Safe use of the pill ??

hollieamber · June 2017

Hi my daughter has CP and is a wheelchair user and has been on the pill to ease the pain and inconvenience of periods however during a routine check up with the GP she was told not to carry on with her existing pill due to risks of blood clots as she is not very mobile. Any suggestions as to what she can do as it's so difficult for her to cope physically with having a period ??

Geoark · June 2017

@hollieamber did the doctor make any recommendations?

@Sam_Scope Any members who might have some advice?

MikeBroderick · June 2017

Hi @hollieamber:

Thanks for your post. Per what @Geoark asked, you may wish to explore this further with her doctors, as I think this might be a medical advice issue.

However, as other folks may have a similar issue please do have a look through the discussions, such as:

Around contraception

And here in the section Ask a Sex and Relationship Expert.

And any others you may come across, as there are lots of discussions on the site.

I hope this helps.

Sam_Alumni · June 2017

Hi @hollieamber did the doctor offer any suggestions to support her in these changes?

I had a look on the NHS website and they say:

Blood clots
The oestrogen in the pill may cause your blood to clot more readily. If a blood clot develops, it could cause deep vein thrombosis (clot in your leg), pulmonary embolus (clot in your lung), stroke or heart attack. The risk of getting a blood clot is very small, but your doctor will check if you have certain risk factors that make you more vulnerable before prescribing the pill.
The pill can be taken with caution if you have one of the risk factors below, but you should not take it if you have two or more risk factors. These include:

being 35 years old or over

being a smoker or having quit smoking in the past year

being very overweight (in women with a BMI of 35 or over, the risks of using the pill usually outweigh the benefits)

having migraines (you should not take the pill if you have severe or regular migraine attacks, especially if you get aura or a warning sign before an attack)

having high blood pressure

having had a blood clot or stroke in the past

having a close relative who had a blood clot when they were younger than 45

being immobile for a long time – for example, in a wheelchair or with a leg in plaster

Would you say that she has two or more of these risk factors? I would ask for further advice from your GP on this.

PSHEexpert · June 2017

Hello!

Just to confirm - this is definitely a 'follow up with the GP' situation. There are loads of different hormonal contraception options available including some which are combined and some which are progestogen-only, which may be more suitable. I think it would be best to get an appointment either with the GP or - even better, really - a CASH (contraception and sexual health) clinic. There are young people's specialist clinics for under-25s in many areas who will be able to advise more specifically too, depending on her age. There are definitely options though! Potentially a LARC (long acting reversible contraceptive), depending on what medication she uses already.

Hope that helps

Gill

Safe use of the pill ??

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