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29% of women between the ages of 15 and 49 use the contraceptive pill and according to new research, they should be wary of the pain relief that they opt for while they’re regularly taking it.
The study found that people found to be using NSAIDs including ibuprofen, naproxen and diclofenac while on combined pills containing both progesterone and oestrogen could lead to a small rise in the chances of having a blood clot.
How did they do it?
Using medical records, the team tracked diagnoses of venous thromboembolism (blood clots) in two million women aged 15 to 49 living in Denmark between 1996 and 2017 with no history of blood clots, cancer, hysterectomy or fertility treatment.
The study found that over half a million women using hormonal contraception used NSAIDs with ibuprofen being the most frequently used, with 60% of people relying on it, followed by 20% using diclofenac and only 6% on naproxen.
8710 clots occurred over 10 years and 2.6% of the women died within 30 days of being diagnosed.
NSAID use was linked to four extra venous thromboembolic events per week for every 100,000 women not using hormonal contraception, 11 extra events in women using medium risk hormonal contraception, and 23 extra in women using high risk hormonal contraception.
The link with NSAIDs and diclofenac was found to be the strongest.
Experts urge that there could be more factors at play
Dr Channa Jayasena, Clinical Senior Lecturer and Consultant in Reproductive Endocrinology and Andrology, Imperial College London, said, “It is a particular shame that the study did not test if obesity or smoking also increase blood clots risks when taking painkillers – I think they almost certainly would increase risks.”
She added that all drugs can occasionally have serious side effects but she doesn’t feel that this study alone should put people off hormonal contraceptives or pain relief, adding “The most important message should be for all women to reduce blood clot risk by smoking cessation and weight loss.”
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