There is clinical evidence that demonstrates that birth control pills may not be safe for women with migraines. Most contraceptive methods contain estrogen, a hormone. The estrogen has been shown to increase the odds of blood clot formation. These blood clots occur more frequently in the legs, but sometimes the clots may form in the heart, causing heart attacks or strokes.

By definition, a stroke is damage to the brain, which causes braincells to die.  This, in turn, may lead to paralysis or death.  Only 4 to 5 women out of 100,000 women ages 20 to 44 have strokes each year. Unfortunately, women who suffer from migraine headaches are more likely to suffer a stroke. These women with migraines are four times as likely to suffer a stroke as their peers who don’t have migraines.

Worse, women who suffer from migraines who also use estrogen-containing contraceptive methods are seven times as likely as their peers to suffer a stroke. For women who have migraines and use birth control pills, the patch or the ring, the rate is 28 to 35 out of every 100,000 women each year.

Women who smoke and suffer from migraines who also use estrogen for birth control are at an even greater risk. These women are 34 times as likely to suffer a stroke. In other words, in women who have migraines, smoke and also use estrogen-containing birth control, there are about 170 strokes per 100,000 women each year.

Therefore, women who suffer from migraines are strongly encouraged to use alternate methods of birth control that don’t contain estrogen.