Study links another contraceptive to brain tumors

The daily hormonal contraception known as the mini-pill has been linked to brain tumors, and millions of women who have used it could be at an increased risk.

Key Takeaways:

• A new study shows that the mini-pill hormonal birth control that uses desogestrel can cause brain tumors when taken for more than five years.

• After at least one year off of the mini-pill, a woman's risk of developing the tumors disappears, according to the study.

• The tumors resulting from use are typically non-cancerous but can cause health concerns such as headaches, vision issues, and seizures.

The Details:

New research suggests that women who take the mini-pill, a daily hormonal birth control containing desogestrel (a type of synthetic progesterone), for more than five years are at an increased risk of developing meningioma, a brain tumor. The risk disappears once a woman stops taking desogestrel for at least one year.

Though typically non-cancerous, the tumors, which grow in the lining of the brain, can cause headaches, seizures, vision issues, and memory loss. Researchers said the risk remains low with about one in every 67,000 women who have taken desogestrel developing a tumor serious enough to need surgery.

The mini-pill works primarily by thickening cervical mucus and thinning the lining of the uterus. This makes it more difficult for sperm to reach an egg or for a fertilized egg to implant — meaning the mini-pill can cause an abortion by preventing the new human life from implanting.

In some women, it prevents ovulation.

It is 99% effective with one in 100 women supposedly becoming pregnant while taking the mini-pill, however, that number may be higher if researchers do not consider life to begin at fertilization (as has been biologically and scientifically proven).

The Harms of Contraception

Zoom Out:

This is at least the second hormonal contraception to be linked to brain tumors. A separate study from 2024 found that women who took the contraceptive injection Depo-Provera, which uses medroxyprogesterone acetate, were five times more likely to develop a meningioma. Additional research backs this up.

The Bottom Line:

The side effects and risks of hormonal contraception are often downplayed and even ignored, with women who use these methods of birth control never being given the true risks.

Hormonal birth control products have been linked to an increased risk brain tumors and breast cancer, increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and even a higher risk of suicide.