Dangerous Progestins: Increased Risk of Meningioma Revealed by New Study

2023-06-27 16:00:00

In the event of endometriosis, fibroids, particularly long and/or abundant periods and cycle disorders, doctors prescribe progestins to women. These drugs are also used in hormone replacement therapy (including menopause) and in obstetrics (sterility due to luteal insufficiency, repeated abortions). Problem: some progestins could increase the risk of meningioma (i.e. an almost always benign tumor that develops from the meninges), according to the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (Ansm).

Meningioma: taking three progestins for more than a year is associated with an “excess risk”

To reach this conclusion, EPI-PHARE conducted a new pharmacoepidemiology study to assess the risk of operated intracranial meningioma in patients linked to the use of progestins (progesterone, medrogestone, medroxyprogesterone, dydrogesterone, promegestone, dienogest ). The risk of meningioma linked to hormonal IUDs was also analyzed. As part of this work, more than 18,000 women operated on for a meningioma and more than 90,000 “control” women were recruited.

“Prolonged use of promegestone, medrogestone or medroxyprogesterone acetate is associated with an increased risk of meningioma. This is increased when the duration of use of these drugs at the dosage authorized by the marketing authorization market exceeds a year, as is the case with chlormadinone, nomegestrol and cyproterone acetates”, can we read in the Ansm press release.

No increased risk of meningioma with hormonal IUDs

On the other hand, the results with hormonal IUDs, with levonorgestrel 13.5 and 52 mg, do not show an increased risk of meningioma. Another finding: exposure to progesterone (oral, intravaginal and cutaneous) and to dydrogesterone was not significantly associated with an increased risk of intracranial meningioma surgery. “Due to the absence of reimbursement for dienogest alone during the study period and the low prevalence of dienogest associated with estradiol, this study cannot conclude on the presence or absence of risk of meningioma associated with dienogest. “, the agency said.

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#ANSM #warns #progestins

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