A study from Denmark has some important news for women who are taking both birth control pills and certain painkillers.
It turns out that if you’re on hormonal birth control and also taking specific painkillers known as NSAIDs, you could have a slightly higher chance of getting dangerous blood clots.
The study doesn’t say that everyone will get a blood clot, just that the risk is a bit higher. The doctors who did the study think women should know about this, so they can decide what’s best for them.
Types of Birth Control and Painkillers Matter
Not all birth control pills have the same level of risk. The study found that women taking birth control pills with certain types of hormones (third or fourth generation progestins) were at greater risk when using NSAIDs.
On the other hand, women using progestin-only birth control like some tablets, implants, or coils had a lower risk.
The most common NSAIDs used by women in the study were ibuprofen, diclofenac, and naproxen. Among these, diclofenac was linked to the highest risk of blood clots.
Details of the Study
The study looked at health records of 2 million Danish women aged 15 to 49, from the years 1996 to 2017. All the women had no prior history of blood clots, cancer, or other major health issues that could affect the results.
The doctors divided birth control methods into high, medium, and low risk, based on how likely they are to cause blood clots.
Over a 10-year average follow-up, about 8,710 women had some type of blood clot and 228 women died shortly after getting a blood clot.
In simple numbers, every week, for every 100,000 women:
Four more could get a blood clot if they were taking NSAIDs but not using hormonal birth control.
Eleven more could get a blood clot if they were taking medium-risk birth control and NSAIDs.
Twenty-three more could get a blood clot if they were taking high-risk birth control and NSAIDs.
What to Do With This Information
The study can’t prove that taking both birth control and painkillers definitely causes blood clots; it just shows there’s a connection.
Some important details like smoking habits and weight were not included in the study, which might have affected the results. Still, the study was large and well-done, so its warnings are worth paying attention to.
If you’re a woman who needs both birth control and regular painkillers, talk to your doctor about what kinds of birth control are safest for you and whether there are other painkillers you can use.
If you have to use NSAIDs, it might be safer to go for something other than diclofenac, and also to consider lower-risk birth control options like progestin-only tablets or coils.
To sum it up, while the study doesn’t say that every woman taking both NSAIDs and birth control will face serious health issues, it does suggest being cautious.
It’s always a good idea to check with your healthcare provider to make sure you’re making the safest choices for your situation.
If you care about stroke, please read studies about how to eat to prevent stroke, and scientists find a breakfast linked to better blood vessel health.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and wild blueberries can benefit your heart and brain.
The research findings can be found in The BMJ.
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