Birth Control & Blood Clots || When Hormones Wreak Havoc!

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is when a clot forms in one of the deeper and typically larger veins of the body. DVT is dangerous and can be fatal as the clots could break off and travel to the heart, brain or lungs. EMS is instructed of the signs & symptoms, the danger clots pose and the risk factors. Some of those risk factors include a recent surgery or broken bone, pregnancy 🤰, smoking, atrial fibrillation 🫀, etc. A risk factor that is commonly overlooked or forgotten is the long term use of hormonal birth control.

Why? How?

Although low, hormonal birth control can pose a risk for blood clots as the estrogen they contain has been linked to increased clotting. Progestin can also contribute to the increase of the overall risk.

There have been studies that indicate a birth control patch, ring or progestin injections may cause a higher risk of blood clots than  other forms of hormonal birth control.

So why is this important?

There are many women on birth control for the  prevention of an unwanted pregnancy. There are, however, other reasons a woman may take birth control like irregular periods, painful periods, PCOS, acne, prevention of unwanted hair and prevention of ovarian cysts. Women in perimenopause may also be on birth control. With so many women of different age groups taking birth control for varying reasons, we have to be aware of the signs and symptoms of a blood clot.

The signs and symptoms could vary depending on the location. They could include redness, tenderness or even heat to the location around the clot (very common in DVT). Your patient may present with chest pain, shortness of breath and dizziness. These are extremely alarming signs and EMS providers should act fast.

When inquiring about a patient’s past medical history, some patients may not associate birth control with being a medication and may not list it when asked. If you have a high suspicion (or are just trying to get a more accurate history), you may want to ask more directed questions in order to find out if they take birth control. This could mean asking…… “What do you take daily?” “Aside from the medications you told me, do you take anything else daily like vitamins or birth control?” “Do you take hormonal birth control?” 📝

Do not delay transport!

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