On The Pill? Be Informed About Blood Clots
Millions of women take the birth control pill everyday for a variety of reasons and do not realize some of its side effects. Sure, the common ones are weight gain and low libido but what about cardiovascular risks? Practitioners and researchers have known for years that blood clots are a very serious potential for pill users but lately they have narrowed it down to certain hormone mixtures.
A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that forms in your leg (typically your calf area) and can be painful or feel like a dull ache and cause skin warmth and redness. You may notice the affected leg is swollen and tender to touch. A DVT is serious because the clot can break loose and travel up into your lungs causing a pulmonary embolism (blockage) which is life threatening.
Click here to comment on this article.In an updated study, researchers found that women who take the birth control pill had a 5-fold increase risk in developing a blood clot compared to non-users. More importantly, they looked at some of the newer pills on the market and found their risk alarming.
Looking at the progestin options in a pill, Levonorgestrel had a 4-fold increased risk, Gestodene a 5.6 increased risk, Drospirenone a 6.3 increased risk, Cyproterone a 6.8 increased risk, and Desogestrel was the highest at 7.3 increased risk.
Additionally, the higher the estrogen content in a pill, the higher the risk of blood clots.
Commonly, drospirenone is in Yaz and Yazmin, while Cyproterone is in Estelle 35. Desogestrel is in Mircette.
There are many generics on the market now and I would encourage you to read the insert that comes with your pill pack in order to determine exactly what mixture you are swallowing each day.
Does this mean stop your birth control pill? Not necessarily. If you are not using the pill for pregnancy protection, then you may want to explore other options and get to the root of your hormonal imbalance. If you have a strong family history of cardiovascular disease, if you, yourself, have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and/or high blood sugar then the pill may not be the best option for you.
Add A New CommentWe value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
Add A New Comment1 Comments
I do not trust the pharma companies are giving us the full story on the dangers of combination hormone formulas like YAZ/Yasmine, NuvaRing They tell us the risks of DVT/PE are minuscule and really only apply to women 35+, smokers, however, we are witnessing a rash of young women (under 30) with otherwise excellent health die or become disabled from PE. If you Google "Yaz Pulmonary Embolism" you will see a list of news headlines from around the world pertaining you women as young as 16 years old, who have been irreversibly harmed by this formula. The same goes for NuVaring, which also appears to be a dangerous product. It makes me so angry that women in the U.S. have had (and still have to) to fight so hard for conscientious health care, particularly reproductive health care and birth control, in spite of phenomenal advances in medical science. Thirty years later, we are still subject to being Guinea Pigs for profit.
This is a subject dear to my heart because I don't believe that women are being told the truth, and I think our lives are a risk using some of these products. I could have been one of these terrible statistics they try to downplay. After experiencing what pointed to a possible DVT, I immediately stopped using the NuvaRing and decided to take control of my family planning the natural way. I have never felt better and wish that more women knew that this is a viable, safe, and reliable alternative. Granted, it does require awareness and personal participation, but it does not need to be complicated (ie. checking CM, manual charts, etc.)
(Link to website removed due to EmpowHer.com's policy against solicitation of its members.)