Are there any restrictions regarding birth control in women who have sickle cell disease?
Women with sickle cell disease have an increased risk of stroke. The most recent evidence suggests that oral contraceptives (OC) have little, if any, impact on the risk for stroke in the general population, so it is unlikely that OCs will magnify the risk in sickle cell disease. Many women with sickle cell disease have some form of a cyclical sickle cell crisis related to menses where the use of medications to reduce or eliminate menses is often beneficial. The use of Depo-Provera and the oral contraceptive pill have actually been shown to decrease the occurrence of cyclical crises, with a greater improvement associated with Depo-Provera than the pill. Hormonal contraception is not contraindicated and may in fact be helpful in these women.
