Hormonal contraception: carefree despite the risk

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

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Hormonal contraceptives can increase your risk of stroke. This only applies to certain women - but they often don't know about it.

Hormonal birth control methods, such as the pill, can increase the risk of stroke. This is extremely unlikely for healthy young women. However, if you have certain risk factors, you should switch to other contraceptive methods. But not every woman who is at risk is aware of the risk.

Prevent uncomplicated

The pill has been the most popular contraceptive for decades: it provides very reliable protection against pregnancy and is easy to use. It is true that it increases the risk of blood clots and thus of venous thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and strokes. However, since women very rarely have one of these cardiovascular incidents when they are young, the likelihood of this is very low, even with the pill.

But this does not apply to risk groups: women over 35, overweight women, women with high blood pressure and smokers, for example, are more at risk anyway. Therefore, the additional risk of hormonal contraception must be carefully weighed up with them.

Danger in migraines with aura

This is even more true for women who suffer from migraines - especially if it is accompanied by an aura. This means that a migraine attack announces itself, for example, by visual disturbances. For them, the health risk from the pill increases in an unacceptable manner, write researchers working with Sarkis Morales-Vidal from Loyola University of Chicago in a survey study.

Unsuspecting patients

Of particular concern: Only 15 percent of women who brought one or more risk factors for blood clots with them could remember that their doctor had recommended a different method of contraception. Another 15 percent continued to take the pill against a doctor's recommendation.

The authors write that this shows the need to improve the advice given by doctors.

In Germany, 52 percent of couples use the pill for contraception, 45 percent use a condom. All other contraceptive methods are very rare at 5 to less than one percent.

Tags:  Diseases unfulfilled wish to have children dental care