Chicago Sun-Times reporter: I had a stroke at 30 thanks to the Pill
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Monifa Thomas is not simply a journalist who works for the Chicago Sun-Times.
Thomas was hired in 2005 as a health and medicine reporter and in 2010 was promoted to the editorial board due to her “particular expertise in medical issues and government health care,” according to the Sun-Times.
And still Thomas didn’t know about the dangers of the birth control pill. Here’s an excerpt of her story, published in the Sun-Times on December 25:
Paramedics came and took me to Saint Joseph Hospital, not far from my apartment on the North Side.
At the hospital, someone asked for my Social Security number. I told him.
Friends were there now, too. I can still picture their worried faces.
Again, the hospital worker said: I need to know your Social Security number.
“Yeah,” I told him, “I know. I’m giving it to you.”
And, in my head, I was. But instead of numbers, all that came out of my mouth were letters.
I didn’t understand then what I do now: On July 8, 2011, a clot blocked the flow of blood to my brain, cutting the supply of oxygen, causing parts of the tissue there to die.
I was 30 years old, and I’d just had a stroke….
Why me?
For some, the cause of a stroke is clear. High blood pressure, diabetes, compounded over the years, maybe with a family history of circulatory problems thrown in, lead to cardiovascular decay and plaque-narrowed arteries, then a heart attack or stroke.
But that wasn’t me.
I was young. And I had done the things you’re supposed to do to keep healthy.
I didn’t smoke. I exercised regularly. I danced salsa and practiced tae kwon do. I stayed away from bad foods, mostly. I literally ate an apple every day.
I had just had a physical in June, after turning 30, a couple of weeks before my stroke, and there was no sign of trouble.
Which led my doctors to a different likely culprit. They told me they thought birth-control pills probably were a factor.
Now, I was even angrier because I’m one of those people who actually reads the warning labels that come with any prescription drug, and I’d read that a stroke was a risk when you’re on a birth-control pill. But none of the other risk factors seemed to apply. So I thought it probably wouldn’t be a problem for me.
Read about Monifa’s long road back. It’s quite scary, yet inspiring. Monifa is quite brave. I especially appreciate that she used her experience to expose just one of the harms of the birth control pill.
A few of the comments:
Amy Hamer: I had a stroke at age 39 in Feb 2011. Mine was also caused by birth control pills. I thank God my boyfriend was with me and knew something wasn’ right…. Women think birth control pills are just a simple little pill, but you are really altering your body chemistry to make your body think it’s always pregnant. I feel extremely lucky that I got medical treatment quickly. I’m still not 100% and probably never will be, I just have to make the best of it and be thankful I’m not 20% or even dead.
Migdalia Bulnes: I too had a stoke at the age of 32, due to birth control pills. I can relate to everything in your story…. I could not even hold a cup of coffee in my left hand or even do a ponytail on my hair, simple things. Thank God that its been 12 years, I am a sergeant for the Chicago Police Department….
MadKatFever: I also lost a 35 y.o. friend to blood clots which landed in her lungs instead of her brain. Three trips to 2 separate hospital emergency rooms and they still could not figure it out. Until the fourth trip which resulted in an ICU admission and her death 40 hours later. Cause of death: pulmonary emboli related to birth control usage.
[HT: Matt Abbott]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
Solution- NFP!!!
Hi Stephanie,
Solution NFP?
While this is certainly tragic, I have witnessed the deaths of young mothers from complications of pregnancy. As a result, unlike many people on this blog, I take pregnancy very, very seriously, not something benign. Also, perfectly healthy, active people have strokes, heart attacks, and develop cancer and fatal illnesses and infections for no apparent reason. Women miscarry and babies die in utero.
Through it all we look for “answers”.
I in no way trivialize the possible complications of the pill, or for that matter any medication one may choose to take, but this really needs to be put in perspective.
“It’s counter-productive to publicize this sort of thing.” Denise, most people are totally unaware of the serious consequences of messing with their hormonal balance. It’s a good thing when at least in society is willing to peel back the curtain instead of blithely listening to what the Wizard of Oz has to tell us. We didn’t eradicate poverty before we ended slavery. Giving people condoms and telling them unborn human beings aren’t human beings will result in nothing but the status quo.
No, its just a “Aw, that’ll never happen to me.” kinda attitude. Kinda the way how a lot of people engage in intercourse in the first place thinking they won’t get pregnant. This is just another side to the contraceptive failure coin.
Personally, I think surgical sterilizations should become more common and reversals cheaper and easier to obtain.
My husband’s friend has a girlfriend who was hospitalized with blood clots in her legs due to the pill. She was also around 30 at the time. I think so many women don’t realize how very bad the pill is for their bodies.
And thanks to many U.S. companies because of relaxed environmental policies under the Bush Administration, miscarriages occurred. But, of course, if that happens, it’s OK–we need the jobs and the company CEOs need the money.
Henry,
What ARE you talking about?
The Birth control pill is dangerous to your health and yet they are trying to cover it up by muzzling those who talk about the dangers it pose on women who use it.
I am a living testimony to its bad effect on ones system. I suffer now from vein thrombosis and breast tumors.
If it will give you millions of revenue, aren’t you going to stop any talk which tags your product as a BIG HEALTH RISK?
As a result, unlike many people on this blog, I take pregnancy very, very seriously, not something benign.
Other than the proaborts who show up here and treat their preborn children like warts or cysts, what prolifer here does not take pregnancy very, very seriously?
What an offensive comment.
Praxedes,
Don’t jump the gun. In past threads I have seen PL people cheer on serious high risk pregnancies, namely Michelle Duggar’s last one, like it was a spectator sport or a day at the Kentucky Derby. I got into some very heated discussions with some people on this board over this, who view pregnancy as something divinely inspired and benign. Divine inspiration is a matter of personal belief but benign? Definitely not.
Now I can understand the Pill certainly has risks, but people should treat pregnancy with the same seriousness and be as willing to have the risks pointed out to them.
If I could “like” Stephanie’s comment 100 times, I would. It’s all that needs to be said in response to the dangers of the pill.
“Now I can understand the Pill certainly has risks”
Mary, what risks specifically do you understand the pill has?
ts,
Stroke, heart attack, blood clots. So does pregnancy. If you google “risks of birth control pills” you can find all kinds of studies and counterstudies.
Thanks for publishing this, Jill. Hormonal contraceptives pose serious risks to women’s health that are clearly glossed over in a care appointment. As a birth educator and former chastity educator, I cannot express my great frustration over the lack of education regarding women’s bodies. Educating a woman about her body and alternatives to hormonal contraceptives is actually discouraged by the medical community as pregnancy is regarded as a pathogen in medical textbooks. Also, taking time to educate women reduces the amount of patients that may be seen in a given period, thus reducing income made by the care provider. Most care providers have quotas to reach in order to bring in a certain amount of income for their practice. I will spare you further concerns of offices receiving “kickbacks” from pharmaceutical companies for featuring and marketing their products.
Mary, NFP, when the guidelines are adhered to, is between 98-99% effective in avoiding achieving a pregnancy. If a pregnancy is achieved, it is with the understanding that while it may be unplanned and unexpected, that baby is still a blessing. Furthermore, pregnancy is not a medical condition. A mom is not ill when pregnant. If she opts to birth in a hospital, she is the only patient there who has nothing wrong with her medically. Even if a pregnancy has several complications, it is illogical to assume this is “malignant” to the mother’s health (as opposed to “benign”).
Mary, I’m not sure I agree with your analogy to pregnancy. Reproduction is a moral good and a biological necessity for stabilization of the population and continuance of the species. Contraception specifically works against those goods, in every nation that has embraced it.
Yes, there are biological sequelae such as blood clots in pregnancy. However, oral contraceptives are dangerous hormonal doses being prescribed by physicians, PA’s, and NP’s who all-too often minimize the risks inherent in these drugs, if they even discuss them at all. THAT’S a MAJOR issue. For instance, do they tell women that they are at 240% increased risk of developing the deadliest form of breast cancer (triple negative breast cancer) by age 40 if they start the pill after age 22?
Do they tell women that they are at 270% increased risk of developing the deadliest form of breast cancer (triple negative breast cancer) by age 40 if they start the pill between 18-22?
Do they tell women that they are at 540% increased risk of developing the deadliest form of breast cancer (triple negative breast cancer) by age 40 if they start the pill before the age of 18?
Ask any woman if those numbers from the NIH and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research folks have been shared with them since they came out in 2009. FDA has pulled drugs with adverse effects with severity and incidence rates hundreds of times smaller.
Comparing the normal sequelae of a moral good to this man-made disaster just doesn’t square.
Gerard Nadal: can you send me the link to the study that has those facts. I’m asking because one of my nursing classes this semester is Research in Nursing Practice, and I’m considering writing my research paper on the dangers of hormonal birth control. Thanks!
In past threads I have seen PL people cheer on serious high risk pregnancies, namely Michelle Duggar’s last one, like it was a spectator sport or a day at the Kentucky Derby. I got into some very heated discussions with some people on this board over this, who view pregnancy as something divinely inspired and benign.
Looking for the positive, cheering on others, and/or seeing God in an at-risk Life situation does not mean one thinks the risk is benign. It merely means the prolifer tries to stay positive and cheerful and still believes in God during difficulties.
Is at-will sex so important, or is a baby such a burden, that a women would be willing to harm herself to this extent? Never mind the question of the overall morality of artificial birth control–it’s use seems to be as risky as smoking!
Hello Gerard,
I did not mean it as an analogy. I only point out facts. As I have said I have watched young mothers die, one just a few years ago. I have cared for them in ICU as we tried to keep their blood pressures and pre-eclampsia under control. I know a nurse who’s problems with blood clots were greatly exacerabated by pregnancy and she eventually died of the condition. I take pregnancy very very seriously.
My point is not that one is any better or safer, but rather that there are risks to everything, no matter how natural, and guarantees of nothing. BTW Gerard, my great grandmother had nine children, the Pill was not invented, breast fed all her children, and died in her mid-50s of breast cancer. Wouldn’t she be considered very low risk by your calculations? The mother of the singer Madonna, who was a very devout Catholic, died of breast cancer after having 6 children. I know of cases of very virulent breast cancer developed during pregnancy. Breast cancer doesn’t live by our rules or statistics and no woman is guaranteed risk free under any circumstances.
Gerard, it’s so good to see you commenting!
Mary, I agree that no one is risk free, but! I find such a curious disconnect in women who won’t microwave their food or drink out of plastic bottles but gobble up birth control pills like they don’t care. At a big gathering of some of my environementally active friends, I loudly posed the question, “Is anyone here concerned about the effect that so many women on birth control pills is having on our environment? On the fish? The water tables? Anyone?” You could have heard a pin drop- it stopped conversation cold. But after a few awkward moments, they just resumed talking as if I hadn’t said a word.
Hi Praxedes 1:58PM
Well, would you have been encouraged to see someone like Andrea Yates pregnant again or would you have realized this was a woman at very serious risk and her husband should have exercised considerably better judgment? Her husband, failing his responsiblities as a husband and father, determined to impregnate a woman who’s mental state was at best fragile and who’s serious mental illness would only be exacerrbated by taking her off her meds and impregnating her again, did just that. I hold him personally responsible for the deaths of those children.
Whether we like it or not Praxades, there are times good judgment has to be exercised when it comes to another pregnancy. We can give it all the religious significance we want, but that didn’t prevent the Yates tragedy. Good judgment on the part of her husband might have.
Michelle nearly died, her child nearly died. These mothers are at serious risk for a repeat incident. I personally know of one such case where the mother had a repeat incident and nearly died. I gave sources that backed my concern. I have a serious problem with a husband who totally disregards the risk to his wife and can’t impregnate her again fast enough and a wife so fixated on another pregnancy she admits she’s willing to put another child at risk. I know that tiny preemies in the NICU are not little dolls with giant bows on their tiny heads with mom and dad fawning as they pose for pictures for magazines and TV. They can and do endure much suffering.
I’m sure you can understand why I wasn’t jumping up and down and was deeply troubled by people who call themselves PL treating this situation like a spectator sport. I was the bad guy for pointing out the serious risks. I was no less troubled by the publicity and pressure that was brought on by the public for another pregnancy.
Hi ninek,
Disconnects indeed! Do I ever hear you on that one. My dear friend is morbidly obese and attributes her arthritis and adult onset diabetes to heredity!
Despite a family history of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, and a personal history of high cholesterol and high triglycerides, my doctors NEVER mentioned the risks as they prescribed b.c. pills and NuvaRing for me. When I told my doctor I was no longer interested in hormonal b.c. and was learning NFP, she laughed at me. Thank you, Jill, for bringing attention to what seems like one of the best kept secrets in medicine.
Hi Lrng,
I can’t say as I’m surprised. We all have to take more responsibility for our own research, health, and safety and not blindly accept what we are told by the medical profession.
Hi Sarah,
While I respect your perspective on pregnancy more than a few tragic situations, including a young mother hemorrhaging to death because of a physiological disturbance in her blood clotting mechanism brought on my pregnancy, have taught me that however much anyone considers a pregnancy a ”blesssing” it is never the less a physiological process that can be fraught with risk.
I assure you that while pregnancy is not itself an illness, a woman suffering pre-eclampsia or blood clots or uncontrolled hemorrhage is a seriously ill woman.
“I think surgical sterilizations should become more common and reversals cheaper and easier to obtain.” – I couldn’t agree more!
My point, Mary, is that once someone is pregnant, whether it is no- low- or high-risk, you cheer them on and support them and their preborn baby. There is no point in reminding her and her family that she shouldn’t have gotten pregnant.
All prolifers here understand full-well that there are different risks during different pregnancies. Many of us have had risky pregnancies ourselves. To imply differently, is dishonest.
Hi Praxedes,
Yes I will give my support and help, but I will also be very realistic about the serious risks and I won’t treat their pregnancy like a spectator sport. That was what I found troubling. Yes there are PL people who treat pregnancy very seriously, and there are others who view serial pregnancy, whatever the risks, like a day at the Kentucky Derby. That is what I found very troubling.
BTW, I also had a very stressful and difficult last pregnancy, at high risk for miscarriage and prematurity. People supported, encouraged, and helped me, but they also treated my situation very seriously.
The link to the study on the risk factors for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (including oral contraceptives) is:
Risk Factors for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer in Women Under Age 45
(www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2754710)
Jessica M. Dolle, MPH et al
I started taking birth control pills when I was 14 years old, and was told it would make my periods easier to manage (they didn’t). I then started taking Depo at age 19. right after my first child was born. I stayed on it for two years. I was also an active duty Army soldier (enlisted at 18) at the time. After being on the pill for 4 years and taking Depo for two, I had developed avascular necrosis in the head of my left femur. I was the youngest case my doctors had seen in an otherwise perfectly healthy young woman. I was medically discharged in 2000, and I had to have my left hip replaced in 2005, and I have to get my right hip replaced. I also have bone loss in my lower spine and bone and joint deterioration in my shoulders. @ Mary, I did have the wonderful experience of finding out AFTER the fact, that Depo should have had a black box warning, and that the FDA IGNORED THE WARNINGS FROM EUROPE!!!
I now have six beautiful children, and am fortunate that once I met my husband (we met in Korea), he taught me how to utilize NFP, and I have been BC free since 1999. I feel that too many women ignore what is obvious in front of them for the sake of convenience. All of the warnings in the world are not stopping women from popping those pills in their mouths day after day, month after month, year after year, and then hope nothing happens to them, but trust me, it can!
Birth control, not pregnancy should be the anathema…
At least the pill doesn’t cause the deaths of the general public. The same can’t be said for lobotomies in pill form…oops I mean “antidepressants”…that are responsible for the majority of mass shootings.
“Personally, I think surgical sterilizations should become more common and reversals cheaper and easier to obtain.”
i do too, but there are undoubtedly a plethora of deadly and fatal side effects, so you’d better not do that either.
At least the pill doesn’t cause the deaths of the general public.
Yeah, not like women are a part of the general public or anything. Wowza.
“At least the pill doesn’t cause the deaths of the general public. The same can’t be said for lobotomies in pill form…oops I mean “antidepressants”…that are responsible for the majority of mass shootings.”
Except that psychotic reactions are an extremely small minority of cases in people who react badly to anti-depressants, and some of us definitely would have offed ourselves years ago if it weren’t for being able to manage depression.
Yes there are PL people who treat pregnancy very seriously, and there are others who view serial pregnancy, whatever the risks, like a day at the Kentucky Derby.
Who?
Hi Praxedes,
Its not an issue of “who” and I wouldn’t choose to name names. It doesn’t matter. I have encountered this situation on this blog and have found it troubling.
Danielle,
Nice blog! I don’t know whether to salute or applaud. Maybe both! :)
Mary seems to think that NFP = pregnancy!
If a couple wants to avoid pregnancy, NFP is much safer than the Pill — and far more wholesome for the marital relationship.
Pregnancy is not as dangerous as the Pill — and pregnancy is far safer than an abortion — but it is worthy of respect and worth seeking proper medical care. If this is what Mary is saying, then we should all be in agreement.
“Yeah, not like women are a part of the general public or anything. Wowza.”
General Public= Others beside the person taking the drug.
“Except that psychotic reactions are an extremely small minority of cases in people who react badly to anti-depressants, and some of us definitely would have offed ourselves years ago if it weren’t for being able to manage depression.”
Psychotic reaction =/suicidal or violent behavior, and an extremely small minority of those who take the pill suffer life threatening reactions. Some of us need it for cramps and PMDD. At least(unlike SSRIs), they are shown to work better than a placebo. After becoming the victim of these dangerous sugar pills I finally got on Yaz, and it has changed my life.
“and pregnancy is far safer than an abortion” – actually the opposite is true.
The pill has risks(increased risk of blood clot in smokers, overweight, and older women, possible slight breast cancer risk, etc.) and benefits(more regular periods, reduced risk of ovarian cancer, less iron loss in some women). It’s important to weigh the pros and cons based on personal history. At least they treat specific conditions(many of which can be tested for) rather than provide a placebo effect to treat an impossible to prove theory(“chemical imbalance” in the brain). If a woman takes the pill for a cyst, it’s not based on some theory, but rather an ultrasound or pelvic exam. Before you go after drugs used for real medical conditions, I suggest you apply the same rigorous standards to psychotropic drugs. Learn about the scary history of these drugs and the lack of science behind them:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDlH9sV0lHU
Hi Mary,
I celebrated with the Duggars because THEY were celebrating. They were happy and because they put their trust in God and were praying so was I. They saw their child as a blessing and still do.
I understand completely that there are high risk pregnancies but I allow other adult human beings to make those decisions they deem appropriate for them and trust they know what they are doing.
I was deeply saddened to hear about the loss of Jubilee and continue to pray for all of the Duggars.
I happen to admire them very much and that might be why I am a little biased. :)
Nicole,
Just read about the lawsuits coming out now over Yaz.
Mary,
A reduction in risk is not the same as the amelioration of all risk. Yes, women who do it right might still die of breast cancer. But women who use oral contraceptives and who have abortions place themselves at greate incidence.
Dr. Joel Brind, endocrinologist at Barch College, has calculated 300,000+ Additional breast cancer victims because of abortion alone.
Doing it right decreases one’s risk, while doing it wrong can lead to misery. Just ask the 300,000.
Uh no Del,(12:24am) I don’t, thank you.
Hi Carla,
I like and respect you tremendously and you certainly have no reason or need to explain yourself. My comment was in regard to no one in particular, and being its ancient history, I saw no need to bring up names as it was totally irrelevant. I was also referring to the public in general, not just people on this blog.
Being the kind of person you are you reacted as you did, given my experiences, most recently again helplessly watching a young mother die, I tend to be considerably more jaded. Also my personal feelings about the Duggars, not the children, enter into it as well.
I was also saddened at the loss of Jubilee, expressed my condolenses, was rightfully reprimanded by another poster(JackBorsch, who I greatly respect) for insensitivity at such a time, and expressed my outrage to a poster who seemed to find some kind of sick humor in the family’s bereavement process.
I wish a loss like this on no one, though I must admit that sadly, I was not surprised it happened.
Hi Gerard,
I’m not disputing the risks of breast cancer in women who have used oral contraceptives and had abortions, only pointing out there are no guarantees one way or the other. People cando everything “right” and still have cancer. People can do everything “wrong” and die of old age. There are risks in pregnancy that don’t involve cancer, i.e. pre eclampsia, hypertension, blood clots, DIC, that can be just as deadly, and I’ve mentioned the complications and deaths I have personally witnessed.
Kacey Jordan, a porn actress who was with Charlie Sheen during his famous melt-down, wasn’t on any hormonal contraceptives and never had been. She relied to some extent on condoms. She has had 5 abortions, 2 of them in 1 year.
FINALLY, she had an IUD put in herself. The fact is that this woman is in the sex business. Given her unwillingness to carry to term, shouldn’t she be on contraception?
I certainly would rather she prevent a pregnancy than get pregnant.
There is something very interesting about her. She is flat-chested. She is often asked if she intends to get a breast augmentation. She says NO to that. Some of her fans are happy that she will “stay away from plastic surgeons” because they are men who are specifically attracted to flat-chested women.
Mary,
Maybe I misunderstood your response, but to me it looked like you had a problem with Stephanie’s post (the person who posted first comment on here, the one about NFP). I don’t know why you had a problem with Stephanie saying “Solution–NFP!” given that NFP can be used both to avoid and achieve pregnancy without artificial hormones, intrusive medical proceedures, or anything like that.
My husband and I have been married several years now. We’ve used NFP both to avoid and achieve pregnancy, successfully.
There are several methods, some more involved than others. I use the Standard Sympo-Thermal Method (originally learned the Couple To Couple League Sympo-Thermal Method, which SST & CCL are both Sympo-Thermal Methods, just taught differently).
The doctor I see for my well-woman’s check ups is very NFP friendly and often checks my charts to see how my health is when I go in for my well-woman’s.
I know people who have used NFP charts to diagnosis various issues…from myself (low progesterone and I use a Natural paraoben free progesterone cream, approved by my doctor) to someone who got diagnosised with early signs of breast cancer and the doctor said they had NEVER had a woman they were able to disagnos so early with the cancer. This person has been in remission for years, and if it hadn’t been for her NFP chart, she might not have caught it as early as she did.
Some docs aren’t very NFP friendly, which I don’t understand given how successfully it can be used (when used correctly) and how it’s all based on the natural signs of a woman’s body and cycle. I’m not saying it’s PERFECT (is anything?) I’m just saying that it’s the only method I’ve seen that doesn’t have all the warning labels abortion, the pills, injections, and IUDs have.
What makes potential risks of all these health problems outweigh the benefits of NFP in people’s minds that they’re willing to go to artificial hormones and chemicals rather than something that measures a woman’s natural signs?
“but I allow other adult human beings to make those decisions they deem appropriate for them and trust they know what they are doing.”
Huh.
You’re confused Bearman? It’s simple. Pro-lifers aren’t intolerant and distrusting of adults making decisions they deem appropriate…unless those decisions result in harm or death to another human being.
No, I understand just fine.
Hi Mother in Texas
I have absolutely no problem with NFP. If it works for you, go for it. My point was that pregnancy is not benign and while we are critical of artificial methods, etc., nothing is risk free and pregnancy resulting from the failure of any method, or planned and wanted, is not benign, but also carries its own risks.
@ Hans Johnson – Thank you very much for the wonderful comment! Have a blessed evening!