Should I stop my contraceptive pill or IUD because of this finding?

No — not without speaking to your GP first. The absolute risk of meningioma from progestogen-containing contraceptives is very low, and stopping contraception without a plan carries its own real risks. This research adds to the picture your GP will use when discussing contraceptive options with you. If you are concerned, book an appointment and name your concern specifically — your GP can help you weigh your personal risk profile.

Is the Mirena IUD (levonorgestrel 52mg) affected?

The Danish study found the 52mg levonorgestrel IUD (Mirena) was associated with a 1.58× elevated risk of meningioma. Low-dose levonorgestrel IUDs (such as Kyleena, 19.5mg) did not show an increased risk in this study. If you have a Mirena and are concerned, speak with your GP — many women use it for reasons beyond contraception, including managing heavy periods and as the progestogen component of menopausal hormone therapy, and any decision to change devices involves your full clinical picture.

Progestogen contraceptives linked to meningioma — what to know

What just happened

A large Danish study published in JAMA Network Open has found that several progestogen-containing contraceptives are associated with a statistically significant increased relative risk of meningioma — a usually benign, slow-growing tumour arising from the lining of the brain.

The research drew on 25 years of national registry data, comparing 1,473 Danish women aged 15 to 59 who had been diagnosed with meningioma against more than 14,700 matched controls. It found meaningful differences depending on which progestogen formulation women had used, and for how long.

If you are currently using one of the formulations implicated, and this is the first you have heard of it — that is a gap in the information flow this post is trying to close. The absolute risk is genuinely very low. But the relative risk findings are real, and they are clinically relevant enough that contraceptive counselling is likely to be updated to reflect them.

The both-and

What the numbers actually say

The highest risk in the study was with injectable medroxyprogesterone (Depo-Provera) — 4.55 times the risk compared with no use. That sounds alarming in isolation, but meningioma is uncommon: the background incidence in women aged 15–59 is in the range of 4–5 per 100,000 per year. A 4.55× relative risk still yields an absolute risk that remains in the rare-to-very-rare range.

Other formulations showed more modest elevations:

Desogestrel (progestogen-only pill, “mini-pill”): 1.73×
Norethisterone: 1.66×
Drospirenone (found in Yasmin and similar OCPs): 1.58×
High-dose levonorgestrel IUD (52mg, Mirena): 1.58×
Gestodene: 1.44×
Levonorgestrel combined OCP: 1.40×

Importantly, low-dose levonorgestrel IUDs (Kyleena 19.5mg, Skyla/Jaydess 13.5mg) showed no increased risk in this study. And across all formulations, risk appeared to disappear within approximately five years of stopping.

One expert noted in the coverage that “the number of women who need to take these compounds to develop one extra meningioma runs from the hundreds of thousands into the millions per year of use.” The comparison also matters: pregnancy in Australia carries a maternal mortality rate of approximately 6.6 per 100,000 — a risk that far exceeds the absolute meningioma risk from most formulations.

What this does not tell us

Registry data identifies associations, not causation. Progestogens have known effects on hormone receptors throughout the body, including in meningioma cells, which are known to express progesterone receptors. The biological mechanism is plausible. But this study does not prove that progestogens cause meningioma — it demonstrates that women using certain progestogens are diagnosed with meningioma at higher rates.

The Danish setting also matters. Progestogen prescribing patterns differ across healthcare systems, and Australian patterns — including the very high uptake of levonorgestrel IUDs and lower use of injectable medroxyprogesterone — mean the risk distribution in Australian women may look somewhat different.

Jean Hailes for Women’s Health notes that contraceptive choice involves a full assessment of individual benefit and risk, and that hormonal contraception has well-established clinical benefits including management of endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, heavy periods, and perimenopause symptoms. A single association study does not change that calculus — it adds to it.

What will change clinically

The findings are likely to update informed consent conversations around progestogen-containing contraceptives, particularly for women with existing factors that elevate meningioma risk — including prior radiation to the head, or personal or family history of meningioma. The Australasian Menopause Society and the RACGP are well placed to provide updated guidance for GPs as this evidence is incorporated into prescribing frameworks.

This finding also joins an earlier body of evidence from France, where regulators added warnings around high-dose cyproterone acetate and injectable medroxyprogesterone after similar signals emerged in French registry data. The pattern across multiple data sources strengthens the biological plausibility of the association.

For most women, this is not a reason to stop a contraceptive that is working for them. It is a reason to have a more complete conversation with their GP about options — especially given that the low-dose levonorgestrel IUD did not show elevated risk, and may be a viable alternative for women currently on Mirena whose sole indication is contraception.

My two cents

If you are on the desogestrel mini-pill, injectable medroxyprogesterone, or a Mirena IUD — and you have never heard the word meningioma connected to your contraceptive before — you now have that context. The absolute risk is low. But you are entitled to make an informed decision, and that starts with naming this at your next GP appointment.

What is worth noting this week: the low-dose levonorgestrel IUD data is reassuring for many women. If you are on Mirena specifically for contraception and are concerned, a conversation about switching to Kyleena — which offers similar contraceptive efficacy with a smaller device and lower hormone dose — is reasonable to raise.

And if you notice any symptoms that could suggest meningioma — gradually worsening headaches, vision changes, hearing changes, or new focal neurological symptoms — those warrant a GP visit regardless of your contraceptive history.

Verdict: yes — worth knowing about.

Sources cited

Progestogen contraceptives associated with increased meningioma risk. The Medical Republic, 20 July 2026. https://www.medicalrepublic.com.au/progestogen-contraceptives-associated-with-increased-meningioma-risk/127461
Contraception — Jean Hailes for Women’s Health. https://jeanhailes.org.au/health-a-z/contraception
Australasian Menopause Society. https://www.menopause.org.au