Several women has warned of the dangerous side effects of a drug used as a contraceptive and as menopausal hormon therapy, with the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) recommending that the product information be updated.
Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (MPA) MPA, is widely used as both an oral and injectable contraceptive, is sold under several brand names in South Africa such as Depo-Provera, Provera, Petogen, and Sayana, among others. It is also used as a treatment for endometriosis-related pain and certain cancers.
SAHPRA said the side effect would be updated to include revised safety warnings, including the risk of meningioma (a slow-growing tumour that develops in the meninges, the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord).
However, according to three women who had already experienced devastating health consequences after using the contraceptive, this announcement had come a little too late.
The decision to update the safety information for MPA-containing products was prompted by international studies, including research conducted in France and the United States, which suggested an increased risk of meningioma with prolonged use of MPA.
Despite these risks, SAHPRA emphasized that MPA’s benefit-risk profile remained favourable for approved indications, including contraception and cancer treatment.
They recommended that healthcare providers discuss potential side effects with patients, monitor for signs of meningioma, and discontinue MPA if meningioma was diagnosed in non-cancer cases.
For patients being treated for cancer, decisions should be made based on a careful consideration of the risks and benefits.
While this advisory- according to the women came a bit too late for them, they said they hoped it could still serve as a crucial alert to others, ensuring that future generations of women were better informed about the risks associated with this widely used contraceptive.
Shene Gurling, 39, who considers herself an introvert i decided to speak up about her experience with the contraceptive she trusted for years.
The mom from Cape Town, said what hurt her the most was that she hardly has a recollection of very important days including her wedding and her children’s milestones, a consequence of what she believed to be the result of years on the Depo-Provera injection—a contraceptive produced by Pfizer.
Gurling, who struggles with memory loss was diagnosed with meningioma after discovering a tumour pressing against her optic nerve, eventually causing vision loss in her left eye in 2023.
Despite surgery, the tumour remained, and her life was profoundly affected.
The mom who had been on the contraceptive shot, since 17 said she has reason to believe that the shot might have triggered her condition.
“It was overwhelming. At a time when I should have been thriving, my life came to a standstill. I also lost my job.”
In a desperate attempt to seek answers, Gurling approached SAHPRA, hoping they would look into her concerns. But at the time, SAHPRA had nothing to say about her allegations regarding the Depo-Provera injection and lawsuits regarding it.
Gurling’s story resonates with Tanya Dippenaar, from Gqeberha, who began using MPA in 2003, and shared her own troubling experience.
She recalled the lack of proper counselling regarding potential side effects.
After discontinuing the injection in 2018, Dippenaar struggled for over a year with what she described as a hormonally unbalanced state, an aftermath she wasn’t prepared for.
“I literally felt hormonally unbalanced. It took me 18 months before I felt like ‘me’ again,” she said.
She also reflected on the lack of detailed counselling she received about potential side effects.
“If a healthcare provider had actually sat down with me and explained these side effects, it would have definitely influenced my decision. But we knew that wasn’t how it generally worked. It was all rushed, and we weren’t given the information to make an informed decision.”
Now a mother of two daughters, Dippenaar was determined to protect them from a similar experience.
“I informed them as much as I could,” she said. “I wanted them to have all the information so they could make their own educated decisions. I never had that option.”
Lynn van Rensburg from Gauteng, shared her similar experience and recounted how her eyes started deteriorating in 2023, leading to a devastating discovery—a meningioma behind her eye.
Like Gurling and Dippenaar, Van Rensburg now wished for more transparency and updated information back then already about the risks of MPA use.
“One would think it’s the duty of SAHPRA’s to inform women of the potential risks.
“And although its now too late for women like me and Shene, we are hoping that this will be a warning to other women.”
When asked about suing the company, all three women agreed that at the present moment its about creating awareness.
“No money could pay for the trauma that I or my family had gone through. It was an emotional roller coaster. Some days were better than others, but we were still living with it,” Van Rensburg said.
“We wanted other women to be aware.
“It was time they had the information we never got. If I’d known about these risks, I might have made different choices. It wasn’t just about me then—it was about ensuring this never happened to another woman or girl. I couldn’t stress enough how important it was for women to have all the facts before making decisions about their health,” Dippenaar said.
SAHPRA encouraged healthcare professionals and the public to report suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) through its eReporting system, the Med Safety App, or by email. Further information was available on SAHPRA’s website.