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Taking the progestogen-only contraceptive tablet desogestrel constantly for greater than 5 years is related to a small elevated danger of growing a kind of mind tumor known as an intracranial meningioma, finds a examine from France printed by The BMJ.
Nonetheless, the researchers stress that the danger is low in contrast with another progestogens (for each 67,000 ladies taking desogestrel, one would possibly want surgical procedure for meningioma) and disappears one 12 months after stopping remedy.
Intracranial meningiomas are usually non-cancerous mind tumors that sometimes require surgical procedure. They’re extra frequent in older ladies, however many research lack info on the particular sort of progestogen used, and danger has not been measured for steady, present, and long-term use.
To deal with this data hole, researchers got down to assess the real-life danger of intracranial meningioma related to short-term (lower than one 12 months) and extended (one to seven or extra years) use of oral contraceptives containing desogestrel 75µg, levonorgestrel 30µg, or levonorgestrel 50–150 µg mixed with estrogen.
Their findings are primarily based on knowledge from the French nationwide well being knowledge system (SNDS) for 8,391 ladies (common age 60; 75% older than 45) who had undergone surgical procedure for intracranial meningioma in 2020–2023. Every case was matched to 10 management ladies with out meningioma (whole 83,910) of the identical age and space of residence.
Probably influential components, together with the usage of a recognized high-risk progestogen within the six years earlier than the examine, had been taken into consideration.
The outcomes present a small elevated danger related to use of desogestrel for greater than 5 steady years.
An elevated danger was not discovered for shorter durations or when desogestrel had been discontinued for multiple 12 months, however it was if different progestogens of recognized related elevated danger of meningioma had been used within the six years earlier than desogestrel.
This extra danger was higher in ladies older than 45 years, these with a meningioma positioned within the entrance or center of the cranium, and after extended use of one of many recognized excessive danger progestogens earlier than desogestrel.
The authors estimate that 67,000 ladies would want to make use of desogestrel for one lady to wish surgical procedure for intracranial meningioma, and 17,000 ladies if present use was for greater than 5 years.
Reassuringly, no elevated danger of meningioma was discovered for levonorgestrel, alone or mixed with estrogen, no matter length of use.
That is an observational examine so cannot set up trigger and impact, and the authors acknowledge that some info could also be lacking from the SNDS database. Nor had been they capable of account for genetic predisposition and publicity to high-dose radiation—components that will have affected the outcomes.
Nonetheless, through the use of complete, real-life knowledge, together with historical past of utilizing different recognized high-risk progestogens, they had been capable of enhance reliability and decrease bias.
As such, they recommend that desogestrel ought to be discontinued if an intracranial meningioma is recognized and sufferers monitored quite than present process instant surgical procedure.
Though direct proof remains to be missing, stopping remedy when desogestrel-related meningioma is recognized could preclude the necessity for surgical procedure, says neurosurgeon Gilles Reuter in a linked editorial.
“It is already common knowledge that stopping cyproterone, nomegestrol, chlormadinone, promegestone, medroxyprogesterone, or medrogestone precludes the need for surgery,” he explains. “Now we know that stopping desogestrel may also avoid unnecessary potentially harmful treatments.”
Extra info:
Oral contraceptives with progestogens desogestrel or levonorgestrel and danger of intracranial meningioma: nationwide case-control examine, The BMJ (2025). DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2024-083981
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British Medical Journal
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Extended use of desogestrel tablet linked to small elevated mind tumor danger (2025, June 11)
retrieved 11 June 2025
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