A mother has issued a stark warning after losing the vision in her left eye following fifteen years of using contraceptive injections, which doctors have linked to a rare brain tumour. Shelley Whittaker, a 47-year-old health and hygiene service support worker from Bolton, Greater Manchester, first noticed blurred vision while applying mascara in November 2024, initially dismissing it as a minor irritation.
From Blurred Vision to Brain Tumour Diagnosis
When the vision problems persisted and worsened, Shelley visited an optician in January 2025. After no issues were detected during the initial examination, she was referred to a specialist eye clinic for further investigation. Multiple tests and MRI scans eventually revealed the shocking diagnosis in May 2025: Shelley had developed a spheno-orbital meningioma, a rare benign brain tumour measuring 4cm that was causing bulging behind her left eye.
The Contraceptive Connection
During her neurological consultation in June 2025, Shelley's doctor asked if she had ever used medroxyprogesterone contraceptive injections. She confirmed she had been prescribed these injections for fifteen years as her primary method of birth control. The neurologist immediately instructed her to stop using the injections, explaining there were established links between long-term use of this medication and meningioma development.
According to NHS guidance, using medroxyprogesterone contraceptive injections for three years or longer may increase the chance of developing a meningioma, though this remains a rare occurrence with relatively small statistical probabilities. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has updated product information for medications containing medroxyprogesterone acetate following studies showing the association with meningioma risk.
Life-Altering Surgery and Recovery
In September 2025, Shelley underwent a gruelling ten-hour surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible. The procedure successfully saved what remained of her eyesight, though surgeons could not remove the entire growth, meaning Shelley must live with the residual tumour for the rest of her life. The surgery left her with significant bruising and bulging around her left eye, and she required six months off work to recover from the operation.
"I'd never think the contraceptive injections would've led to all this," Shelley said. "I've now got to live with this tumour for the rest of my life because they couldn't take it all. I was made aware of certain risks but not this. The main risk that they mentioned to me was weight gain and making sure you have plenty of calcium in your diet."
Warning Signs and Delayed Recognition
Shelley described how she initially noticed the vision problems: "It felt like I had something in it, like if you had a bit of cream or oily substance in your eye and it goes a little bit glazed. It just came out of nowhere. I closed one eye and went to put on my mascara and when I shut my right eye and I was looking through my left eye it was very, very blurred."
She admitted laughing off the symptoms for several months, joking that she was "going blind" before finally seeking professional medical attention. "If I'd have left it a month longer, two months longer I could potentially have been blinded in my left eye," she reflected.
Manufacturer and Regulatory Response
Pfizer, the manufacturer of Depo-Provera (the brand name for medroxyprogesterone acetate injections), stated that patient safety remains their top priority. A company spokesperson explained: "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 has been approved in more than 60 countries over the last 30 years and has a well-established efficacy and safety profile."
The MHRA echoed this commitment to safety monitoring while noting that "for the majority of people, the benefits far outweigh the risk." The regulatory agency has updated patient information leaflets to include symptoms of meningioma and advice to contact healthcare providers if these symptoms occur.
A Mission to Raise Awareness
Now back at work after her extended recovery period, Shelley has made it her mission to warn others about the potential risks associated with long-term contraceptive injection use. "It's quite scary," she said. "I would never have carried on taking that injection if I'd been made aware this is what they could have done to me. I used to encourage people to use it. It needs to be out there that there are risks and very high risks if you're a long term user of it."
While Shelley's vision has improved somewhat since surgery, she still experiences occasional patches of blurred vision. Should the remaining tumour begin to grow again, radiotherapy would be her next treatment option. Her experience serves as a cautionary tale about the importance of understanding all potential medication risks, even with treatments that have been widely used for decades.
