Is family history sufficient to identify women with risk of venous thromboembolism before commencing the contraceptive pill?

Abstract

Oral contraceptives (OCs) increase risk of venous thromboembolic disease (VTE). The incidence of thomboembolic disease in healthy young women who are not taking OCs is 0.4-0.8/10,000, and in healthy young women using OCs, it is 3-4/10,000. To assess whether a family history of thromboembolism is a suitable tool to identify women who should not be given OCs, 50 women who suffered a VTE while taking OCs were studied. Only 16% of these women had family history which is why in our opinion, it is not a sufficient safeguard to recommending the use of OCs.