How blood clots ruin lives<\/strong><\/p>\n Our blood is designed to solidify naturally to prevent us from bleeding to death in the case of a wound. However, when we talk about blood clots, also called venous thromboembolism (VTE), we describe an abnormal coagulation of the blood in the veins or arteries. One\u00a0common example, the Deep Vein Thrombosis or DVT is a form of blood clot that occurs in the leg or pelvis. A blood clot is dangerous because it obstructs your normal blood circulation, and can lead to three life threatening conditions:<\/p>\n Blood clots affect\u00a0mostly older people who are also more likely to be the victims of stroke, pulmonary embolisms and heart attacks. However, a study conducted by the Mayo clinic reports that \u201cin patients younger than 55 years, the incidence of venous thromboembolism was higher in females. This observation may relate to differential exposure to clinical risk factors by sex and age (eg, pregnancy, postpartum state, or oral contraceptive use among younger women)\u00a0[i]<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Long term consequences if you survive<\/strong><\/p>\n Even when blood clots are not deadly, the consequences of blood clot related accident are life changing. \u00a0A heart attack damages the heart’s muscle tissues leading to irregular heart rhythm, higher chance of heart failure, and higher risk of major depression. A stroke will often be followed by some impairment such as partial paralysis, memory loss or thinking difficulties or emotional problems. If it doesn\u2019t kill you, a pulmonary embolism can lead to lung tissue damage or can cause low blood oxygen levels that can damage other organs in the body. Some blood clot conditions will require taking blood thinners for 3 to 6 months or more. A French organization<\/a> dedicated to this victims of blood clots caused by contraceptives\u00a0studied 739 cases of such accidents and found that in 46% of the cases, the effects were irreversible (29 death, 57 serious handicap, 256 life long negative effects).<\/p>\n The risk levels are higher for women on hormonal birth control<\/strong><\/p>\n According to the National Blood Clot Alliance<\/a>, \u201cmost birth control pills do increase a woman\u2019s chance of developing a blood clot by about three to four times.\u201d They report\u00a0that 1 in 1,000 women on hormonal contraceptive will suffer from a blood clot. Certain types of hormonal contraceptives have higher risks than others, such as the patch, vaginal ring (Nuvaring)[ii]<\/a>, combination hormonal birth control pills that contain the progestin called desogestrel\u00a0[iii]<\/a>, and those that contain the progestin called drospirenone (found in pills such as YAZ or Yasmin)[iv]<\/a>.<\/p>\n The risk factors are not what your doctor may think<\/strong><\/p>\n The common risk assessment for women getting on the pill include:<\/p>\n Generally, it is also accepted that if after a year of use, a woman has not experienced a clot, she\u2019s safe.<\/p>\n However, a study<\/a> conducted by Lucine Health Sciences<\/a> seems to indicate that the medical system needs to seriously reconsider their approach of assessing such risks. They studied the medical background of 87 women who experienced a DVT because of hormonal contraceptives, and found that:<\/p>\n What\u2019s more, only 2% of all the women had been tested for a blood disorder, even when they had a known risk factor in the family.<\/p>\n The study conducted by the French organization<\/a> in reference above confirms these finding, as out of the 739 cases they researched, 30% had none of the risks doctors usually look for, 73% didn’t smoke at all, and out of the 19% who had a coagulation disorder, 30% were not aware of it.<\/p>\n What we must do<\/strong><\/p>\n More than anything, these studies show the importance of raising awareness among young women and couples about the dangers of hormonal birth control and not stop at commonly published risk factors. They are drugs that shouldn\u2019t be used without serious considerations and thorough understanding of all the risks. It is even more important when we see that young women can now buy them without a prescription in some states: who will warn them? The cost of such an accident is too high to be ignored.<\/p>\n As parents, spouses, or friends, we have a duty to educate others:<\/p>\n At Natural Womanhood, we consider it part of our mission to warn women.<\/p>\n Be well,<\/p>\n Gerard Migeon<\/p>\n [i]<\/a> Trends in the Incidence of Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism<\/a>, A 25-Year Population-Based Study<\/p>\n Marc D. Silverstein, et Al. Arch Intern Med. 1998;158:585-593<\/p>\n [ii]<\/a> Venous thrombosis in users of non-oral hormonal contraception: follow-up study, Denmark 2001-10 \u00d8jvind Lidegaard et Al. BMJ 2012;344:e2990 doi: 10.1136\/bmj.e2990 (Published 10 May 2012)<\/p>\n [iii]<\/a> Abramowicz M (2010). Choice of contraceptives. Treatment Guidelines From The Medical Letter, 8(100): 89-96.<\/p>\n [iv]<\/a> U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2011). FDA Drug Safety Communication: Updated information about the risk of blood clots in women taking birth control pills containing drospirenone. Available online: http:\/\/www.fda.gov\/Drugs\/DrugSafety\/ucm299305.htm.<\/p>\n [v]<\/a> For more resources about blood clots and contraceptives, read also:<\/p>\n\n
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