Women who suffered serious side-effects from the contraceptive injection Depo‑Provera are demanding answers at the Scottish Parliament, urging MSPs to back a UK‑wide inquiry into the drug’s safety. A group of six women met a cross‑party group of MSPs at Holyrood on Wednesday, describing complications that they say have been “life‑changing” and “changed my life dramatically for the worse”.
The women are calling for urgent action, including better NHS screening for long‑term users, improved education for GPs about the risks, and the inclusion of warnings about the jab in sex‑education programmes. Their legal representatives, Thompsons Solicitors, are acting for around 70 clients across the UK who have been on Depo‑Provera for more than two years and have been diagnosed with meningiomas – tumours of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.
Campaign for answers at Holyrood
Nicola Mackay, who used Depo‑Provera for 23 years, told the meeting that she suffered five seizures last February and has since undergone brain surgery and radiotherapy. She has been left with three tumours – one removed, two remaining – and is on lifelong anti‑seizure medication. “It’ll be lifelong, and it’s just changed my life dramatically for the worse,” she said. Formerly a nurse, she cannot work or drive and lives rurally, meaning she cannot be left alone for long periods because of the risk of seizures. “One case of meningioma is too many,” she added.
Shona Gilmore, from Dundee, has also been on the injection for 23 years without any checks. After seeing discussions on Facebook about the possible link to meningiomas, she said she had to “beg” for a CT scan. Despite having symptoms, she says doctors have told her no further scans are needed, even though “these tumours are not detected on a normal CT scan”. She wants the NHS to recognise the concern. “The ladies have had seizures and things like that. I don’t want to get to that stage,” she said. “It’s just like we’re knocking our heads against brick walls, and that needs to change for everybody in the UK.”
Emma Bruce, a solicitor from Thompsons, said the meeting had been productive. “We had cross‑party discussions with various members of parliament, and they’ve agreed to take it to the highest point that they can,” she said. While MSPs were receptive to a public inquiry, she added, “they recognise that a public inquiry can take years, and we need action here and now”. Topics discussed included educating young women about the risks and ensuring GPs are fully informed. “It was just great to see them finally being listened to,” Ms Bruce said, “because for years women’s health hasn’t been taken seriously enough.”
What the research says
The campaign follows a major study published in the British Medical Journal in March 2024 that established a clear link between prolonged use of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) – the active ingredient in Depo‑Provera – and a higher risk of intracranial meningioma. The French national case‑control study analysed data from more than 108,000 women, including 18,000 who had undergone surgery for meningiomas. It found that women using injectable MPA for at least 12 months had a 5.6‑fold increased risk of developing a meningioma compared with non‑users. No increased risk was found for use lasting less than a year.
Meningiomas are tumours that form in the meninges – the protective layers around the brain and spinal cord. Although most are benign, their position can cause serious health issues, including persistent headaches, vision changes, hearing loss, seizures, and neurological deficits. The study noted that while the relative risk is significantly higher, the absolute risk remains low: for women not on the contraceptive depot, the risk of needing surgery for a meningioma was estimated at about 4 per 100,000 per year (0.004%). Importantly, the same study found no excess risk with levonorgestrel intrauterine systems (the hormonal coil).
In response to the findings, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Pfizer issued updated guidance in October 2024. It stated that high‑dose MPA – all injectable forms and oral doses of 100 mg or more – carries a small increased risk of meningioma, primarily with prolonged use over several years. For contraception or non‑oncological uses, MPA is now contraindicated in anyone with a current or past meningioma. If a meningioma is diagnosed during MPA use, treatment must be stopped. The product information has been updated to list meningioma as an adverse reaction with a frequency of “not known”.
Health authorities in the European Union and New Zealand have also updated their warnings, though as of June 2025 the US Food and Drug Administration had not revised its product labelling. Thousands of women are reportedly suing Pfizer for compensation in the United States, where the company has recently settled more than 5,000 lawsuits related to Depo‑Provera and meningioma risks. Other UK law firms, including Austen Hays and Leigh Day, are also investigating potential legal claims.
Pfizer’s position
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.”
Depo‑Provera, a long‑acting hormonal contraceptive administered by injection every three months, has been used by millions of women worldwide for over three decades. According to global estimates, around 74 million women use injectable contraception, including 3.1% of UK women aged 15–49. The drug has faced controversy before, with historical concerns about its safety and patterns of disproportionate prescription to certain demographic groups.
Thompsons Solicitors Scotland senior partner Patrick McGuire said the firm had been inundated with calls from affected women, describing the situation as a “scandal”. The women who met MSPs hope their campaign will push for immediate NHS screenings for those with symptoms, a UK‑wide review of the drug, and a long‑overdue reckoning with the risks that appear to have been overlooked for years.
