Is the Blood Clot Risk From Birth Control Reversible?
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Fact checked by Nick Blackmer
Key Takeaways
A new study found that blood clot risk drops within two to four weeks of stopping birth control.
A person’s risk for a blood clot depends on many factors, some of which (like genetics) can’t be changed. The study suggests that the blood clot risk associated with hormonal contraceptives is reversible.
Groups that are at risk for blood clots include people with a prior history of blood clots, breast cancer, autoimmune disease, and a history of a heart attack.
Combined hormonal contraceptives are one of the most popular forms of birth control. While birth control pills are generally safe, many people worry about the risk of blood clots that they’ve heard can come with taking them.
The absolute risk of getting a blood clot while taking birth control pills is low, but it’s not zero. The risk can be higher depending on several factors, like the type of birth control pill you take as well as how long you’re taking it.
A new study suggests that when you go off the pill, your risk of getting a blood clot might go down sooner than you’d think.
Here’s what experts say about the link between birth control pills and blood clots, as well as when you might want to consider stopping your oral contraceptives.
Related: How Can You Tell If You Have a Blood Clot?
‘Not a Lifetime Risk’
Many birth control options contain the hormone estrogen, which increases the risk of blood clots by about three times, according to Marc Blondon, MD, MPH, a professor of Geneva University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine based in Geneva, Switzerland.
While researchers have known about the link between hormonal birth control pills and blood clot risk, what has been less understood is how long that risk lingers if someone stops taking them.
To answer that question, Blondon and the team of researchers did a study on people who were about to stop taking birth control pills.
The participants had blood tests done before and three months after birth control was stopped to see if their risk for blood clots would change. The researchers found that the risk of blood clots dropped quickly—within two to four weeks of stopping birth control.
Related: Why Do People Get Blood Clots?
Your risk of getting a blood clot depends on many factors, not just whether or not you take the pill. Some of these risk factors are things you can’t change, like your genes. But the study results suggest birth control pill usage could be a modifiable risk factor.
“Our study shows that this risk decreases rapidly after combined hormonal contraceptives is stopped—by 80% in two weeks and 85% to 90% at four weeks,” Blondon said.
These findings suggest that the blood clot risk associated with oral contraceptives is temporary. It only lasts as long as they’re used and for a few weeks after they’re stopped.
“It is not a lifetime risk,” Blondon said.
Related: Is Progestin-Only Birth Control the Right Option for You?
Why Would Someone Stop Taking Hormonal Birth Control?
Understanding your risk of getting a blood clot “is important to inform clinical decisions,” Blondon said. For example, a person who has a history of blood clots may choose to stop taking oral birth control or not start it in the first place to make it less likely that they’ll have another clot in the future.
Another example is having surgery. You may be advised to stop taking oral contraceptives before your surgery to help lower your chances of getting a blood clot during and while you’re recovering from the procedure.
Blondon said that the exact timing of stopping contraceptives and lowering the risk for blood clots “was previously unknown,” underscoring the value of their research.
Related: Can Blood Clots Be Prevented?
Who Is Most at Risk for Blood Clots?
People with thrombophilia—a condition that makes it more likely for someone to form clots—are most at risk for blood clots when taking birth control, Monte Swarup, MD, FACOG, a board-certified OB/GYN in Chandler, Arizona, told Verywell.
Kecia Gaither, MD, MPH, MS, MBA, FACOG, a double board-certified doctor in OB/GYN and maternal-fetal medicine, told Verywell that other groups are also at higher risk for blood clots, including people with:
A history of blood clots
Thrombophlebitis
Prior heart attack
Migraine headaches
Breast cancer
Uncontrolled hypertension
Autoimmune conditions like Lupus
A history of stroke
Studies that have looked at the rates of blood clots among people taking oral contraceptives have also suggested that other factors, like having obesity, may raise the risk even more.
Related: The Link Between Birth Control and Blood Clots
Do All Contraceptives Raise Blood Clot Risk?
Some hormonal birth control methods seem to carry a higher risk of blood clots than others. For example, those that contain estrogen seem to pose a higher risk of clots than the forms that have no estrogen.
The form of birth control might also matter. Some research has suggested that the risk of blood clots might be even higher for vaginal rings and patches than it is for pills. On the other hand, intrauterine devices (IUDs) do not seem to carry a risk of blood clots, nor do progestin-only forms of birth control (which do not contain estrogen).
If you have a history of blood clots or are at risk for blood clots, you’ll want to talk to your provider about other birth control options that will be safe and effective for you.
What This Means For You
Combined oral contraceptives are known to increase the risk of blood clots, but a new study suggests that stopping the pill can reduce the risk—often within a few weeks. If you are not sure what contraceptive method is safest for you or you’re worried about your risk of blood clots, talk to your provider. There are birth control options that don’t increase your risk.
Read Next: Are There Any Long-Term Effects of Birth Control?
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
