![\"Birth](\"https:\/\/www.tomgrimshaw.com\/tomsblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Birth_Control_Shot_Brain_Tumours.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
For decades, Pfizer has marketed its injectable birth control Depo-Provera<\/strong> as a convenient, long-acting option for women. What few were told \u2014 and what new research now confirms \u2014 is that this hormone shot doubles the risk of developing brain tumors<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The latest study<\/a><\/strong>, published in JAMA Neurology<\/em> by researchers from the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University, examined over 61 million U.S. medical records<\/strong> spanning two decades. Among these, women who used Depo-Provera \u2014 formally known as depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA)<\/strong> \u2014 were found to have a 2.4-fold higher risk<\/strong> of developing meningioma<\/em>, a slow-growing but potentially disabling brain tumor.<\/p>\n Depo-Provera has been used by roughly 1 in 4 sexually active women in the United States<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 a staggering figure given the now-documented neurological danger. The study found the highest tumor risk<\/strong> in women who started injections after age 31<\/strong> or continued for more than four years<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Though meningiomas are often labeled \u201cbenign,\u201d their growth can compress vital brain structures, leading to vision loss, cognitive decline, seizures, and paralysis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n