Birth Control Pill & Nicotine?

[whatagem]

Hi all--I posted this also in the Women's Room and I can't find the answer on WebMD.....

Not the only reason I wanted to quit smoking--but I do know smoking while on birth control can raise the risk for blood clots.

So my question is this:
Is it smoking cigarettes
or the taking in of nicotine?

If I'm no longer smoking but chain-vaping do I still have the same risk for blood clots?

What if were to need surgery? I know most recommend to quit cigarettes before & after any type of surgery. What about vaping?

 

[sarahbean]

From what I understand, the hormones in birth control predispose the blood to clot, and nicotine is a vasoconstrictor. So imagine you do have a teensy thrombus floating around in your bloodstream in the small vessels of your brain, just small enough to pass through your vessels. If you take in nicotine, your blood vessels constrict, narrowing the lumen (open part) of the vessel. If this narrowing is enough to catch the thrombus, blockage could occur causing a stroke.

As far as surgery goes... smoking of course causes decreased lung function. When you have surgery, they intubate you for mechanical ventilation during anesthesia when your body is paralyzed. I think the problem occurs when trying to wean someone off of mechanical ventilation after surgery. Someone with decreased lung function is going to have a much harder time getting off the vent, and then they run the risk of complications, including pneumonia, etc.

From my personal experience, my lung function has greatly improved since I quit smoking cigarettes, even though I still use nicotine. And I still won't use hormonal birth control because of the increased risk of stroke. Definitely ask your doctor though. They go to school for a long time for that, whereas this is just from my own understanding It would be even better if you could ask an ob/gyn instead of a generalist. Let them know you're vaping, and see what they think. Best of luck!

 

[whatagem]

I was thinking I would have to wait till summer to see my gyn, but it might be anytime now. Only prob is I don't have $ for co pay. Good thoughts though. I always assumed smoking when having surgery was bad because it slows healing process & constricts blood vessels. I learned this only because a couple years ago I read about a french women who had her face ravaged by a dog. Doctors did the 1st ever face transplant using a donor. A couple weeks later the woman starting smoking again and everyone was like, GASP!!! How could she!!!

 

[martha1014]

Smoking and birth control do not mix. There is an increased risk of stroke and blood clots. After reading I find nicotine and birth control is much safer than smoking. There seems to be only a slight chance of complications.

IMO women should not give birth over this age becase of the increased risk for birth defects.I also know a lot of women want to put off having children a child because of their career.