Contraceptive methods

Women who don't have stroke risk factors have a very low risk, but women who already have risk factors for a stroke have higher odds of having one when on birth control pills.

The study published in MedLink Neurology the researchers did a meta-analysis of previous studies that looked at the increased risk of heart attack, migraine and stroke combined when with taking oral contraceptives.

 

It showed that the risk for stroke increased by 1.9 times. That is like one more stroke for every 25 thousand women on contraceptive pills.

 

Women who smoke are also at a higher risk, like those who have a history of migraines and high blood pressure, these women are not usually recommended to take the contraceptive pill.

Although modern contraceptive pills only contain about 20 micrgrams of estrogen, the serious side effects are more common in those women who take over 50 mcg. There are about 4.4 ischemic strokes in every 100,000 women of childbaring age. It appears that contraceptives effect these blood clot types of strokes but not those that are hemorrhagic, caused by bleeding on the brain.

 

"For a healthy young woman without any other stroke risk factors, the benefits of birth control pills probably outweigh the risks," one researcher said "But if a woman has other stroke risk factors, she should be discouraged from using oral contraceptives."

 

The reasons as to why oral contraceptives might contribute to strokes is not clear but indictors point towards blood pressure and an increased risk of blood clots as possible factors.

There have also been studies carried out looking at the link between oral contraceptives and multiple sclerosis (MS) and breast cancer. These links are important for the more than 100 million women taking oral contraceptives in the world.