Depo-Provera^® Lawsuits

At Trustwell Law, our experienced attorneys take a personalized, compassionate approach. We cut through the legalese and partner with our clients. We also have access to the expertise, resources, and manpower to fully investigate each case and fight for and with our clients to get the justice they deserve.

What Is Depo-Provera?

Depo-Provera is a birth control injection. Depo-SubQ Provera 104 injections are used for birth control and to manage endometriosis-associated pain. Both contain progestin (synthetic, human-made progesterone) to suppress ovulation, and act as a contraceptive by keeping a woman’s ovaries from releasing an egg. Depo-Provera shots are given every 13 weeks via an injection into muscle in the buttock or upper arm, while Depo-SubQ Provera is injected just beneath the skin in the thigh or abdomen every 12 to 14 weeks.

The FDA approved Depo-Provera for use in the United States in 1992, but it has been used around the world for almost 60 years. Somewhere between one million and two million women in the United States receive Depo-Provera injections each year, and about 20 percent of all women in America have used Depo-Provera in their lifetime.

Studies have indicated that use of high-dose progestogen medications, such as Depo-Provera and Depo-SubQ Provera, is linked to an increased risk of a woman developing meningioma. In fact, the risk for users of Depo-Provera was the highest of the medications studied: a 5.55-fold increased risk.

What Are Meningiomas?

Meningiomas are usually benign (not cancerous) tumors that develop in the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord. However, they can grow and put pressure on brain tissue and structures, so they often require surgery or radiation treatment, which have the potential to cause brain injury. Surgical removal is the primary treatment, but can lead to seizure disorders, brain injury, permanent cognitive impairment, depression, and, possibly, death.

Symptoms of meningiomas include aphasia (difficulty speaking or communicating), double or blurry vision, seizures, headaches that are worse in the morning, hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), memory loss, loss of smell, and weakness in the arms or legs.

Pfizer Failed to Warn Women About the Brain Tumor Risk

Pfizer, the manufacture of Depo-Provera and Depo-SubQ Provera, did not warn women that the injections would increase their risk of developing a meningioma. As noted, these tumors are dangerous even when noncancerous, as they usually are, because they can grow and put pressure on the brain. Then their surgical removal can lead to life-altering consequences and health issues.

Documents show that Pfizer was aware of those risks for some time. They failed to share that information with doctors, medical professionals, and consumers. That is the basis for this lawsuit.

Depo-Provera Lawyers

If you or a loved one had Depo-Provera injections and developed a meningioma and are considering a Depo-Provera lawsuit, contact us.

You may be entitled to compensation for past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, and possible punitive damages.

The consultation is free, and if we take your case, you pay us nothing unless you receive compensation.