My blurred vision and bulging eye turned out to be brain tumour – why I fear popular contraceptive is to blame

WHEN Carole Bianchi began suffering agonising headaches which left her bedridden for several days at a time, baffled doctors initially struggled to work out the cause. For four months, she was treated with steroids to reduce the swelling until her GP sent her for a CT scan, which revealed she had a meningioma – a slow-growing, benign tumour – which she fears was caused by the contraceptive she’d been on for 10 years. Carole Bianchi said she has lost all of her confidence since the diagnosis Credit: Carole Bianchi She first started taking the contraceptive to manage her heavy periods Credit: Carole Bianchi Now, more than three years since her diagnosis and gruelling six-hour operation, Carole’s entire life has been turned upside down. From permanently losing her sense of smell to suffering from severe anxiety and depression and plummeting self-esteem, she says she’s now a shadow of her former self. But it was only after watching a TV report in June that she discovered the devastating role her contraceptive, Depo-Provera, could have played in her diagnosis. Carole, now 50, says she was “shocked and baffled” when she heard the news. Carole was diagnosed with a meningioma, a slow-growing, benign tumour, in November 2022 Credit: Carole Bianchi The tumour at the front of her brain was the ‘size of a ping pong ball’ Credit: Carole Bianchi Recalling the first few months of her diagnosis, the health care assistant from Wiltshire, tells The Sun: “They told me I had a mass at the front of my brain the size of a ping-pong ball. “They said it was calcified, meaning it had been there a very long time. I was shocked and very frightened – I thought I was going to die.” Treatment included a six-hour op at John Radcliffe’s Hospital in February 2023, and left Carole with numbness in the scalp, partial palsy in the eyebrow and a dent in her head. Carole first started taking Depo-Provera, which is injected every three months, at the age of 30 and continued to use it for 10 years before she was advised to come off it to minimise the risk of osteoporosis. It is estimated to be used by 74 million women worldwide, with around 3.1 per cent of women in the UK using it. Then, a study published by the British Medical Journal in 2024 found women who used it for at least 12 months were nearly six times more likely to develop brain tumours. And that same year a patient information leaflet was updated by the UK medical regular and Pfizer to warn about possible brain tumours. Pfizer insists they “conduct rigorous and continuous monitoring” of their products and that Depo-Provera is safe. Carole suffered from debilitating headaches, leaving her writhing in pain Credit: Carole Bianchi The tumour caused Carole to lose her sense of smell Credit: Carole Bianchi Now Carole – along with hundreds of other women in the UK – is demanding answers. She is considering joining a lawsuit led by solicitors Austen Hays, one of the many firms working on a case against Pfizer. “It feels to me like a time-bomb lottery for many women regularly using Depo-Provera right now, even for those who stopped a while ago,” she said. While the risk of developing a meningioma while taking Depo-Provera is relatively rare according to official guidance, reports of meningiomas are becoming harder to ignore. Over a thousand women from the US have already sued Pfizer for compensation. This figure is expected to rise to between 5,000 and 10,000 – an estimated several billion dollars in potential claims. The official NHS advice now reads: “Having medroxyprogesterone contraceptive injections for three years or longer may also increase your chance of getting a type of brain tumour called meningioma. “However, this type of brain tumour is rare, so your chance of getting it is still quite small.” Carole she is struggling to come to terms with the “new” version of herself. “I miss being able to smell sweet things, I even dream of flowers sometimes and feel so happy, until I wake up,” Carole says. “The way I see it these days, there was the old me, more confident and girly me and now, I am a different person.” Pfizer has since amended the label on the packaging to highlight the risk – but for many other women it’s too little too late. Claire Buck also started experiencing debilitating headaches in 2014 Credit: Claire Buck She was diagnosed with a meningioma in 2023 Credit: Claire Buck A titanium plate replaced a fragment of Claire’s skull Credit: Claire Buck Claire says brain tumour surgery has left her with muscle shrinkage in her face Credit: Claire Buck Echoing Carole’s experience, Claire Buck, 47, from Surrey, had meningioma surgery which left her with numbness in her scalp, a drooping eyebrow and severe PTSD after using Depo-Provera in 2014. She began experiencing blinding headaches two years later. It was only in 2023 – after she had lost all peripheral vision and her right eye became bulging and painful – that she finally got an MRI scan. “I felt sick when I heard I had a tumour,” says Claire. “I thought I was going to die.” Intensive surgery, including the insertion of a titanium plate, left her with facial and scalp disfigurements, and muscle shrinkage in her cheeks, making it hard for her to close her mouth properly. “I couldn’t care for my foster children after the surgery and lost my independence and source of income.” Liz Granville started taking Depo-Provera ten years ago – and only recently came off it after discovering its shocking link to meningiomas. Liz Granville was diagnosed with a meningioma in 2025 – and was advised to come off Depo-Provera following the discovery Credit: Liz Granville Liz says people underestimate the impact the meningioma has had on her life Credit: Liz Granville After multiple GP appointments, blood tests and eventually an MRI scan, Liz discovered she had not one but two tumours pressing against her skull. The pressure against the pituitary gland causes seizures. The thought of collapsing in front of her two children – aged 12 and 13 – fills single-mother Liz with dread. “I can’t drive, I can’t work, despite having worked since I was 13 or 14,” she says. “I just feel it’s completely changed my life.” Dr Alison Cave, Chief Safety Officer for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) says: “For the majority of people, the benefits of Depo-Provera outweighs the risks, but we advise anyone with any concerns to speak with their GP, pharmacist, or contraceptive provider. “In line with usual processes, the need for further regulatory action will be considered, should significant new information be identified.” A spokesperson for Pfizer said: “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 (medroxyprogesterone acetate) has been approved in more than 60 countries over the last 30 years, has a well-established efficacy and safety profile and has been a treatment option for millions of patients during that time.” Patrick McGuire, a senior partner with Thompsons Solicitors Scotland who is leading a class action suit against Pfizer tells The Sun: “The scale of the scandal that we have uncovered across Scotland is truly shocking. “We are leading the way in Scotland but this is an issue that must be handled by Westminster in a full public inquiry by the United Kingdom Government.”