Study Finds Birth Control Pills May Triple Risk of Stroke Among Young Women

New Delhi: A new study has found that the use of combined oral contraceptives, which contain both estrogen and progestin, may significantly increase the risk of cryptogenic stroke in young women. Cryptogenic strokes—strokes with no identifiable cause—account for up to 40% of all ischemic strokes in young adults. Despite their prevalence, the role of sex-specific risk factors such as hormonal contraceptive use has been underexplored until now.

The research, presented at the European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC) 2025 in Helsinki, Finland, was led by Dr. Mine Sezgin from the Department of Neurology at Istanbul University. It involved a total of 536 women between the ages of 18 and 49, including 268 who had suffered cryptogenic ischemic strokes (CIS) and 268 age-matched healthy controls.

Among the participants, 66 stroke patients and 38 stroke-free controls were using combined oral contraceptives. The study revealed that women using these contraceptives were nearly three times more likely to experience a cryptogenic stroke compared to those not using them.

“Our findings confirm earlier evidence linking oral contraceptives to stroke risk,” said Dr. Sezgin. “What’s particularly notable is that the association remains strong even after adjusting for other known risk factors, which suggests that there may be additional mechanisms involved—possibly genetic or biological.”

Although the study was observational, it adds to a growing body of evidence connecting hormonal contraceptive use to vascular complications in women of reproductive age. The researchers noted that while further studies are needed to confirm the findings, physicians should be cautious when prescribing combined oral contraceptives to women with known vascular risk factors or a history of stroke.

Dr. Sezgin emphasised that this research should prompt more careful evaluation of stroke risks in young women, particularly those who already have risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or a family history of cardiovascular disease.

The research team now plans to investigate the biological and genetic mechanisms that could explain why hormonal contraceptives may independently increase the risk of stroke. This deeper understanding could help in developing safer contraceptive options and better risk assessment tools for women in the future.