WHO SHOULD NOT TAKE ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES
Although cardiovascular disease risks may be increased with oral contraceptive use in healthy, non-smoking women over 40 (even with the newer low-dose formulations), there are also greater potential health risks associated with pregnancy in older women.

Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious adverse effects on the heart and blood vessels from oral contraceptive use. This risk increases with age and with the amount of smoking (15 or more cigarettes per day has been associated with a significantly increased risk) and is quite marked in women over 35 years of age. Women who use oral contraceptives should not smoke.
 

Some women should not use the pill. For example, you should not take the pill if you have any of the following conditions:

History of heart attack or stroke.
Blood clots in the legs (thrombophlebitis), lungs (pulmonary embolism), or eyes.
History of blood clots in the deep veins of your legs.
Hereditary or acquired blood clotting disorders
Chest pain (angina pectoris).
Known or suspected breast cancer or cancer of the lining of the uterus, cervix or vagina, or certain hormonally-sensitive cancers.
Unexplained vaginal bleeding (until a diagnosis is reached by your health care professional).
Liver tumor (benign or cancerous) or active liver disease.
Yellowing of the whites of the eyes or of the skin (jaundice) during pregnancy or during previous use of the pill.
Known or suspected pregnancy.
A need for surgery with prolonged bedrest.
Heart valve or heart rhythm disorders that may be associated with formation of blood clots.
Diabetes affecting your circulation.
Headaches with neurological symptoms such as aura.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Allergy or hypersensitivity to any of the components of LYBREL (levonorgestrel and ethinyl estradiol tablets).
Tell your health care professional if you have had any of these conditions. Your health care professional can recommend another method of birth control.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE TAKING ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES
Tell your health care professional if you or any family member has ever had:

Breast nodules, fibrocystic disease of the breast, an abnormal breast X-ray or mammogram.
Diabetes.
Elevated cholesterol or triglycerides.
High blood pressure.
A tendency to form blood clots.
Migraine or other headaches or epilepsy.
Depression.
Gallbladder, liver, heart, or kidney disease.
History of scanty or irregular menstrual periods.
Women with any of these conditions should be checked often by their health care professional if they choose to use oral contraceptives. Also, be sure to inform your health care professional if you smoke or are on any medications.

RISKS OF TAKING ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES
LYBREL is a non-cyclic oral contraceptive that provides a low daily dose of estrogen and progestin; however, LYBREL provides women with more hormonal exposure on a yearly basis (13 additional weeks of hormone intake per year) than conventional cyclic oral contraceptives containing the same strength of synthetic estrogens and similar strength of progestins.

1. Risk of Developing Blood Clots
Blood clots and blockage of blood vessels are the most serious side effects of ta