Risk of blood clots decreases rapidly after stopping the pill
Published: Thursday, Nov 9th 2023, 12:10
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An increased risk of thrombosis due to taking the contraceptive pill largely disappears within two to three weeks of stopping the pill. This is the result of a new study by the University of Geneva and Geneva University Hospital.
This finding is of great importance for women who use hormonal contraceptives such as birth control pills, vaginal rings or hormone patches and have to undergo major surgery, the University of Geneva (Unige) and Geneva University Hospital (HUG) announced on Thursday. Particular attention must be paid to the risk of blood clots during major surgery.
According to the researchers, the study, which was published in the journal "Blood", provides the first indications of when it is best to stop taking the pill before medical interventions.
In general, so-called combined hormonal contraceptives, i.e. contraceptives that contain both oestrogens and progestogens, increase the risk of thrombosis by a factor of three to five, according to the press release. According to estimates by the Swiss Society of Gynecology, one to two women in 10,000 between the ages of 15 and 34 suffer a thrombosis in Switzerland.
Coagulation markers in the blood analyzed
For the study, the research team took blood samples from 66 women who were using combined hormonal contraceptives at six different times before and after stopping the contraceptive. These samples were then compared with the blood of a control group of 28 women who had not used combined hormonal contraceptives.
Coagulation markers in the blood showed the researchers how high their risk of thrombosis was. In the first two weeks after stopping the contraceptive, 80 percent of the coagulation markers had disappeared, after one month 85 percent.
According to the researchers, this suggests that the likelihood of blood clots due to contraceptives such as the pill returns to almost normal levels within two to four weeks of stopping.
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