Women are demanding answers at the Scottish Parliament over serious side-effects from a contraceptive jab, after a group of six affected patients met with a cross-party group of MSPs at Holyrood to call for a UK-wide inquiry.
The women, who have suffered life-changing complications after using Pfizer’s Depo-Provera injection, told MSPs on Wednesday that the drug had “changed my life dramatically for the worse”. Their campaign centres on a growing body of evidence linking long-term use of the contraceptive to an increased risk of meningioma – a tumour of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord that, while usually benign, can cause severe problems depending on its location.
Thompsons Solicitors Scotland, which is representing around 70 clients who took Depo-Provera for more than two years and were subsequently diagnosed with meningiomas, said the meeting had been productive. Emma Bruce, a solicitor for the firm, said MSPs from across the political spectrum had “agreed to take it to the highest point that they can”. She added: “Whilst they were receptive to a public inquiry, they recognise that a public inquiry can take years, and we need action here and now.” Among the immediate measures discussed were educating young women about the risks in sex education and ensuring GPs are fully informed.
One of the women present, Nicola Mackay from Portmahomack in Easter Ross, used Depo-Provera for 23 years until she suffered five seizures last February. She has since undergone brain surgery and radiotherapy but has been left with three brain tumours – one removed, two remaining – and requires lifelong anti-seizure medication. “I was just in hospital two weeks ago with two seizures,” she said. “I’ll be on anti-seizure medication for the rest of my life. They’re watching and waiting and scanning me every six months… It’ll be lifelong, and it’s just changed my life dramatically for the worse.” A former nurse, Ms Mackay can no longer work or drive. “I live rurally, so that is a huge impact on my life, and it’s affected not just me, but my family’s life as well. I can’t be left alone for long periods of time because of the seizure risk.” She hopes the Holyrood meeting will ensure all healthcare professionals understand the connection between Depo-Provera and meningiomas. “One case of meningioma is too many, and the risk is just too high. They say it is a small risk, but I say one risk and one person affected is a life devastated.”
Shona Gilmore, from Dundee, also attended the meeting. She has been on Depo-Provera for 23 years without any checks and became concerned after seeing discussions on Facebook about the jab’s link to meningiomas. “Since then I’ve been fighting with my doctor to get the relevant scans, and they’re just shutting patients down,” she said. She eventually persuaded her GP to arrange a CT scan, but was told no further scans were required. “These tumours are not detected on a normal CT scan. They just don’t seem to be listening to that at all.” Ms Gilmore has not been diagnosed with a tumour but wants the NHS to recognise the concern. “Obviously, I’m very concerned. The ladies have had seizures and things like that. I don’t want to get to that stage. The symptoms are there, but it’s just like we’re knocking our heads against brick walls, and that needs to change for everybody in the UK.”
Other women affected by the drug have reported devastating outcomes: Tammy Croston was left without the use of one eye after surgery to remove four meningiomas; Trish Saunders was diagnosed with a meningioma after 17 years of use and surgery left her with a half-paralysed face; Donna MacDonald developed a sphenoid wing meningioma after 28 years, resulting in a permanent bulging eye; Kirsty McCord started the jab at 18 and was diagnosed with a large meningioma after a seizure; and Kirsty Moore experienced a bulging eye and a brain tumour that recurred after multiple surgeries.
The scientific evidence behind the link
The connection between Depo-Provera and meningiomas has been strengthened by a major study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in March 2024. The French case-control study found that women using injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate – the active ingredient in Depo-Provera – for more than a year had a 5.6-fold increased risk of meningioma requiring surgery compared to non-users. The risk rose with the duration of use.
In response, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Pfizer issued updated advice in October 2024. The agency stated that high-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate – which includes all injectable forms and oral doses of 100 mg or more – carries a small increased risk of meningioma, especially with prolonged use over several years. The drug is now contraindicated in anyone with a current or past meningioma, and if a meningioma is diagnosed while a patient is using the injection, the medication must be stopped. Product information has been updated to list meningioma as an adverse reaction with a frequency of “not known”.
While the relative risk is significant, the absolute risk remains low. One analysis translated the excess risk into a number needed to harm of 1,152 for depot medroxyprogesterone acetate, meaning one additional case of meningioma would be expected among roughly 1,152 women exposed to the drug. The BMJ study also found increased risks with prolonged use of other progestogens such as medrogestone and promegestone, but no excess risk with lower-dose progestogens like dydrogesterone or levonorgestrel used in intrauterine devices.
Depo-Provera has also been linked to other side effects including bone density loss with long-term use (which may not fully reverse), weight gain, mood changes, and menstrual irregularities, but the focus of the Holyrood campaign is squarely on the brain tumour risk.
Emma Bruce of Thompsons said the meeting was a milestone for women whose health concerns have often been dismissed. “I think what was really, really important today was that the women were really listened to and really valued. It was just great to see them finally being listened to because for years women’s health hasn’t been taken seriously enough, and we know that this is an ongoing issue. It’s just really horrific seeing it get to this stage.”
A spokesperson for Pfizer said: “Patient safety is our top priority. 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.”
“One case of meningioma is too many, and the risk is just too high,” Ms Mackay said. “They say it is a small risk, but I say one risk and one person affected is a life devastated.”