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Blood Clot Risk From Contraceptive

Pills Ends Soon After Women Stop
Taking Them
Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 10, 2023.

By Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Nov. 10, 2023 -- Women and their doctors have long known that
taking birth control pills can elevate the risk for a blood clot.

Now, some good news: That added risk will disappear within a few weeks of
stopping an oral contraceptive, a new study shows.

“It’s reassuring to know that that possible harm of the pill goes away rapidly when
one stops taking it," said study corresponding author Dr. Marc Blondon, an expert
in vascular medicine at the University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland.

His team published its findings Nov. 8 in Blood, a journal of the American Society
of Hematology (ASH).

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, blood clots
are slightly more likely among women taking oral contraceptives. The risk is
small: About 10 in every 10,000 women taking an estrogen-containing birth
control pill will experience a blood clot.

Some women may want to at least temporarily discontinue use of the pills to
lower their odds for a clot ahead of an elective surgery, or if they're already
recovering from a clot (such as a DVT), the Swiss team noted.
 So, exactly how long does it take for the elevated clot risk to go away?

Blondon's group focused on common hormonal contraceptives such as birth

control pills, vaginal rings and skin patches.

The study involved blood samples taken from 66 women tracked at six different
timepoints before and after they quit using one of these contraceptives. These
results were compared to those from blood samples taken from 28 women who
were not using hormonal contraception.

Blood samples were analyzed for levels of certain clotting (coagulation) factors
that can influence a person's risk for a clot.

"These coagulation markers dropped precipitously within one to two weeks after
[women] stopped taking birth control, and by week 12, all markers were similar to
the control group," the researchers said.

A full 80% of the decline in clotting-linked blood biomarkers occurred within the
first two weeks of stopping hormonal birth control, Blondon's team noted.

“These findings can help to inform discussions around whether combined

hormonal contraceptives are right for the patient, as well as patient-surgeon
discussion of whether the benefit of stopping for a short time actually exceeds
the risks,” Blondon said in an ASH news release. “It’s very important to talk about
the benefits of contraception because it’s crucial to avoid unwanted pregnancy
and for women to have the choice of a planned pregnancy.”

Blondon stressed that the decision to stop using a hormonal contraceptive after a
woman has experienced a blood clot can be complicated. For example, quitting
the pill soon after a clot might raise the odds for uterine bleeding, he said, so in
many cases doctors might still have a patient continue her use of the
contraceptive during this time.

Sources
 American Society of Hematology, news release, Nov. 8, 2023

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not
pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek
personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.