Women in Scotland are campaigning for better regulation of the contraceptive injection Depo-Provera after it left them with life-altering injuries including brain tumours, sight loss and bulging eyes. In June, victims took their cases to Holyrood to demand politicians push for a public inquiry into the use of the injection in the UK and better guidelines for those considering taking the shot.
Earlier this month, their calls were answered when GPs were instructed to warn patients of the meningioma – non-cancerous brain tumour – risk. It comes after the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that women who used the jab were five times more likely to be diagnosed with meningiomas than women who have never used the birth control. The research was published in 2024.
Victims' Stories
Tammy Croston, from Cupar in Fife, was left partially blind after she began using Depo-Provera in 1999. The 47-year-old took the shot on and off for several years. She was initially told that her symptoms were caused by dry eyes and migraines before she woke up one morning with the right side of her face collapsed with her eye pointing downward. Hospital scans later revealed that the mum had four non-cancerous tumours located inside her skull. During surgery to remove one of the masses, a complication led her to lose the use and vision of her right eye.
Trish Saunders, from Aberdeen, began using the contraceptive in 1999. The 45-year-old was prescribed the jab for heavy periods and used it consistently until 2016. She was diagnosed with a 5mm meningioma after her eye became swollen in 2013. Trish's surgery was a success but she was left with damage to the nerve endings on one side of her face. She continued to use the jab after her surgery as she claims she was never warned about the potential side effects.
Legal Fight for Compensation
Donna MacDonald, from Kilmarnock, was left with a brain tumour and a bulging eye after taking the drug for 28 years. Donna, 53, was diagnosed with a sphenoid wing meningioma in August 2022 after noticing a disfigurement with her left eye. Medics told Donna they cannot operate to remove the tumour without there being a high risk of losing her eyesight. Instead, she lives in a "constant state of worry" over the tumour growing and robbing her of her vision regardless.
Kirsty Moore, 37, from Dundee, has been left with a bulging eye and a brain tumour after she began taking Depo-Provera at the age of 16. She took the injection for over 20 years and only came off the Pfizer-manufactured drug earlier this year after learning of its links to meningiomas. Kirsty was diagnosed with the non-cancerous tumour in 2021 after she began experiencing headaches and noticed a swell in her right eye. She has since received four operations to remove the mass, which is growing on an optic nerve.
The women are now being represented by Thompsons Solicitors Scotland in their fight for compensation. The Record has been supporting the women's calls and highlighting their cases.
