Health officials have warned that certain hormonal contraceptives, including Yaz birth control and Mirena IUD, may increase the risk of pseudotumor cerebri (PTC), a serious disorder that can cause headaches, migraines and blindness.

Pseudotumor cerebri is a medical condition that causes neurological issues and can mimic the effects of a brain tumor.

Birth control pills and implants have been linked to an increased risk of PTC which causes severe headaches, migraines, vision loss, and permanent blindness.

PTC is also known as intracranial hypertension. Pseudotumor cerebri, which literally means “fake brain tumor,” is characterized by high intracranial pressure caused by the accumulation or poor absorption of cerebrospinal fluid. The disorder is mostly common reported in women between the ages of 20 and 50.

Causes of Pseudotumor Cerebri

Pseudotumor cerebri occurs when pressure inside the skull increases. There is often no obvious reason for the increase in intracranial pressure. The condition is especially prevalent in obese women who use some form of birth control pills. While pseudotumor cerebri only occurs in about one person per 100,000 in the general public, obese women under the age of 44 are nearly 20 times more likely to develop the disorder.

Although in many cases the cause of intracranial hypertension is unknown, the disorder has been linked to certain prescription medications.

In 1995, the New England Journal of Medicine published a study linking intracranial hypertension (pseudotumor cerebri) with birth control pills and contraceptive implants containing the hormone levonorgestrel, such as Mirena.

Pseudotumor Cerebri Symptoms

The increased intracranial pressure associated with pseudotumor cerebri can cause swelling of the optic nerve and result in vision loss. Medications often can reduce this pressure, but in some cases, surgery is necessary. Intracranial pressure symptoms associated with pseudotumor cerebri may include:

• Frequent headaches or migraines that may originate behind your eyes and worsen with eye movement
• Ringing in the ears that pulses in time with your heartbeat, creating a “whooshing” sound (pulsatile tinnitus)
• Feeling dizzy or nauseated
• Vomiting
• Blurred vision, double vision, blind spots
• Vision loss affecting one or both eyes
• Difficulty seeing to the side
• Seeing light flashes (photopsia)
• Neck stiffness
• Neck, shoulder or back pain
• Problems walking
• Forgetfulness
• Depression

Pseudotumor Cerebri Lawsuits

Certain medications such as birth control pills and those in IUD birth control devices are risk factors for pseudotumor cerebri and intracranial hypertension. However, this risk wasn’t shared with consumers, according to allegations raised in numerous pseudotumor cerebri lawsuits. Potential PTC lawsuits are being investigated for women who were diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri after using the following birth control products:

• Yaz
• Yasmin
• Ocella
• Beyaz
• Implanon
• Nexplanon
• NuvaRing
• Ortho Evra
• Depo Provera
• Paragaurd
• Mirena