The decision to commence or continue use of hormone replacement therapy or oral 
contraceptives in women presumed or known to be diagnosed with intracranial 
meningioma is a common clinical question in neurosurgery. A review of the 
English-language literature was undertaken to examine the association between 
the use of exogenous hormones and meningioma risk. Seven publications were 
identified, 6 of which met criteria for inclusion. No randomized clinical trial 
data were available, hence, results were collected from 2 population-based 
case-control studies, 2 hospital-based case-control studies, 1 nested 
case-control study drawn from a large national cohort, and 1 retrospective 
cohort study. At present, there is no statistical evidence of an increased risk 
of meningioma among users of oral contraceptives. Although not definitive, 
available data suggest an association between the use of hormone replacement 
therapy and increased meningioma risk. Further evaluation of exogenous hormone 
use in women with meningioma is needed with particular attention to 
stratification by hormone (ie, estrogen and/or progesterone) composition, 
duration of and age at use as well as tumor receptor subtype.