Birth control and stroke risk
Most types of birth control are safe for young, healthy, nonsmoking women. But certain types of combination hormonal birth control (birth control with both estrogen and progesterone), such as the pill, skin patch, or vaginal ring, may raise your risk for stroke if you are older than 35 or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, or high cholesterol.
If you smoke, do not use hormonal birth control. Smoking raises the risk for serious side effects from hormonal birth control, such as stroke and blood clots. The risk is even greater for women older than 35 and who smoke 15 or more cigarettes a day. But any smoking is risky, even social smoking.
If you're concerned about the risks of your birth control method, talk to your doctor or nurse.
Stroke and women (PDF, 342 KB)