Nationwide data covering 3 million Danish females link popular birth-control pills, Depo-Provera shots, and high-dose hormonal IUDs to elevated meningioma risk.
A nationwide study of Denmark’s female population aged 15 to 59, published in JAMA Network Open, examined hormonal contraceptive use from 2000 through 2024. The underlying population included approximately 3 million females, with researchers comparing 1,473 women diagnosed with meningioma against 14,717 matched controls.
The study examined contraceptive progestogens, the hormone class used across nearly all major hormonal birth-control methods, including combined pills, progestin-only pills, injections, hormonal IUDs, implants, patches, and vaginal rings.
Most hormonal birth controls analyzed in the study were associated with an increased risk of meningioma brain tumors. Specifically, 8 of the 12 formulations with calculable estimates showed statistically significant or borderline-significant elevations, while several additional methods could not be reliably assessed because too few cases occurred.
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