Heartbreaking images have shown women left with bulging eyes and brain tumours after years of taking the contraceptive jab.
In February this year the Record first began to report on patients in Scotland who had been left with life-altering injuries after consistent use of Depo-Provera. Their stories follow the the cases of 2,5000 women who are suing Pfizer for compensation in the US.
In 2024, a study published in the British Medical Journal found that prolonged use of Depo-Provera causes a significant increase in the risk of developing meningioma brain tumours. A meningioma is a tumour that grows in the membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord. While meningiomas are considered benign, treatment may include radiotherapy or invasive surgery.
The research found that women who used the drug were five times more likely to be diagnosed with meningiomas compared to women who never used the birth control shot.
Images of the women who have bravely shared their stories with the Record laid bare the life-changing effects they have suffered.
Their cases have been taken on by Thompsons Scotland, who are helping the women to begin legal proceedings against Pfizer.
View 6 ImagesTammy Croston was left without the use of one of her eyes(Image: UGC)
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 before four non-cancerous tumours were 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. She now fears she will be locked out of claiming compensation due to jurisdiction laws.
Tammy said: “This feels incredibly unfair for us. The fact we could be blocked from seeking damages because we are Scottish is crazy… we keep getting rejected at every turn. We feel as though we’ve got nowhere to turn.”
View 6 ImagesTrish after her operation(Image: Supplied)
Trish Saunders, 45, from Aberdeen was left with half of her face “completely numb” following an operation to remove a brain tumour from her head “caused by the contraceptive jab“.
Trish used Depo-Provera for 17 years after suffering heavy periods. She was diagnosed with a 5mm meningioma – a benign tumour that grows around the brain and spinal cord – 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.
View 6 ImagesDonna MacDonald, from Kilmarnock(Image: UGC)
Donna MacDonald, 53, from Kilmarnock, has been left with a permanent bulging eye as she claims taking the shot for 28 years is what led to her brain tumour diagnosis.
The mum was diagnosed with a sphenoid wing meningioma in August 2022 after noticing a disfigurement with her left eye. She was referred to an ophthalmologist before being told there was a 17mm mass growing inside her skull.
But due to its location, medics said they cannot operate to remove the tumour without there being a high risk of losing her eyesight. She lives in a “constant state of worry” over the tumour growing and robbing her of her vision.
View 6 ImagesLindsay Tinney was left epileptic after surgery to remove a meningioma (Image: Supplied)
Lindsay Tinney, 50, from Dundee, who took Depo Provera for seven years, has been left epileptic from a brain tumour following a 10-hour brain surgery to remove her meningioma.
The mum-of-four came off the injection to try for a baby in 2004. At 31 weeks pregnant, she suffered a seizure and was forced to go into labour early. An MRI scan revealed she had a tennis ball-sized meningioma – a non cancerous tumour – growing inside her skull.
Lindsay said: “This injury has been life-altering for me… it was major brain surgery and the recovery was hard. My baby was four weeks early… [and] I’ll be on medication for the rest of my life. I really struggled for a long time.”
View 6 ImagesKirsty used Depo Provera for 21 years(Image: Supplied)
Kirsty Moore, 37, from Dundee, has been left with a bulging eye and a brain tumour after taking the shot for over 20 years. She came off the Pfizer-manufactured drug earlier this year after learning of its deadly links to meningiomas.
Kirsty was diagnosed with the non-cancerous tumour in 2021 after 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.
However, despite several surgeries and the efforts of medics, the tumour has only continued to grow back. Kirsty is now undergoing a gruelling six-week programme of radiotherapy in a bid to stunt its growth.
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