Study shows elevated risk of blood clots in women taking birth control containing drospirenone

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration-funded study led by the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research found an increased risk of arterial thrombotic events (ATE) and venous thromboembolic events (VTE) - commonly referred to as blockage of arteries and blood clots, respectively — associated with drospirenone-containing birth control pills compared to four low-dose estrogen combined hormonal contraceptives.

The study appears in the current online issue of Contraception.

"We found that starting use of drospirenone-containing combined hormonal contraceptives was associated with a 77 percent increase in the risk of hospitalization for VTE and doubling of the risk for ATE compared to the risk associated with use of the four low-dose estrogen CHCs,"" said Stephen Sidney, MD, MPH, director of Research Clinics at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research and lead author of the study. "Though the absolute incidence of venous thromboembolic events is low, the growing number of studies showing an increased risk of venous thromboembolic events with drospirenone suggests that drospirenone-containing combined hormonal contraceptives should be used cautiously for women seeking hormonal contraception. We also need more information on the risk of arterial thrombotic events with drospirenone-containing combined hormonal contraceptives because few data have been published."

"To put these numbers into perspective, the risk of developing blood clots is higher when using any birth control pills than not using them, but still remains lower than the risk of developing blood clots in pregnancy and in the postpartum period," said Sidney. "Nonetheless, health care professionals should consider the risks and benefits of drospirenone-containing birth control pills and a woman's risk for developing a blood clot before prescribing these drugs."

Drospirenone (DRSP) is a synthetic version of the female hormone, progesterone, also referred to as a progestin. During the past 10 years, three new combined hormonal contraceptives (CHC) preparations have been approved for use by the FDA, including drospirenone/ethinyl estradiol pills (DRSP), the norelgestromin /ethinyl estradiol transdermal patch (NGMN), and the etonogestrel/ethinyl estradiol vaginal ring (ETON). Since then, there have been several studies evaluating the risk of thrombotic and thromboembolic events compared to low-dose estrogen CHCs that have been on the market for longer periods of time.

"The results have been mixed, and it is unclear whether the differences in findings arose from differences in study methodologies or differences in the populations studied. As a result, there is a great deal of concern and confusion among women and their health care providers regarding the safety of these newer preparations relative to older CHCs," Sidney said.

"We performed this retrospective cohort study to address methodological issues using a 'New User' design. We assessed the risk of each of the three newer CHCs relative to low-dose estrogen CHCs in a cohort of new users of CHCs from four geographically and demographically diverse health plans."