Hi! I was recently told I have MAV. And now today I got a call from my doctor saying she wants to take me off my birth control pills, ocella due to risk of stroke and blood clot. I’m kind of freaking out. How bad is this risk? I might not be able to see her for a while so I still have to take my pills until I see her. But I’m super worried I’m going to have a stroke now!
There’s quite a bit of controversy among doctors as to whether migraine sufferers should be on BC. I used to work at Planned Parenthood and if the patient had a migraine with aura BC with hormones wasn’t allowed at all, just the IUD paragard that doesn’t use hormones. Migraines without aura were a grey area but BC was generally not recommended or the patient was made aware of the increased risk. However, my own GYN said it’s fine for me to be on BC and him and another doctor of mine actually suggested it because my dizziness got so much worse during my periods. I am now housebound all the time, but back then I was functioning and driving and going out into the world but couldn’t during my period. So they suggested continuous BC so I wouldn’t get my periods anymore. To me it was very helpful. However, now my new neurologist is wondering if I even have migraines, so maybe it wasn’t an issue if I never had a migraine anyway. Hope this helps and you can talk to a doctor about it soon!
Thank you Jess! I feel a bit better now. I too am not sure if I have migraines because I only get minor headaches once a week. Sometimes I see black dots or sparkles but not all the time. I most likely will get off BC I was just worried something might happen in the mean time but I’m sure I’ll be fine.
no worries, definitely do whatever makes you feel the most comfortable.