Preferred Contraceptive Options for Thrombophilic Women

Because pregnancy increases risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE; NEJM JW Womens Health Apr 22 2014), effective contraception is critical for women with thrombophilia. To assess how various contraceptives affect a woman's risk for VTE, investigators conducted an industry-supported, case-control study from January 2003 through March 2009 of 948 women in Sweden who experienced a first VTE before age 45 and 902 age- and sex-matched controls randomly selected from the Swedish population. Data were collected from telephone interviews and DNA analyses of blood samples.

Analyses adjusted for smoking, body-mass index, and immobilization showed that VTE risk was lowest with the use of intrauterine devices (IUDs), implants, or progestin-only pills. Ri…