving themselves the birth control shot; some healthcare facilities provide the injection and necessary supplies for patients to administer it at home, removing the need to go somewhere to have it done.

Depo-Provera Warnings from Pfizer

While Pfizer lists several possible side effects of Depo-Provera in patient information materials and the product label, they have not added a warning about the risk of meningiomas. This is a key sticking point among plaintiffs who have filed Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuits because product labels in Europe and the UK include a warning about brain tumors. The FDA has not ordered Pfizer to put a meningioma warning on their label, and the manufacturer has not indicated they’ll be making changes to reflect the risk.

It’s important to note that birth control shot labels in the U.S. include a warning about loss of bone mineral density. It states that Depo-Provera could cause women to “lose significant bone mineral density,” that the loss increases the longer the product is used, and it may not be reversible. The box says Depo-Provera is not recommended for long-term use (more than two years). How it affects bone accretion during adolescence, specifically, whether it reduces peak bone mass and increases the risk of fractures later in life, is unknown.

Side Effects of Depo-Provera

There are several known side effects of Depo-Provera. Most disappear within a few months of taking the shot, but some are lasting, and the seriousness of them varies. The most common side effects of Depo-Provera are increased or decreased menstrual bleeding, spotting, and missed periods. About 50% of women stop getting their period after a year of use.

Other possible side effects of Depo-Provera include:

• Headaches
• Depression
• Weight gain
• Hair loss
• Nervousness
• Acne
• Changes in appetite
• Excessive facial and body hair growth
• Osteoporosis

While not a side effect, Depo-Provera does not protect against the risk of sexually transmitted infections. In addition to the risk of bone mineral density loss, another possible drawback of the birth control shot is a delay in fertility. According to Pfizer, it can take one or two years to get pregnant after stopping Depo-Provera. Anyone who considers taking the birth control shot should understand all risks and possible side effects. If you experience any new symptoms or have concerns, speak to your doctor.

Depo-Provera Research

The birth control shot has been widely used since approval by the FDA in 1992. But beginning as far back as 1983, studies have repeatedly examined how progesterone receptors in meningioma cells affect the meninges. Years of research have indicated the rate at which these tumors develop and grow may be accelerated through high levels of progesterone, such as medroxyprogesterone acetate, the key ingredient in Depo-Provera.

Most recently, the British Medical Journal published findings from a research study that showed medroxyprogesterone acetate, the synthetic progesterone hormone in the birth control shot, led to a significantly higher risk of developing meningioma. The study, which included 18,061 participants who had surgery for brain meningiomas, found that prolonged use of the birth control shot was associated with a 5.6-fold increased risk of requiring surgery for a meningioma tumor.

Research has also shown a connection between the number of doses and an increasingly greater risk of tumors; the more someone was injected with high levels of progestogens in Depo shots, the more likely they were to develop a brain meningioma.

About Meningioma Tumors

There are numerous types of tumors, and meningiomas are the most common benign intracranial tumors. They occur in the meninges, the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord; they don’t develop in the brain but are considered brain tumors because of how they may affect it.

In most cases, meningiomas grow slowly, and they often don’t cause symptoms until they’re a certain size or in a location that squeezes or constricts the brain, vessels, or nerves. Depending on where the tumor is in the meninges, patients may experience severe disabilities and require complicated neurosurgery, though surgery is not always possible, or proton radiation therapy.

A meningioma may be life-threatening when it goes undiscovered, allowing it to grow very large, making it dangerous to remove or treat, or completely inoperable. For others, the tumor is easily removed through surgery, and they’re completely cured.

Certain types of meningiomas are likely to recur, and patients may also have multiple tumors in different areas of the meninges at the same time. If they aren’t causing symptoms or in a dangerous location, doctors regularly monitor the tumor through MRIs.

Meningioma Symptoms and Causes

While they vary due to location and size, signs and symptoms of meningioma tumors may include:

• Vision problems (double vision, blurriness)
• Memory loss
• Seizures
• Headaches that worsen over time
• Hearing loss
• Ringing in the ears
• Weakness in the arms or legs
• Loss of smell

The cause(s) of meningioma tumors aren’t clear. However, doctors know that they develop due to cells in the meninges that multiply, and numerous research studies have shown that certain factors, such as high levels of progesterone or synthetic versions of it, are connected to a much higher risk of meningiomas.

Types of Meningiomas

There are 15 types of meningiomas. These variations are called subtypes, and the World Health Organization uses a classification system consisting of three grades. Grade I meningiomas are the most common, accounting for around 80 percent of all cases. These are benign tumors, meaning they aren’t cancerous. Some of the subtypes of Grade I meningiomas include meningiothelial, angiomatous, microcystic, and secretory.

The next, more serious type of meningioma is Grade II atypical. They grow faster and are more likely to recur than Grade I benign meningiomas. Radiation therapy may be used after a Grade II meningioma is removed due to the risk of it growing back.

Grade III malignant meningiomas are the most aggressive and dangerous because they’re most likely to invade the brain and recur. They’re cancerous and can invade other parts of the body. While they account for just 1 to 4 percent of all meningiomas, the survival rate of a Grade III meningioma is less than two years.

Legal Options for Depo-Provera Injuries

Millions of women in the U.S. depend or previously depended on Depo-Provera to prevent pregnancy, often for years. They’ve trusted Pfizer and companies that make generic versions, many of which are owned by Pfizer, to produce not only an effective birth control shot but a safe product. And yet, extensive research, including a recent, large-scale study, has shown a strong association between Depo-Provera and an increased risk of brain meningiomas.

The impact of being diagnosed with a meningioma and the effect it has on a patient and their family is immense. While many plaintiffs who have filed or will soon file Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuits may have been successfully treated and cured, their diagnosis caused significant physical, emotional, and financial effects. These dangerous product lawsuits seek damages for these effects, such as medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and decreased enjoyment of life.

Sadly, some plaintiffs have experienced life-changing and serious symptoms and disabilities due to meningiomas they allege were caused by Depo-Provera. These victims endured multiple surgeries and complications, and some required radiation therapy and high-risk neurosurgery. While as of November 2024, no Depo-Provera birth control lawsuit had been filed by a family who lost a loved one, this may change given the seriousness and risk of recurrence associated with Grade II and Grade III meningiomas.

No doubt had women who relied on the birth control shot known the brain tumor risks, many wouldn’t have chosen it as a contraceptive, or at least had fewer doses. If doctors had known, their recommendations and how frequently they prescribed the Depo shot would likely have been impacted, too. It’s crucial that Pfizer be held accountable for failing to warn of dangers they knew or should have known existed.

In most cases, the best legal option for someone injured by the birth control shot is to file a lawsuit. Most lawyers are accepting clients who were diagnosed with meningioma and had at least two doses of Depo-Provera. It’s important to have your case evaluated to determine whether you’re eligible to file a Depo-Provera meningioma lawsuit and to understand the full extent of your legal options.