For decades, Pfizer has marketed its injectable birth control Depo-Provera as a convenient, long-acting option for women. What few were told — and what new research now confirms — is that this hormone shot doubles the risk of developing brain tumors.
The latest study, published in JAMA Neurology by researchers from the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University, examined over 61 million U.S. medical records spanning two decades. Among these, women who used Depo-Provera — formally known as depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) — were found to have a 2.4-fold higher risk of developing meningioma, a slow-growing but potentially disabling brain tumor.
Depo-Provera has been used by roughly 1 in 4 sexually active women in the United States — a staggering figure given the now-documented neurological danger. The study found the highest tumor risk in women who started injections after age 31 or continued for more than four years.
Though meningiomas are often labeled “benign,” their growth can compress vital brain structures, leading to vision loss, cognitive decline, seizures, and paralysis.
https://open.substack.com/pub/petermcculloughmd/p/new-study-pfizers-birth-control-shot