Obese women 'should come off Pill to reduce risk of stroke'

Daily Mail



Obese women should be taken off the Pill because of the risk of thrombosis and stroke, a medical expert has claimed.

The Pill carries a small risk of blood clots, which can lodge in the lung or the brain. Obese women are at higher risk.

Family planning specialist Dr Anne Szarewski told a conference that rising obesity means the Pill may be suitable for fewer women.

I think being obese is a very strong contraindication for being on the Pill,' she said.

She called on GPs to warn women they would have to stop using oral contraception if they failed to lose weight.

'Most patients are desperate to stay on the Pill, so it is important to give enough warning before they become too obese,' said Dr Szarewski, whose comments were reported in GP magazine.

Around a quarter of women are obese. For 28 per cent of women, oral contraception is their main method.

But other experts said the call for obese women to be taken off the Pill was excessive.

Dr David Haslam, of the National Obesity Forum, said: 'One of the risks of obesity is blood clots and strokes, but it is an overreaction to suggest that anyone with a body mass index over 30 cannot go on the Pill.'

And this is one reason why I refuse to to take it. Nasty things.