Is there an association between stroke and the combined oral contraceptive pill (OCP)?
Recent publications indicate that combined OCP use does not materially increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, and that the effect on ischaemic stroke is small. Among women who are not at increased risk of stroke, the likelihood of ischaemic stroke should not be a deterrent to the use of combined OCPs, nor a reason to change from an otherwise satisfactory product. Furthermore there has been a decline in the incidence of stroke during the last 20 years. The incidence of ischaemic stroke among young women in Canada is: 2: 100,000 per year at age 20 3: 100,000 per year at age 30 10: 100,000 per year at age 40 It is also important to emphasize that smoking alone independently increases the risk of cerebral venous thrombo-embolism disease by as much as 4 times.
