The media and political focus on thrombosis caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine annoys some women, who recall that birth control pills are 100 times more risky.
- The pill is the primary means of contraception for French women (37% use it, compared to 45% in 2010). This is followed by the IUD (25%), the condom (21%), the implant (5%).
- Between delivery delays, the rare cases of thrombosis observed after its administration and the variation in the eligible public in France, the AstraZeneca vaccine has had a series of disappointments since its marketing.
“If we were as worried about thromboses from the pill as from those of AZ [AstraZeneca]we would make progress on contraception”, wrote a Twitter user on Monday April 12. Shared more than 6,000 times, this message illustrates a certain annoyance of the fairer sex about the emotion caused by the thrombosis of the AstraZeneca anti-coronavirus vaccine.
Two different types of thrombosis
Compared to the AstraZeneca vaccine, women who take the birth control pill are 100 times more likely to experience thrombosis. According to the first figures, it is estimated that the risk of having a thrombosis after having been vaccinated against the coronavirus is 0.0006%, while the risk of having a thrombosis while taking the pill * is 0.06%.
If we stick only to the figures, Internet users and the Avep (Association of victims of pulmonary embolism and stroke related to hormonal contraception) are therefore right to underline a “Two weights, two measures”. Nevertheless, thromboses caused by birth control pills are better understood and better treated than those associated with the AstraZeneca vaccine. The former threaten the lungs (causing pulmonary embolisms), while the latter attack the blood platelets. “AstraZeneca vaccine autoimmune thrombosis is associated with therapeutic difficulties and complications”, underlines on France Info Marie-Antoinette Sevestre-Pietri, professor of vascular medicine at the University Hospital of Amiens and president of the French Society of Vascular Medicine (SFMV).
Side effects of birth control pills
Depression, breast pain, vaginal dryness, low libido, breast cancer, hormonal acne, bleeding outside the period of menstruation… If the media and political focus on the risk of thrombosis associated with Aztrazeneca annoys part of the female sex, it is also because the pills cause many other side effects, without the public opinion not being moved by it or that the men consider other means of contraception.
“In the minds of the greatest number, contraception relies solely on women, despite the considerable mental load that this can create. However, there are contraceptive solutions dedicated to men, which we do not talk about or very much little…”, recalled the Kiffe Ton Cycle association, on the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day on Monday, March 8.
*Mainly third and fourth generation.
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