Depo-Provera and Sayana Press: Meeting with your MP to discuss safety risks

If you’ve experienced health problems after using Depo-Provera or Sayana Press, you could have questions about what happened and whether anyone could have done more to protect you. You might also want decisionmakers to understand the impact this injection has had on your life. 

Speaking to your Member of Parliament (MP) gives you an opportunity to share your experience with someone who represents your local community. You can explain why you’re concerned about Depo-Provera and ask your MP to help bring wider questions about its safety to the attention of the Government and the wider public. 

These concerns have a wider significance. Research has identified an association between injectable medroxyprogesterone acetate and meningioma, a tumour that develops in the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. The findings have raised questions about the medicine’s safety and if the information available to patients was enough. 

Meeting your MP won’t guarantee change. However, it can help bring your concerns to their attention and give them an opportunity to raise questions with the relevant people in Government. 

Your first step is to find out which MP represents your constituency. You can do this by entering your postcode into the UK Parliament’s Find your MP service. 

Once you’ve found your MP, visit their parliamentary profile to find their contact details. You can email their office to explain that you’d like to discuss concerns about Depo-Provera or Sayana Press and ask whether you can arrange a meeting. 

Keep your initial message clear and focused. Explain briefly why you want to meet and what you’d like to discuss. You don’t need to include every detail of your experience in your first email. 

Your MP might offer a meeting at a local constituency surgery. These meetings give people an opportunity to discuss issues that matter to them. Check with the MP’s office whether you need to book an appointment.

You might feel unsure about what to say, especially if your experience has been difficult. Preparing a few notes beforehand can help you explain your concerns without feeling you need to remember everything during the meeting. 

Start by thinking about the main reason you want to speak to your MP. You might want to explain your personal experience of using Depo-Provera or Sayana Press. Alternatively, you might want to focus on wider questions about medicine safety and whether patients received enough information about potential risks to make an informed decision about their care. 

You don’t need to know every detail of the medical research or the law. Focus on what you’ve experienced and what you’d like your MP to understand. It can help to prepare something written to take with you. If you have relevant documents that support the points you want to raise, consider bringing copies. 

Before the meeting, think about what you’d like to happen next. You might want your MP to make enquiries with the relevant minister or ask for further information about the safety concerns surrounding Depo-Provera or Sayana Press. 

Talking about your experience can feel difficult, particularly if you’ve been dealing with health concerns or trying to find answers. You don’t need to share everything at once. Focus on the points you most want your MP to understand. 

Explain how Depo-Provera or Sayana Press has affected you, if you’re comfortable doing so. You might want to describe your experience of using the injection and the impact your health concerns have had on your everyday life. Your MP doesn’t need a detailed medical explanation to understand why the issue matters to you. Never feel like you need to share personal medical information to make a point if you aren’t comfortable doing so. 

It can also help to explain why you’re asking for their support. You may want your MP to understand the concerns surrounding Depo-Provera or Sayana Press and help ensure that decisionmakers hear from women who’ve been affected.  

You don’t have to answer every question your MP might ask. If you’re unsure about something, it’s fine to say so. You can explain what you know from your own experience and identify anything you’d like further information about. 

Remember, the meeting is an opportunity to have your concerns heard. You don’t need to prove a legal case or have all the answers before you speak to your MP. 

Your MP can help bring your concerns to the attention of people responsible for decisions about medical safety. The action they take will depend on the issue you’ve raised and the options available to them. 

For example, your MP could contact a government minister to seek an explanation or ask questions in Parliament. They could also raise the issue publicly if they believe it warrants wider attention. UK Parliament explains the different ways MPs can raise concerns here. 

You can ask your MP to look into concerns about how medicine safety information reaches patients. You can also ask them to seek clarification about what action the Government is taking in response to emerging evidence. 

It’s important to have realistic expectations. Your MP can’t decide or confirm whether a medicine caused your individual health condition. They also can’t guarantee a change in policy or a particular response from the Government. It is important you know going into this that you more than likely won’t come away with answer that day.  

However, raising your concerns gives your MP an opportunity to consider the issue and decide how best to respond. Even if they can’t achieve everything you hope for, they might be able to help you understand what happens next. 

After your meeting, take some time to note down what you discussed so you can refer back. Write down any actions your MP agreed to take and when you might expect an update. 

If your MP has offered to contact a minister or make further enquiries, you can follow up with their office if you haven’t heard anything after a reasonable period of time. Keeping a record of your correspondence will help you track any progress. This can mean keeping track of any written communication of keeping a timeline of emails and calls.  

Remember that change can take time. Your MP may need to wait for a response from a government department before they can update you. If that happens, you can ask their office when it’s appropriate to follow up. 

If you’ve been diagnosed with a meningioma after using Depo-Provera or Sayana press, you might be looking for answers about what happened and whether you have grounds to take legal action. We understand that this uncertainty can be difficult to navigate. 

Our specialist product liability team is already supporting women affected by concerns about these contraceptive injections. We understand the importance of investigating the evidence and helping people understand their legal options. 

Product liability cases can raise complex questions about medicine safety and the information manufacturers provide. Our team can help you understand these issues and explain what they might mean for your circumstances. 

If you’re concerned that Depo-Provera or Sayana Press may have harmed your health, you can find out more about our work on our Depo-Provera claims page. We’ll help you understand the support available and what you can do next.

If you’ve used Depo-Provera or Sayana Press and have been diagnosed with a meningioma, you may want to understand whether you could be eligible to claim. Contact our team to discuss your circumstances and find out what information may be needed to assess your potential claim.