Birth Control Question - Cerebral Palsy Message Board

soldiersgirl · 05-29-2005, 10:24 AM

I just had my first child and I want to get on birth control because I don't want to have anymore children just yet and I think it'd be the easiest form of birth control. I always hear that you shouldn't take birth control if you've had a stroke. Well I'm 18 and I had 4 of them when I was a few days old and no problems with it since but can I use birth control now will it affect my Cp or cause me to have another stroke?? If you're on birth control what kind do you use?

swiftuk · 05-29-2005, 02:39 PM

It's worth chatting to a doctor about. There are some forms of birth control that it's less safe to use under certain circumstances, but it's best to get all the information to make the decision (e.g. I use one that wont increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis, but a warning's recently been sent out about it causing loss of bone density...so you do have to talk it through with someone knowledgable).

HTH
Swift

NJenn · 05-29-2005, 08:13 PM

This is a great question, and unfortunately there are no good answers. At least that's what my doctor told me when I asked him about it.

I've been on the pill since becoming sexually active-- It's been about 7 years now. I've never had a problem with it. I'm begining to worry about blood clots though. I'm less ambulatory now than I was as a teenager, and sit in my wheelchair much more. They won't put a woman with a spinal cord injury on the pill, but they will put someone with CP who uses a chair part time on the pill. If you want to go on the pill but use a chair, get familiar with the signs and symptoms of deep vein thrombosis, so you know what to watch for. This is actually true of all women on the pill, not just those who use chairs. But wheelchair use does put a woman at greater risk. You can also be tested for Factor V Leiden, a gene that makes blood clots more likely to occur. If you carry this gene, they wont let you take the pill at all.

Would love to hear your thoughts about parenting while disabled. It's something I've been thinking about for a while now.