Birth control jab ‘could raise brain tumour risk’

WOMEN who use the contraceptive injection are at an increased risk of developing the most common type of brain tumour, research has suggested.

Long term use of medroxyprogesterone acetate – known under the brand name DepoProvera – was found to raise the risk of meningioma more than fivefold.

Experts said that, while the risks remained low, the findings suggest some cases of meningioma will be the result of certain birth control medications.

Typically, an estimated 40 out of 10,000 30-year-old women would be expected to be diagnosed with a meningioma before the age of 80. This rises to 200 in 10,000, based on these findings published in the British Medical Journal. Meningioma is a tumour that arises from the meninges, a membrane that envelops the brain and the spinal cord. It is usually non-cancerous and is often slow-growing but can ultimately be fatal because of where it forms.

Previous research has linked some types of progestogens – a synthetic version of the natural hormone progesterone – to tumours, but this is the first to look at the links in birth control.

Researchers at France’s National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety studied several types of progestogens used in for contraceptives and HRT, with Depo-Provera the only type with a higher associated risk that is used here.

They used data from the French national health system for 18,061 women, with an average age 58, who had meningioma surgery from 2009-18. Each case was matched to five control women without meningioma by year of birth and area of residence.

The results showed that prolonged use of the contraceptive jab – more than 12 months – was associated with a 5.6-fold increased risk of meningioma.

They concluded: ‘In countries for which the use of medroxyprogesterone acetate for birth control is frequent (74million users worldwide), the number of attributable meningiomas may be potentially high.’

While the link has yet to be proven, scientists suggest there is growing evidence of a risk, though no association was found in many contraceptives and HRT drugs containing different types of progestogens. Meningiomas are more common in women and usually affect those over 35.

Dr Karen Noble at the charity Brain Tumour Research, said: ‘Although this study has linked certain progestogen treatments to an increased risk of meningioma, it has also demonstrated the safety of other progestogen treatments. If you are concerned… speak to your GP before stopping any prescribed treatment.’