Popular Birth-Control Pills Increase Risk of Blood Clots
Popular Birth-Control Pills Increase Risk of Blood Clots – A new study shows that some of the popular contraceptive pills, such as Yasmin, Femodene, and Marvelon can increase the risk of blood clots in women four-fold compared to those who do not take any oral contraceptives.
Researchers from University of Nottingham looked at third generation contraceptive pills, such as Yasmin, which are popular among women because they don’t cause side-effects such as weight-gain, headaches, breast tenderness, and hair growth.
Led by Dr. Yana Vinogradova, the team at Nottingham University analyzed prescription data from two large UK general practice databases to measure the connection between use of oral contraceptives and risk of blood clots in women aged 15-49 years. They found that the risk of blood clots were associated with a newer type of progesterone hormone (drospirenone, desogestrel, gestodene, and cyproterone), than with the older form of progestogens (levonorgestrel and norethisterone) such as Microgynin, coomonly used in the UK.
When compared to women not on any oral contraception, those using the older pills containing the older form of progestogens were two and a half times more likely to develop blood clots, while those on the new form of progestogens were four times more likely to have blood clots. Blood clots usually form in the leg and travel up the blood vessels and can create blockages in the lung, known as pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal condition. The clots can also travel to the brain causing a stroke.
According to Dr. Vinogradova, the new birth-control pills cause about 14 cases of serious blood clots every year in the UK. Researchers say that women using these pills should consult their doctors and discuss any concerns they may have. The study was published in the British Medical Journal.
Category: News
