Michelle Sirois's Story

Three days after going to the doctor’s office to get another year’s prescription of Apri, a low dose oral contraceptive, I began having pain in the middle of my back, making breathing very painful. Of course my doctor had warned me that there is always a risk of blood clots with birth control, but she had only known of two cases, and both of those girls were obese, inactive chain smokers. I was an eighteen-year old runner and triathlete, three weeks away from my first marathon. I had never smoked in my life. In fact, I was in the best shape of my life. So, as I lay in bed, with the pain slowly radiating to my chest and shoulder, I kept thinking that it could not possibly be a clot. Although I was a little worried, I still flew from Boston to LA to go back to school and continued with my life as usual. When I was out with some friends for dinner and realized I was in too much pain to sit through a meal, I decided it was time to go the emergency room.

I was so lucky to have a doctor who took my case seriously and took the necessary steps to “make sure it wasn’t a clot” causing the pain. Both of us were shocked when my chest CT scan came back, revealing bilateral pulmonary embolism. I was admitted to the hospital, where I remained for eight days, including one in the ICU. Hematologists analyzed my blood, looking for something that would put me at risk for clotting, but came up with nothing. My normal Protein S and C levels and the fact that I’m heterozygous for the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene indicate that it was birth control alone that caused my potentially fatal clots. Finally, I was discharged, taking Coumadin daily and injecting Lovenox every twelve hours.

It is hard to see this experience in a positive light, but the more I reflect on everything, the more blessed I feel. Even though my triathlon season was over, and the marathon I had trained so hard for was not going to become a reality, this diagnosis has changed my life in many good ways. I am no longer an invincible teenager. I see the value in every day of my life and understand the importance of caring for others and having people in your life that love you and care for you unconditionally.

I will make a full recovery, hopefully be off Coumadin in six months, and live a completely normal life. I feel that it is my duty to warn other young women about the risks of birth control. Listen to your body, and if something’s not right, get help right away. It saved my life, and it could save yours.

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