Hormonal birth control isn't risky. It's actually an extremely safe medication. Over 12 million women in the United States alone use the pill for contraception every year, and when you take that huge number, the rate of serious side-effects is extremely rare.
The important facts? The risk of experiencing a blood clot due to HBC use is less than the risk of getting a blood clot due to pregnancy -- but we never describe pregnancy as a super-risky thing! Only 1 in 10,000 women (http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/downloads/oc.pdf) will get a blood clot while taking most hormonal contraceptives.
Additionally, all kinds of combined hormonal birth control pose a very, very teensy-tiny risk of blood clots. Some pills may have a slightly higher risk than others, but to my knowledge that's all still under review.
So right now, LoEstrin isn't "safer," but neither pill is dangerous in the slightest.
That said, if you're having a lot of anxiety because of your pill use, it might be better just for your stress levels to stop taking combined HBC. Progestin-only methods -- like progestin-only pills, the Implanon implant, or Depo Provera -- are not linked with an increase in blood clots. You can ask your doctor about any of those options.
If you're interested in an IUD, you can actually get them if you have not had a child. It's long and kinda complicated why some still don't recommend them for women who have not had a child, but more and more doctors are doing insertions for nulliparous women, and I know tons of VPers who have not had kids who do have an IUD. You can also ask over at iud_divas.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-10-28 09:10 pm (UTC)The important facts? The risk of experiencing a blood clot due to HBC use is less than the risk of getting a blood clot due to pregnancy -- but we never describe pregnancy as a super-risky thing! Only 1 in 10,000 women (http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/downloads/oc.pdf) will get a blood clot while taking most hormonal contraceptives.
Additionally, all kinds of combined hormonal birth control pose a very, very teensy-tiny risk of blood clots. Some pills may have a slightly higher risk than others, but to my knowledge that's all still under review.
So right now, LoEstrin isn't "safer," but neither pill is dangerous in the slightest.
That said, if you're having a lot of anxiety because of your pill use, it might be better just for your stress levels to stop taking combined HBC. Progestin-only methods -- like progestin-only pills, the Implanon implant, or Depo Provera -- are not linked with an increase in blood clots. You can ask your doctor about any of those options.
If you're interested in an IUD, you can actually get them if you have not had a child. It's long and kinda complicated why some still don't recommend them for women who have not had a child, but more and more doctors are doing insertions for nulliparous women, and I know tons of VPers who have not had kids who do have an IUD. You can also ask over at