Birth control pills ‘up stroke risk’
October 27th, 2009 - 2:27 pm ICT by ANI ( Leave a comment )Washington, Oct 27 (ANI): Birth control pills can nearly double the risk of stroke in women, says a new study.
According to a review article in MedLink Neurology by three Loyola University Health System neurologists, women who take birth control pills and also smoke, have high blood pressure or have a history of migraine headaches, significantly increase their risk of stroke.
The review found there were about 4.4 ischemic strokes for every 100,000 women of childbearing age, but birth control pills increase the risk of stroke 1.9 times, to 8.5 strokes per 100,000 women.
“When prescribing oral contraceptives, doctors should balance the risks and benefits for each individual patient,” said senior author Dr. Jose Biller.
“For a healthy young woman without any other stroke risk factors, the benefits of birth control pills probably outweigh the risks. But if a woman has other stroke risk factors, she should be discouraged from using oral contraceptives,” the expert added.
How oral contraceptives might cause strokes is not completely understood. But two possible mechanisms are the increased risks of blood clots and high blood pressure associated with oral contraceptives, authors wrote. (ANI)
- Migraine may up risk of stroke - Nov 17, 2009
- Third generation contraceptive pills much riskier - Apr 22, 2011
- Clot-busting drug 'works best for strokes caused by blood clots' - Nov 10, 2010
- Hormonal contraceptives less effective for obese women - Jul 25, 2010
- Injectable, oral contraceptives 'don't affect glucose, insulin levels' - Dec 21, 2010
- FDA approves first oral contraceptive that increases folate levels - Sep 27, 2010
- Migraine sufferers 'at higher risk of dying from heart disease' - Aug 25, 2010
- Oral contraceptives thought safe can carry long-term risks - Jan 16, 2009
- Women more prone to heart problems than men: Doctors - Sep 28, 2011
- Contraceptive pills a risk for women's hearts - Mar 09, 2011
- Contraceptive pills increase risk of vascular diseases among women(Lead) - Mar 09, 2011
- Some pills more likely to cause blood clots - Oct 26, 2011
- Stents as good as surgery for unclogging carotid arteries - Feb 27, 2010
- 'Aura' migraines 'double stroke risk' - Oct 28, 2009
- Study: Birth control pills alter the structure of women's brains - Oct 08, 2010
Tags: birth control, birth control pills, blood clots, doctors, high blood pressure, ischemic strokes, jose biller, loyola university health, loyola university health system, mechanisms, migraine, migraine headaches, neurologists, neurology, oral contraceptives, stroke risk factors, university health system, young woman
