Woman Experiences Eye Protrusion After 20 Years of Contraceptive Injections, Plans Lawsuit Against Major Pharmaceutical Company

Suspected Link Between Main Ingredient in Contraceptive Injections and Meningioma Formation

A woman in the United Kingdom experienced a side effect of eye protrusion after receiving contraceptive injections for 20 years. She plans to file a lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company that manufactured the drug.

The UK media outlet 'Mirror' recently reported the story of Kirsty Moore, 37, who lives in Dundee, Scotland. Moore received the 'Depo-Provera' injection, manufactured by Pfizer, for about 20 years, starting at the age of 16 and continuing until recently. However, earlier this year, she learned that the drug is associated with meningioma and subsequently stopped taking it.

Meningioma is a condition in which a tumor develops in the meninges, the membrane surrounding the brain and spinal cord. When the tumor forms behind the eye or near the optic nerve, it can cause the eye to protrude or lead to vision problems. Depo-Provera is a long-acting hormonal contraceptive injection administered at regular intervals.

Kirstie Moore, who complained of side effects after taking Depo Provera. Screenshot from Kirstie Moore's social media (SNS).

In 2021, Kirsty experienced headaches and swelling of her right eye, for which she visited a hospital and was diagnosed with meningioma. She is still undergoing radiation therapy.

She stated, "The tumor has grown attached to the optic nerve, making removal much more difficult. Due to the treatment, I have become so weak that I cannot work, and my vision has deteriorated to the point where I can barely distinguish colors. This injection is dangerous and should be banned."

In 2024, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) published research showing that long-term use of Depo-Provera increases the risk of developing meningioma in women by more than five times. However, Kirsty claims she never received such a warning during the more than 20 years she was administered Depo-Provera.

The research team that led this study used France's national health data system to conduct a case-control study, comparing 18,061 women who underwent intracranial surgery for meningioma between 2009 and 2018 with 90,305 women who did not have meningioma.

The analysis found that using an injection of medroxyprogesterone acetate, the main ingredient of Depo-Provera, for more than one year was associated with about a 5.6-fold higher risk of intracranial meningioma surgery.

Other contraceptive ingredients, such as medrogestone, were associated with a 4.1-fold increase, and promegestone with a 2.7-fold increase in risk. However, this increased risk was not clearly observed with use of less than one year.

As this is an observational study, it is known that a direct causal relationship cannot be definitively established. However, the European Medicines Agency in September 2024 recommended revising product information, having observed an increased risk of meningioma in people who used high-dose medroxyprogesterone acetate for several years.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.