Should I take the old one back or is the new one a good option to reduce my risk?

Question

Hello, I was using the contraceptive pill tri-jordyna (before cyclen) for 8 years. I stopped using it a month ago because I am afraid of the risk of blood clots. That said, I went to see my doctor who prescribed me a lower dose pill, Alesse. Since I don't want to get pregnant, I'm considering taking it again. However, I'm afraid of having increased risks of blood clots after stopping for a month and changing pills after 8 years with the same brand. Is there an increased risk of blood clots after stopping for a month or changing pills after 8 years on the same brand?

Pierre-Luc Tremblay · Accepted Answer

Hello, First of all, the current data show that the risk of blood clots in the bloodstream associated with combined oral contraceptives (combination of estrogen and progesterone) is really low. For example, the risk is lower than that associated with pregnancy, childbirth and the immediate postpartum period. It is also known that the risk is greater in the first year after initiation of this type of contraception. I do not believe that stopping for only one month is sufficient to return to the more "critical" period. We usually talk about stopping for more than 3 months. Switching to another contraceptive like Alesse does not really increase the risk. An important element is to take into account the other factors that increase the risk of thrombosis: age and smoking (over 35 years old and consuming 15 or more cigarettes per day), obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and immobilization (for example following surgery). If you are still worried, you should know that there are contraceptive methods without estrogen that do not carry this risk: IUDs, implants, injections, the pill or even the copper IUD, which has no hormones. I hope I have answered your question correctly, Pierre-Luc Tremblay, pharmacist