In June of last year I was rushed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital due to what I thought was a migraine. It was the worst headache of my life. In fact, it was so bad I was vomitting. I have never in my life had pain so bad that I was vomitting. . . but it really can happen.
A CAT scan revealed I had bleeding on my brain. Later, an MRI revealed I had a massive blood clot in my brain.
Everyone knows that birth control can cause blood clots. The risk is elevated by those that are over 35 or smokers. The thing is, none of us realize how great that risk is.
I found it amazing that every health practioner I spoke with immediately guessed that I had been on bc when I told them I was suffering from a blood clot. They usually followed their guess with the comment that they have seen a lot of females my age (26 at the time) with this unfortunate side effect.
Here are some numbers:
"The research from Boston University School of Medicine in Massachusetts indicates that oral contraceptives containing desogestrel or gestodene increased the risk of blood clots by a factor of 2.3 compared to older birth control pills containing levonorgestrel.
The findings support earlier research about the potential danger of the "third-generation" pills that caused a scare in 1995 and resulted in a warning to doctors and pharmacists about the potential dangers. Since the warning, the number of women taking the "third generation" pill, have dropped by about 80%.
The researchers estimated that if women had not switched after the warning there would have been about 26% more cases of blood clots."
http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/3/bi...trol_pills.htm
From the same link: "It is also important to remember that birth control pills can deplete the following nutrients:
Vitamin B2
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B12
Folic Acid
Vitamin C
Magnesium
Zinc"
"Thromboembolism (blood clots): Women who use estrogen-containing birth control pills are at a 3- to 6-fold increased risk of developing blood clots. Blood clots may lead to deep vein thrombosis, heart attack, or stroke. Additional causes of blood clots include advanced age, obesity, family history, recent surgery, and pregnancy. Low-dose (less than 50 mcg of ethinyl estradiol) oral contraceptives pose less risk than older, higher-dose formulations. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of blood clots in women using combination contraceptives, particularly for women older than 35 years and those who smoke more than 15 cigarettes per day."
http://www.emedicinehealth.com
Here are some facts:
- I do not smoke, nor have I ever smoked.
- I took birth control for 10 years before getting a blood clot.
- I had been taking Seasonal for the past 2 years prior to getting this blood clot.
- I was 26 at the time of the blood clot.
- HOWEVER, my bloodwork came back with one factor that may increase blood clotting. I tested positive for heterozygote (meaning one mutated gene) factor five leiden. This gene mutation is most common in those of Northern European decent. Factor V Leiden is the most common hereditary blood coagualtion disorder in the United States. It is present in 5% of the Caucasian population and 1.2% of the African American population. It is rare among hispanics and asians. You can be tested to see if you are positive for Factor V Leiden, but be forewarned that some insurance companies may not insure you if you come back positive for it. I should also point out that both of my parents have Heterozygote Factor V Leiden. Neither of them have ever experienced a blood cloth. My older sister has homozygote Factor V Leiden (both genes mutated) and has never had a blood clot. However, my older sister has never used birth control.
The following are all blood clotting disorders that when combined with birth control can increase your blood clotting changes by more than 30 fold:
Factor V Leiden
Prothrombin 20210 Mutation
Activated Protein C Resistance
Protein C & S Deficiency
Antithrombin Deficiency
I think what I want to stress here is the fact that I assumed I would not need to worry about the bc blood clotting side effect. I was young and very healthy. The blood clot took me by complete surprise. Had I not rushed to the hospital that evening and allowed the bleeding on my brain to worsen, I could be dead right now. The ER doctor told me it is VERY rare when someone comes in with bleeding on their brain and they're not a vegetable.
I, obviously, am not allowed to take birth control ever again. Because I have clotted in the past, if I get pregnant I must take shots of Lovenox (a blood thinner) twice daily to my stomach. But, I am happy and lucky to be alive!
I was finally taken off of the blood thinner coumadin this week after beign told that my clot is finally completely gone. Yay!
Please be aware that the side effects of birth control are very real. And, they are much more common than you would like to believe. I found a support group for those suffering from blood clots here online and 85% of us that post there are young females that were on birth control at the time. I just wanted to pass on the information I know to the rest of you. May you never need it.
Ladies. . . birth control health alert
and I decided to stop taking the pill. I then went back on it because I wanted to take Seasonalle and skip my periods (even without the fibroids I bleed pretty heavily). The weird thing I discovered when going on and off the pill is that is completely destroys my sex drive. I didn't know this was a side effect until I realized it and started doing some research. Of course this is in no way comparable to a health threat such as blood clots, but I just find it so ironic that it does that to me.
