The doctor advises taking a blood pressure check every six months for women who use contraceptives. It may protect them from strokes, heart and kidney disease.
New York Post quoted Dr. Andrew Thompson, medical director at Australia-based telehealth and prescription service InstantScripts, as saying there was a lack of awareness about the risks of prescribing the pill to women.
“It can be easy for medical professionals to downplay issues surrounding blood pressure and oral contraception”
Dr andrew thompson, instantscripts medical director
Contraceptives are designed for people under 40, who do not generally have high blood pressure. “However, this is not a reason to remove all precautions as the potential health outcomes for women, if they occur, may be dire,” Dr. Thompson said.
He was concerned after InstantScripts customers questioned the need to provide information on their previous blood pressure readings to renew their prescriptions. There are now many online telehealth and prescription services that offer women the pill without requiring them to come in for a blood test, concludes New York Post.
