Third and fourth generation oral contraceptives could cause thrombus problems. The European Medicines Agency has put the side effects of contraceptive pills under study due to their possible relationship with this pathology.
The health organization has made this decision at the request of France, where the death of four young people last January led to the withdrawal of the Diane 35 pill from the market in the French country.
Relationship hormones and coagulation
- As published by the French newspaper Le Figaro, the four women died from a venous thrombosis derived from the consumption of this contraceptive drug. Thrombosis, the formation of a blood clot in the blood vessels, is one of the main causes of myocardial infarctions, angina pectoris or pulmonary embolisms, very serious conditions that can be fatal.
- Apparently, since its commercialization in the 60s, the contraceptive pill has been related to cardiovascular accidents due to the female sex hormones that they provide.
- A high concentration of estrogens increases the levels of globulins, proteins that regulate blood coagulation and, therefore, are associated with the possible appearance of a thrombus. The latest generation contraceptives have reduced these hormonal concentrations by a third.
Risk or psychosis
- According to a study from the University of California published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the risk of suffering a cardiovascular accident doubles when consuming third and fourth generation contraceptives, but this risk is so low that it should not influence the decision whether or not to take the pill.
- A similar position is taken by the Spanish Contraception Society and the pharmaceutical company Bayer itself, owner of the Diane 35 brand, which warn of the possible cardiovascular effects of the new contraceptives only if there are risk factors such as a family history of thrombosis, overweight, advanced age or smoking.
Tobacco and contraceptives
- In the case of women smokers who use hormonal contraceptives, the risks of suffering a thrombosis increase considerably. According to a study from the University of Copenhagen, the risk is multiplied by 8 in the case of patches, by 6.5 with vaginal rings and by 3 with pills.
- For this reason it is important to go to the gynecologist when deciding whether to start a hormonal contraceptive treatment, since the risk factors for cardiovascular problems vary from one woman to another.