Depo-Provera Use for Endometriosis Caused Stroke-Like Symptoms, Golf Ball-Sized Brain Tumor: Lawsuit

Following surgery to have it removed, a Depo-Provera brain tumor returned, which was deemed too dangerous to operate upon again.

A Minnesota woman has filed a Depo-Provera lawsuit after developing an intracranial meningioma, claiming the birth control shot caused a tumor in her brain that led to sudden aphasia, coordination issues and seizure-like symptoms.

The complaint (PDF) was brought by Melita Posch in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota on April 7, naming Pfizer Inc., Prasco, LLC, Viatris Inc., Greenstone LLC, Pharmacia & Upjohn Co. LLC, and Pharmacia LLC as defendants.

Between 1999 and 2013, Melita Posch underwent nearly continuous treatment with Depo-Provera, a long-acting birth control injection promoted as a safe and convenient option for women. 

Approved in 1992, the Depo-Provera shot delivers medroxyprogesterone, a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone, which has been used by more than 70 million women in the U.S., following decades of marketing that emphasized its reliability over other contraceptives.

However, women like Posch began filing Depo-Provera lawsuits earlier this year after studies published in late 2024 linked Depo-Provera to brain tumor risks, which can be life-threatening, and frequently require surgical intervention.

Posch indicates she was first prescribed Depo-Provera for birth contraception and to help treat her endometriosis in 1999. She received quarterly injections every year, but one, until 2013.

“On or about April 19, 2014, the Easter holiday, Plaintiff experienced sudden stroke-like symptoms (abrupt-onset aphasia),” the lawsuit states. “These symptoms prompted Plaintiff to seek medical evaluation at a local emergency department.”

What doctors found was a golf-ball sized meningioma tumor in the left temporoparietal lobe of her brain. A month later, Posch underwent surgery to have the tumor carefully removed from her brain.

In June 2018, an MRI revealed that the tumor had returned and was growing. Doctors diagnosed Posch with a sagittal sinus meningioma.

“Because of the meningioma’s location near a cortical vein, surgical removal of the meningioma was deemed too risky,” Posch’s lawsuit notes. “Plaintiff underwent radiation therapy to treat the recurrent meningioma beginning in 2019.”

As a result of the tumor, Posch must undergo regular MRI scans to monitor its development. In the meantime, she has suffered seizure-like symptoms, problems with coordination, dragging of her right foot and chronic softening of the brain tissue, the lawsuit indicates.

She presents claims of failure to warn, design defect, negligence, negligent failure to warn, negligent design defect, negligent misrepresentation, fraudulent misrepresentation, breach of warranty, and seeks both compensatory and punitive damages.

April 2025 Depo-Provera Brain Tumor Lawsuit Update

Posch’s complaint will be transferred to the U.S. District of Florida, as part of a Depo-Provera multidistrict litigation, under U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers, for coordinated discovery and pretrial proceedings with at least 130 similar claims.

Judge Rodgers has moved quickly to push the lawsuits over Depo-Provera brain tumors toward trial, selecting a small group of pilot cases to be prepared to go before a jury to help bring a prompt and efficient resolution to the litigation. The first Depo-Provera lawsuit is anticipated to begin by the end of 2026 or early 2027.

While the outcomes of these trials will not be binding on other Depo-Provera lawsuits, they will give the parties a chance to see how juries respond to arguments and testimony that will be repeated throughout the litigation, which may help the parties reach Depo-Provera settlement agreements.