France’s National Medicines Agency will send letters to approximately 1.6 million women to warn them about the rare risk of meningioma associated with long-term use of the contraceptive desogestrel

The French medicines agency (ANSM) will send personalized letters, starting on September 14, to approximately 1.6 million women who have received reimbursed prescriptions for 75-microgram desogestrel, informing them about a rare but documented risk of meningioma associated with long-term use of the contraceptive.

The campaign also targets more than 90,000 healthcare professionals. The measure is based on an Epi-phare study conducted by ANSM and France’s National Health Insurance Fund, which analyzed data from 8,391 women who underwent surgery for meningioma between 2020 and 2023.

The research found no increased risk in the case of levonorgestrel, but identified a small yet significant increase among women over 45 who had used desogestrel long term. The risk increases after five years of treatment and doubles after seven years.

ANSM states that the risk is much lower than with other progestogens, such as cyproterone acetate. Women are advised to consult a doctor if they experience persistent headaches, vision problems, balance issues or seizures. The epidemiological risk disappears approximately one year after treatment is discontinued, but an existing meningioma does not disappear automatically.