Side effects of birth control

[carebear]

My cousin, a very healthy (triathlete/master diver/judo champion/etc.) 35yr old, passed away about 18 months ago due to a pulmonary embolism. For a while my family believed it had something to do with diving, which caused a LOT of problems between the ex-SO and myself. My family also believes she may have had an inherited blood clotting disorder called leiden factor V.
I have been doing some research over the past few months about clotting disorders and this particular disorder which was only discovered less than 10 years ago. (I know, morbid thoughts but hey I balance life in the whole work hard/play harder philosophy. I wanted to share some of the things I found that I feel everyone should know! Please excuse my ignorance because I am not a dr, nor do I play one on TV!
Anywhere from .01%-5% of the population has leiden factor v or associated disorders which could cause clotting which COULD be fatal. Hardly anyone is tested for this disorder because it may lie symptomatic or mirror symptoms of other disorders and because it is so seemingly rare but most of all because NO ONE HAS HEARD OF IT!
Anything that could exacerbate your risk could leave you more suceptible to a fatal blood clot, including birth control, plane rides, and even diving (although I spoke with a dive medicine dr about this and he says the risk is minimal even with the disorder, so don't give up yet). Birth control pills are known to aggravate blood clotting yet this blood test is given out so rarely I don't know anyone who has even heard of it, much less had it, yet almost everyone I know has taken the pill at one time or another, including myself.
I wanted to raise awareness of this issue because most insurance companies will not even pay for this test without significant symptoms, yet they will still pay for drugs that could make the condition worse. So (carebear getting off her soapbox) I wanted to pose the question to the diving community: have any of you had this test or even heard of it?

 

[LittleFrog]

I had a stroke 10 years ago. Very unusual for a healthy 28 year old woman. After all the poking and prodding they did, the only thing they could not rule out was birth control pills.

A few years later, my doc shared some info about a rare, newly discovered clotting disorder. Since it was never clearly determined what caused the stroke, he thought it might be worth checking out. For the life of me, I can't remember the details...all the tests are a blur (must be the little hole left in my brain from that nasty blood clot :wacko: ) All I know is that I don't have it.

Happy to be healthy and diving ,

~LittleFrog

 

[Nicole]

Hello! I heard that birth control can cause blood clotting but more so if you are a smoker. I don't know how true that is, but a friend of mine told me that her dr. wouldn't let her go on the pill because she smoked and the risk is high.

 

[LittleFrog]

That information is true, Nicole. Smoking does increase the risk considerably. However, there is a risk whether you smoke or not. I didn't smoke, drink, or use any other substance but I still became one of the statistics. The risk is there regardless of your lifestyle.

Live well, ladies...

~LittleFrog

 

[carebear]

Yes, it definately increases the risk at least 4xs, even if you do not have suceptibility.
Thanks for posting your thoughts!

 

[Jersey]

CareBear - Sorry to hear about your cousin & thanks for sharing the info. My understanding (& I am not a doctor) is that there are a variety of other 'factor' types in blood that are not routinely tested for. I don't know the names or implications of having or not having these factors, if any.

As an aside, I would suggest to any women out there to consider switching to an IUD as an alternative to BC pills. There are no hormones involved, once in, it can stay 5-7 years. One time cost is significantly lower then alternatives. Effective rate somewhere around 99%.

Yes - like everything else, there are drawbacks & some side effects. It is not for everyone, but I strongly believe there are more women out there who could benefit from this device then currently take advantage of it.

Jersey

 

[SCUBAMedicBill]

The pill on its own dose raise the chances of forming embolisms. Think of like this, what athe pill dose is trick your body into thinking you are pregnant. This causes certain body reaction which are designed to prevent ovulation, and prepares the body to give birth and to fight the resulting blood loss. For the majority, this doesn't present a problem, but, there is a higher chance of clot formation, then if you were not taking the pill. Factor V is the most common cause of clotting problems.

Depending of the type pill (chemical makeup), a woman taking the pill has 3-8 times the possibility of forming a clot compaired to a woman who doesn't. Add smoking to this and the chances increase even more.

If you have family history of factor V Leiden mutation, then it might be wise to see either you OB/GYN or Hematologist, especially if you are thinking of using the pill. It should be noted that all contraceptive can present with complication, even the IUD.

There are several websites that can give you information. One of them is the Divers Alert Network. If you go to this link, http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/faq/faq.asp?faqid=111 it will bring to the FAQ that talks about the pill. You can also submit questions to them.

In any case, this is something that is weighing on your mind, and it might be better to investigate it, if only to ease you mind. Hopefully, you will walk away more at ease, rather than less with more questions.

 

[Jersey]

For the majority, this doesn't present a problem, but, there is a higher chance of clot formation, then if you were not taking the pill. Factor V is the most common cause of clotting problems. If you have family history of factor V Leiden mutation, then it might be wise to see either you OB/GYN or Hematologist, especially if you are thinking of using the pill. It should be noted that all contraceptive can present with complication, even the IUD.

Thanks MedicBill - I know there are other traits, markers etc out there that impact, never knew names, you gave me soemthing to search this afternoon.

As for all contraceptives presenting complications, I'll still take my chances as pregnancy is also a high risk endevour! Only abstaining removes the need for BC & the risk of pregnancy.

 

[SCUBAMedicBill]

Jersey,

By no means am I implying that since there are risks that they should be avoided. There is a risk if we decide to get out of bed. What I meant to say was that there every method may have it's own special side effects and risks, and these can be excacerbated by pre-existing conditions. But with this knowledge, we can pick the means which works best for us. I agree that pregnancy has it's own risk, as well as causing a drastic change in ones life. We are luck that we live in a day and age where we are able to make the decision and take steps to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. In addition, we are luck to have several means of doing this, and are able to pick the one that is best for us. We just need to do our research, gather our data , and then make our decision.

Good luck and I hope you find no need for concern.

Stay well and Dive safe.

 

[carebear]

Jersey once bubbled...


Only abstaining removes the need for BC & the risk of pregnancy.

Abstinence is not an option!