Stroke is a rare disorder in women of reproductive age.
Haemorrhagic stroke is the more common of the two among young women.
The WHO data show that pill use does not increase the risk of haemorrhagic stroke in women below the age of 35 years. This is a particularly reassuring finding as the vast majority of pill users worldwide are below that age. In current pill users over age 35, however, the study found a small increase in the risk of this type of stroke. In the case of the ischaemic stroke a small overall increase in risk was observed in current pill users. For both types of stroke, no increase in risk was observed in women who had used the pill in the past.