The Isabel Brown Show

Episode: Birth Control Exposed: Depo-Provera & the Brain Tumor Lawsuit
Date: October 9, 2025
Host: Isabel Brown (The Daily Wire)

Overview

In this episode, Isabel Brown tackles the growing controversy surrounding Depo-Provera, an injectable hormonal birth control, and an emerging class action lawsuit against its manufacturer, Pfizer. The episode exposes alleged connections between long-term Depo-Provera use and the development of brain tumors, focusing on both the science and the lived experiences of women who have felt gaslit and dismissed by the pharmaceutical industry and healthcare providers. Isabel discusses the broader implications for women’s health, medical transparency, and societal attitudes towards birth control.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Depo-Provera Lawsuit & Health Risks

• Introduction to the Lawsuit:

  • Isabel highlights “tens of thousands of women all over the world are banding together in court to sue Pfizer because allegedly their birth control injection shot, Depo-Provera, is causing thousands of women to develop brain tumors later in their life.” ([00:10])
  • Strong language on industry practice: "Birth control is still slow release poison for women people. I will die on this hill." ([00:41])

• Details on Depo-Provera:

  • Injectable format, administered every few months; marketed as convenient and less hassle than daily pills.
  • Isabel critiques the narrative: “Your body’s gonna be so happy for you. And then your brain doesn’t even have to think about it. Turns out the ease and convenience of Depo Provera has translated into horrifying side effects that allegedly Pfizer...failed to disclose.” ([02:32])

• Scientific Evidence & Statistics:

  • French study: women using Depo-Provera for more than a year were “five times more likely to develop a meningioma, which is a specific type of brain tumor.” ([03:33])
  • Approximately 18,000 women in the study (2009–2018) required brain surgery for a meningioma.
  • “Over 42 million women were using these injectable birth controls like the brand Depo Provera in the United States” by 2021 ([04:06]), representing “one quarter of all sexually active women in our country.” ([04:16])
  • Newer data: users faced a “143% increased risk of brain tumors,” with long-term users at an “almost 300% risk, a 290% risk of developing brain tumors.” ([14:34])

2. Historical Pattern of Undisclosed Risks

• Recalls the NuvaRing lawsuit over blood clots, settling for $100 million in 2014.
• Raises concerns that “Nexplanon is the next class action lawsuit in the birth control world,” referencing viral videos about visible and painful side effects from arm implants. ([06:04])
• Questions transparency: “And all these companies and the mainstream media are all wondering why women everywhere are quitting our birth control. Is it really that surprising?” ([06:46])

3. Personal & Collective Experiences with Birth Control

• Isabel’s testimonial of having taken birth control for 9 years, starting at 15, for non-contraceptive medical reasons:

  • “I was prescribed hormonal birth control not because of preventing pregnancy...but because of a million other pharmaceutical reasons...A band aid solution for anything associated with womanhood.” ([09:51])
  • Recounts the requirement for two forms of birth control with Accutane, regardless of sexual activity ([10:59])
  • Speaks to the “gaslighting” women experience: “Every single healthcare practitioner in my life...told me, I can't stop taking birth control or my life would go off the rails and be in shambles.” ([12:26])
  • Describes suffering from “depressed and anxious like the whole time I was taking birth control, which is part of the reason I decided to quit.” ([13:10])

• Call to audience for sharing personal stories in comments and social media to raise collective awareness.

  • “The more we can be honest about our experiences...the more we can say never again...” ([39:22])

4. Specific Testimonies and Case Studies

• Robin Phillip’s Case:

  • Robin Phillip suffered brain tumors, lost vision in one eye, and had to relearn how to walk after using Depo-Provera for nearly 30 years ([15:54–16:13]).
    • Quote:
      • Robin: “If I would have knew from the giggle, I would have never took that shot.” ([15:54])
      • “Emergency surgery left her without vision in her left eye. She even had to relearn how to walk.” ([15:59])
  • “Depo Provera is a progestin shot injected every three months. One in four women in the United States use it...With black women taking the shot at nearly double the national rate.” ([16:13])

• Community Testimonies (via Comments):

  • Charlotte Nicole: “I’m someone who was on depo for over 10 years and I developed a brain tumor...Please get screened if you have any issues. Migraine, vision issues, hearing issues, etc.” ([22:51])
  • Ducky: “The depo shot ruined my health when I was a teenager and I was just told hormones are tricky. You are right about needing a male with you. I am taken way more seriously when my husband is with me versus the years of going by myself to appointments.” ([23:31])
  • Candy: “The depo shot can also also cause you to go into a permanent period...My friend had a menstrual cycle lasting for over a year.” ([23:57])
  • Autumn Neely: “I was on it Depo Provera for 15 years. I broke both of my feet. They said my bones were so brittle because of Depo Provera.” ([25:22])
  • Lily May: “I’ve been on it Depo Provera for five years and I have a pineal cyst and started having seizures three years ago. Could it be linked? Doctors say no, but I don’t believe A word.” ([26:29])

5. Critique of Medical System & Gaslighting

• Doctors routinely dismiss symptoms as “just womanhood,” failing to take women’s concerns about side effects seriously ([17:04–18:45]).
• Quote:
  • “Birth control is going to fix your endometriosis...your PCOS...clear up your skin...fix everything in your life. So when we start to complain...doctors go, eh, that’s...yeah, that’s womanhood. Couldn’t be from birth control.” ([17:33])
• Root problem: systemic gap in healthcare in recognizing and validating women’s lived medical experiences.

6. Societal and Industry Patterns

• Laments continued pharmaceutical marketing of hormonal birth control despite known risks.
• Quote:
  • “We call this like the gold standard treatment for endometriosis. I’m sorry, are you, are you insane? How is this real?” ([30:18])
• Observes that the warning label in the UK wasn't even updated until recently, though countless women had been prescribed the drug since the 1980s ([31:17]).

7. Growing Demand for Accountability, Transparency, and Advocacy

• Highlights need for more rigorous investigation and for medical professionals to embrace “actual science” over wellness fads and influencer advice ([19:44]).
• Notes the rise in male advocacy—men accompanying women to appointments to ensure they are taken seriously by physicians ([21:35]).
• Encourages women to speak up, seek legal recourse if affected, and consult with healthcare advocates ([21:50]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Isabel Brown:

  • “Birth control is still slow release poison for women people. I will die on this hill...” ([00:41])
  • “Women have put up with...the slow release poisoning of all of us. And not only assuming it’s okay, but also being gaslit into thinking this is actually healthier...” ([00:56])
  • “I was depressed and anxious like the whole time I was taking birth control, which is part of the reason I decided to quit. But they’ll convince you and gaslight you that everything’s going to be worse the second you stop taking it.” ([13:10])
  • “We are sure to be following this case very, very closely over the next several months to know just how severe the impact is on the women of our generation.” ([36:39])
  • “Despite being attacked by the New York Times repeatedly for it, I will die on this hill. I will not rest until women of our generation realize just how systematic the poisoning of our entire generation has been sold to us in a pretty pink sparkly box.” ([37:45])

• Robin Phillip (via news clip):

  • “If I would have knew from the giggle, I would have never took that shot.” ([15:54])

• Community Comments:

  • “I am taken way more seriously when my husband is with me versus the years of going by myself to appointments.” ([23:31])
  • “One of the major side effects [of Depo Provera]: My friend died from a depot shot.” ([25:22])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:10 – Introduction of Depo-Provera lawsuit against Pfizer
• 03:33 – French study: Menigioma & Depo-Provera risk outlined
• 04:06 – U.S. usage statistics, scale of exposure
• 06:04 – Reference to NuvaRing/Nexplanon lawsuits and side effects
• 09:51 – Isabel’s personal experience with birth control prescriptions
• 15:54–16:13 – Robin Phillip’s testimony: personal health consequences
• 14:34 – New study on increased risk (143%–290%) of brain tumors
• 17:33 – Critique of doctors dismissing side effects
• 21:35–21:50 – Rise of male advocacy in healthcare appointments
• 22:51–26:29 – Community comment highlights: health issues, medical gaslighting
• 30:18 – Discussion of Depo-Provera as ‘gold standard’
• 36:39 – Monitoring the ongoing lawsuit
• 37:45 – Isabel’s closing thoughts on accountability and advocacy

Conclusion

Isabel Brown’s impassioned episode serves as both a warning and a rallying cry. She blends investigative research, personal narrative, and listener/community stories to underline the risks of hormonal birth control—especially Depo-Provera. The episode expresses frustration with pharmaceutical companies, the medical community, and a broader system that appears to have ignored or dismissed women’s concerns for decades. Isabel calls for open dialogue, transparency, legal action, and heightened self-advocacy, promising further deep dives with experts in future episodes.