Shocking study: contraception tripled in women!

Shocking study: contraception tripled in women!

New research results presented at the conference of the European Stroke Organization (ESOC) 2025 show alarming relationships between the use of combined oral contraceptives (OCS) and an increased risk of cryptogenic ischemic strokes (CIS) in young women. According to the study "Searching for Explanation for Cryptogenic Stroke in the Young" (Secreto), taking these contraceptives triples the risk of an CIS. This type of stroke makes up to 40 percent of all ischemic strokes in young adults and thus represents a serious health problem.

The study included 268 women aged 18 to 49 with CIS and 268 control persons without a stroke. Of these, 66 patients had combined OCS, while 38 control persons were also among the users of the contraceptives. After crediting age and comorbidities, it was shown that the intake of OCS was associated with an adjusted ODDS ratio of 3.00 (95 % CI: 1.61–5.57). Special features such as significant interactions between OC intake and other risk factors could not be determined. The most common formulations were based on ethinylestradiol with a medium dose of 20 micrograms. In addition, further examinations are necessary to clarify possible differences in the risks between different formulations.

additional risks from hormonal contraception

The results of the ESOC study are in line with a nationwide prospective cohort study, which included over two million women. This study showed that modern estrogen and Gestagen monofruits increase the risk of ischemic strokes and heart attacks. Combined oral contraceptives show a stroke rate of 39 per 100,000 people years and a heart attack rate of 18 per 100,000 people. In comparison, the rate without hormonal contraceptives is 18 or 8 per 100,000 people years, which underlines the worrying increase.

In particular, various application methods of hormonal contraceptives such as vaginal rings and hormone plasters also have increased arterial thrombosis risks. The incidence ratio for strokes in combined vaginal rings is 2.4 and 3.4 for hormone plasters. These figures make it clear that the selection of the contraceptive is of crucial importance for the health of users.

Medical caution recommended

doctors should be aware of the risks associated with hormonal contraceptives and are particularly careful when they prescribe OCs combined with known vascular risk factors. The Federal Institute for Medicines and Medical Devices (BFARM) has made it clear that venous thromboembolism is a rare but serious side effect of combined hormonal contraceptives. It is recommended to choose preparations with the slightest risk for initial users and women under the age of 30.

In order to minimize the risk of thrombosis, it is proposed that medical education about possible risks and personal risk factors is of crucial importance. A checklist and user card were developed to provide information about the thromboembolier risks. It is important that eventual cases of undesirable effects are immediately reported to the BfARM in order to ensure continuous monitoring of the safety of these medicines.

For more information, you can see the complete studies under the following links: Ptahute , Bfarm .