Woman Almost Dies After She Claims Birth Control Caused Stroke

At the age of 16, Jenna Muscat didn't think twice about going on birth control—but now she's left wondering if it's the reason she almost lost her life.

For eight years, Muscat, 27, was taking the pill without any concerns or complications. But in August 2020, she awoke with an excruciating headache that she couldn't shake, telling Newsweek that "It was clear that something was really wrong."

"The headache got worse and worse, to the point where I was in more pain than I had ever experienced," she said. "Then I developed a bunch of other neurological symptoms. I had extreme nausea, my peripheral vision went out, and if I was to move my head in any way, it would go completely black for 10 to 15 seconds."

Over the course of a week, Muscat, from Houston, Texas, was plagued by these horrifying symptoms and visited the emergency room three times, but she was told it was only a migraine or anxiety.

During the first two visits to the hospital, she was given a shot to ease her nausea before being sent home, and a CT scan was done on the third attempt, but it came back clear. It wasn't until the fourth visit that Muscat's dad insisted that she should be taken seriously, leading to a shocking discovery.

"It wasn't until my dad found me on my bathroom floor and took me back in and he demanded that they admit me. Even then, they were still adamant that I was fine," she said.

"My neurologist ordered a CTA angiogram, which adds dye into your veins to light them up on the scan, and that's what found the stroke. Within five minutes of having the scan, four doctors rushed into my room and told me the news."

After the scan, Muscat was told that her "brain [was] full of massive blood clots" as she was suffering a stroke, as well as a pulmonary embolism.

She was diagnosed with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), which Johns Hopkins Medicine refers to as a rare type of stroke that affects around five people in every million per year.

A CVST occurs when a blood clot forms in the brain's venous sinuses and prevents the blood from being able to drain out from the brain. In turn, blood cells break, leaking blood into the brain tissues and forming a hemorrhage.

Can Birth Control Pills Cause a Stroke?

The risk of suffering a stroke increases with age, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that it can occur at any age. Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States experience a stroke, with CDC data showing that across the country one happens every 40 seconds.

The American College of Cardiology says that women taking the combined oral contraceptive pill are not at a higher risk than others of having a stroke due to the lower dose of estrogen in the modern versions. However, the college notes that the risk increases for women who take the combined pill if they also have other risk factors, including smoking, hypertension, and migraine with aura.

Not everyone agrees with this stance, and there is plenty of clamor for more research to investigate the possible link.

A study in 2019 concluded that the longer the combined pill is taken, the higher the risk a person faces of having a stroke. This is thought to be a result of the increased dose of estrogen being put into their body.

Dr. Carolyn Cronin, a neurologist and stroke specialist at the University of Maryland Medical Center, explained that the hormones in birth control pills can lead to blood clots and blockages.

"The most common place this happens is in the veins of the legs, but it can also occur in the veins that drain blood from the brain," Cronin told Newsweek. "This leads to increased pressure in the brain, which can cause headaches and other symptoms, such as dizziness and blurry vision.

"It is important to keep in mind that young people can also have strokes and that they can present with both traditional stroke symptoms, as well as more nonspecific symptoms. The possibility of stroke needs to be kept in mind, even for young and healthy people, so that it can be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible."

The symptoms commonly associated with a stroke include numbness on one side of the body, loss of balance, and difficulty with speech. Yet, symptoms such as headaches and dizziness can signal a stroke. Cronin says that these nonspecific symptoms often get overlooked.

Headaches can be caused by a wide variety of problems, but Cronin encourages people to look out for whether the headache feels "different to ones you have had in the past, lasts longer, or is associated with additional symptoms."

Once Muscat's stroke was discovered, doctors instantly told her that she could never take birth control pills again, as she was at risk of having another stroke. The then 24-year-old spent a week in a neurology intensive care unit for close monitoring and treatments.

"I remember being really scared at that moment, but there was also a lot of relief I think," she said. "My pain felt infinite because there was no end in sight as they didn't even think there was anything wrong with me. But once they were able to diagnose me, we could treat it.

"I'm fully confident that if my dad hadn't advocated for me, I'd be dead. I'm fully confident of it, it just feels like no one believed a 24-year-old woman complaining of head pain—she must be dramatic or anxious. Had my dad not pushed for me the way that he did, my outcome would have been very different."

'I Don't Think It's Talked About Near Enough'

Fortunately for Muscat, she hasn't been left with any lasting physical damage from the stroke. However, it has left her with mental scars after not being believed and repeatedly being told there was nothing wrong.

She is now sharing her experience to make people aware of what they're putting into their bodies and the potential risks that may come with taking the pill.

"I was incredibly lucky when it comes to my physical recovery. I mean if you didn't know that I had a stroke, you wouldn't know. The mental recovery has definitely been worse, it's been downright horrific," Muscat said.

"The kind of stroke that I had is very rare. Had I known then what I know now, I could have advocated for myself better. And that may not have changed what happened to me, I still may have had the stroke, but the trauma that I'm left with has more to do with how long it took me to get the diagnosis and the way I was treated in the hospital."

Muscat said that she has grappled with what was her "personal responsibility" by taking birth control pills for 8 years and what she feels was her doctor's "responsibility to educate" her on the risks when prescribing it.

"I don't think it's talked about near enough. When we talk about the side effects of birth control, I don't think the risks are talked about enough," she said.

"I don't trust my body, and I don't feel safe after my body seemingly failed me, and I don't trust doctors or hospitals. I can't bring myself to go to the doctor anymore. It's terrifying for me to step into a doctor's office because I don't believe anything they say."

As Muscat still has a blood clot on her brain, she had regular scans to be sure it didn't change. She has now ceased those scans because she didn't feel like she could trust anything she was told by medical professionals.

Social media has helped her connect with other people who went through something similar, as she often shares videos on TikTok (@jennamcat) to detail her experience. In turn, this has helped to turn her despair into a "fiery passion" to make a change.

Now, every September, Muscat celebrates her "strokeversary" to celebrate what she's overcome, and it's almost like a second birthday for her now.

"The most therapeutic thing is just to get my story out and let people know that this happens. If I can protect one person from what I went through, either by changing the process for getting diagnosed or how they cope afterward since no one talks about the mental recovery, then that's enough for me."

Is there a health issue that's worrying you? Let us know via health@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.