These are the items your health care provider SHOULD review with you:
In assessing your suitability for hormonal birth control, consideration is given to a number of important factors:
- your age (the older you are the higher your risk of blood clots or heart attacks)
- your history of clotting disorders or thrombosis
- your history of stroke or heart attacks
- your cardiovascular risk factors including smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels or being overweight
- your history of migraine headaches
- if you have liver or gall bladder disease
- history of diabetes
- history of breast cancer
- unexplained vaginal bleeding (this should be investigated before using hormonal contraception)
The health care provider will also review:
- any history in your family of clotting disorders or thrombosis (ask your family members)
- any medications that may interfere with the Pill working effectively (Tell them everything)
- if you are breastfeeding or if you have recently had a baby
WHAT you need to ask your doctor/heath care provider
These questions are meant to open a dialogue between you and your doctor/health care provider
5 Questions every woman should ask her doctor/health care provider about her birth control (courtesy of Dr. Jennifer Ashton)
- What are the risks (given in actual numbers) of this method? What is the worst thing that can happen to me on this particular type of Birth Control?
2. What are the benefits?
- What are some options/alternatives?
- Specifically, what is the risk of developing a blood clot on this particular form of birth control and how does this compare to other forms.
- What other factors can increase the risk of a blood clot while I am taking this form of birth control?
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Birth Control Wisdom 