Not all birth controls are equal, some are linked to higher risk of brain tumors, study finds
· Medical Xpressby Sanjukta Mondal, Medical Xpress
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Meningiomas are the most common brain tumors in adults, accounting for 38% to 42% of all primary central nervous system tumors. According to 2021 WHO data, 874 million of the world's 1.9 billion women of reproductive age use modern contraceptive methods. Many of these methods contain high doses of certain progestogens, a synthetic version of progesterone, a hormone that plays a key role in the menstrual cycle and pregnancy. So what does birth control have to do with meningioma?
The fact that meningiomas occur far more often in women than in men hints that hormones may play an important role in how these tumors grow.
A recent study published in JAMA Network Open investigated whether there was a possible link. After analyzing data from 3 million women in Danish nationwide health registries over a 25-year period, researchers found that several common types of hormonal birth control were linked to a slightly higher risk of developing this brain tumor. The highest risk was seen with medroxyprogesterone injections, commonly known as the birth control shot. Combined oral contraceptives containing both estrogen and progestogen were also associated with a small increase in risk.
The good news is the increased risk isn't permanent, as it disappears five years after one stops using the birth control.
In search of birth control–tumor link
About 90% of meningioma cases are noncancerous, but the tumor can still cause issues like a decline in memory and thinking abilities, seizures and nerve-related symptoms. Also, the treatment for such a tumor involves surgery and/or radiation, both of which carry risks.
In the United States, nearly 14 per 100,000 women are diagnosed with meningioma compared with about 6 per 100,000 men. In Denmark, the numbers are similar but slightly higher: close to 18 per 100,000 women versus about 7 per 100,000 men.
Why do researchers suspect hormones are involved in the first place? One reason is that up to 87% of meningiomas have progesterone receptors, meaning these tumors can respond to progesterone. In addition, doctors have also observed that some meningiomas grow more rapidly during pregnancy or while a person is taking progestogen-based medications, only to shrink again after childbirth or once the medication is stopped. Despite this growing suspicion, evidence linking contraceptive-dose progestogens to meningioma risk remained scarce.
In this study, to examine the link between birth control and brain tumors, the researchers didn't recruit new people for a trial. They used Denmark's high-quality national registers that track every person's health history, cancer diagnoses and prescriptions filled at pharmacies.
The team used a nested case-control study design, comparing two groups: 1,473 women diagnosed with a meningioma and 14,717 women without the tumor. For each woman with a meningioma, they selected 10 women of similar age, birthplace and marital status who did not have a tumor on the exact date of diagnosis. This careful matching made sure the comparison focused on the factor being studied, rather than being influenced by unrelated differences between the groups.
High-dose hormonal IUDs (containing 52 mg of levonorgestrel) were linked to a higher meningioma risk, especially in women who had used them for more than a year. Lower-dose IUDs, by contrast, did not show an increased risk. The picture was more mixed for oral contraceptives. Those containing estrogen with a progestogen were linked to a small increase in risk, and in progestogen-only mini-pills, the increased risk was tied specifically to desogestrel.
The researchers found that the increased risk was strongest among current users or those who had used them within the last year. As more time passed after stopping, the risk gradually declined, except for some desogestrel users. They also observed a slightly higher risk among women who had been pregnant in the year before their diagnosis, which may be linked to the natural increase in hormone levels during pregnancy.
Hormonal contraception is used by millions of women worldwide, meaning that even small changes in risk can become important when considered across a large population. The researchers believe these findings offer valuable information for women using these treatments and for the physicians who guide their care.
Written for you by our author Sanjukta Mondal, edited by Lisa Lock, and fact-checked and reviewed by Andrew Zinin—this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive. If this reporting matters to you, please consider a donation (especially monthly). You'll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.
Publication details
Nicklas Hasselblad Lundstrøm et al, Contraceptive Progestogens and Incident Meningioma, JAMA Network Open (2026). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.22603
Journal information: JAMA Network Open
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Women's healthOncologyObstetrics & gynecologyNeurologyReproductive healthCommon illnesses & Prevention Who's behind this story?
Sanjukta Mondal
Master's in Chemistry. Freelance science journalist and communicator. Published in Chemistry World, BioSpace, and The Hindu. Full profile →
Lisa Lock
BA art history, MA material culture. Former museum editor, paramedic, and transplant coordinator. Editing for Science X since 2021. Full profile →
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