A woman left with a bulging eye and a brain tumour after years of taking the contraceptive jab has joined a group of Scottish victims in their fight for compensation.
Kirsty Moore, 37, from Dundee, began taking the Depo-Provera shot 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 deadly 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.
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.
View 5 ImagesKirsty pictured after surgery to remove her tumour(Image: Supplied)
Speaking to the Record, she said: “This tumour has dramatically changed my life. I’ve had to undergo four operations – including one emergency surgery – to try and remove it. Each operation has been extremely invasive and recovery has been hard.
“Because it’s growing on an optic nerve, it means it is going to be harder to remove. I’m now undergoing radiotherapy every day for six weeks to try to shrink it. It has left me exhausted, depleted and unable to work.
“I’m also affected mentally because it has left my face permanently disfigured. I don’t think my eye will ever look the same again. I can now see colour from one eye. This injection is dangerous and is gambling with women’s lives. It should really be banned.”
View 5 ImagesBrave Kirsty has had to undergo four surgeries to remove her tumour(Image: Supplied)
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. 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.
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. Similar to other victims across Scotland, Kirsty claims she was never warned of the side effect.
She said: “At no point throughout the 21 years of taking Depo Provera was I ever warned that it could cause a brain tumour. Women should have been warned of the side effects. It’s shocking that some of us are now facing terrifying health battles because of this injection.”
The Record has highlighted the plights of multiple women in Scotland who have been left with life-altering injuries after consistent use of Depo-Provera. Earlier this year, we told how 47-year-old Tammy Croston, from Cupar in Fife, was left without the use of one of her eyes after years of using the contraceptive.
View 5 ImagesKirsty Moore(Image: Supplied)
The mum-of-two was left with sight loss after surgery to remove one of her four meningiomas went wrong.
Trish Saunders, from Aberdeen, also came forward to tell how she had been left with a half-numb face following an operation to remove a brain tumour from her head. Trish, 45, used Depo-Provera for 17 years after being prescribed the contraceptive for heavy periods.
Donna MacDonald, 53, from Kilmarnock, has also been left with a permanent bulging eye as she claims taking the shot for 28 years is what led to her brain tumour diagnosis.
And just last month, 50-year-old mum Lindsay Tinney, from Dundee, who took Depo Provera for seven years, told us how she has been left epileptic following a 10-hour brain surgery to remove her meningioma.
View 5 ImagesMum Tammy Croston was left without the use of one of her eyes after consistent use of Depo Provera(Image: Supplied)
The cases are being taken up by Thompsons Scotland, who are helping the women to begin legal proceedings against Pfizer. It comes as around 2,500 women are suing Pfizer for compensation in the US.
Patrick McGuire, senior partner with Thompsons Solicitors Scotland, said: “It is heartbreaking to see the awful consequences for Kirsty’s health caused by Depo Provera. It takes real bravery to come forward as she has done and to speak out against what is happening to many women across Scotland.
“As the Daily Record continues to uncover the scale of this scandal it is already clear that it will be huge both in terms of the number of Scottish women injured by the jab and the level of the compensation bill Pfizer face. Our class action lawsuit against the manufacturers continues to grow as women from all parts of the country contact us.
“Courageous women like Kirsty and our other clients have solidarity and strength in numbers. We will do all we can to make sure they get justice.”
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A spokesperson for Pfizer said: “Patient safety is our top priority. 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.
“People should talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse if they have any concerns or experience any side effects.”
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