Hundreds Of Women Sue Pfizer After Birth Control Shot Linked To Brain Tumors

Now, hundreds of women in the U.S. and the U.K. are suing the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, claiming the company failed to warn them about the risks tied to the popular birth control injection Depo-Provera.

The lawsuits, which have been consolidated into a multi-district litigation, come after a 2024 French study found that women who used Depo-Provera for a year or more were five times more likely to develop a brain tumor called a meningioma. The study, conducted by France’s National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety, examined the cases of over 18,000 women who had undergone brain surgery for meningiomas between 2009 and 2018.

Meningiomas are usually benign, slow-growing tumors. But their location, often pressing on the brain or spinal cord, can lead to serious symptoms, even death. Pfizer acknowledged the "potential risk associated with long-term use of progestogens” and said it was “working to update product labels and patient information leaflets with appropriate wording.” As of June 2025, though, there is still no written warning about brain tumors on the Depo-Provera label in the U.S.

A Known Risk Abroad, Hidden at Home

Canada and the European Union added a warning about meningiomas to Depo-Provera packaging years ago. American women didn’t get the same disclosure. For many, that silence is at the heart of the lawsuits.

According to a press release from attorneys representing roughly 400 plaintiffs, the lawsuits claim Pfizer and other drugmakers “were aware of the link between these birth control injections and brain tumors and that they failed to adequately warn of the risk and promote safer alternatives.”

The first known lawsuit was filed in October 2024 by a woman who used Depo-Provera between 2005 and 2021 and was diagnosed with a meningioma at age 37. Her story is not unique.

In July 2024, Lucy Woodward, a nurse and mother of three, shared that she had experienced severe headaches and trouble understanding people. Scans revealed a tumor the size of a golf ball pressing on her brain. She had been on the Depo shot.

One woman quoted in the filings said, “I finally reached a law firm that truly understands the gravity of damage done by the Depo manufacturer.”

Pfizer’s Long History With Depo-Provera

Depo-Provera has a complicated past. First approved in the U.S. in 1959 for managing menstrual disorders, it was pulled in 1978 over cancer concerns, then re-approved in 1992 as a contraceptive. In 2004, the FDA issued a black box warning (the strongest possible alert) over the drug’s link to bone mineral density loss.

That led to a class action settlement worth over $2 million in 2021. The current lawsuits argue that history has repeated itself, this time with something even more frightening than brittle bones. Some of the women suing say they’re angry that this risk was never disclosed. Others say they trusted the medical system to give them safe options. Instead, they ended up on an injection that may have caused lasting harm.

The French study wasn’t vague. Women who used synthetic progestins like medroxyprogesterone (the active ingredient in Depo-Provera) for a year or longer were significantly more likely to develop meningiomas requiring surgery. Specifically, the risk increased by 5.6%.

This came just a year after a separate study from the University of Oxford found that any use of progestogen-only hormonal contraceptives carried a 20–30% higher risk of breast cancer.

Pfizer responded by acknowledging the findings, but left the U.S. warning label untouched.

Lawsuits Gain Momentum

As of June 2025, at least 348 claims have been grouped together in a federal MDL (multidistrict litigation) in the Northern District of Florida. Legal teams have begun combing through each complaint to ensure the documentation includes proof of a Depo-Provera prescription and a brain tumor diagnosis.

Trial dates haven’t been set yet, but the first five “bellwether” cases have already been selected. These trials will likely determine whether Pfizer settles—and how much compensation could be on the table.

One study cited in court documents found that the average settlement in similar meningioma cases exceeds $800,000. Trial verdicts can reach more than $3 million.

More Than 40 Million Women May Have Used It

In 2021, the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care estimated that 42 million women of reproductive age were using injectable contraceptives like Depo-Provera, making it one of the top four contraceptive methods in the world. In the U.S., around a quarter of all sexually active women have used it at some point.

In the U.K., 10,000 women still receive the injection every month through the NHS. Some are now joining legal efforts across the Atlantic.

Because meningiomas are slow-growing, they often don’t show up until they’ve caused damage. Symptoms can include memory loss, confusion, seizures, vision problems, hearing issues, or weakness in the limbs. Some women say they had no idea their health issues were connected to birth control. That is until their diagnosis forced them to look back.

The cost of treating a brain tumor can easily exceed $700,000 before insurance. That’s not including lost income, disability, or emotional stress.

What Happens Next?

If the MDL moves forward as expected, it could lead to a major payout for victims—or, if Pfizer chooses to fight, a legal battle that lasts for years.

In the meantime, plaintiffs are urging other women who have used the Depo shot to come forward if they’ve experienced symptoms or have been diagnosed with a meningioma. Lawyers are continuing to take on new clients, and time is limited due to state laws around statutes of limitations.

Many of these women trusted their doctors. They trusted the label. What they didn’t expect was to be left dealing with a brain tumor that could’ve been caught, or possibly avoided altogether, had they been told the truth about birth control.

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