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National Women’s Health Week 2017


National Women’s Health Week 2017

A Movement to Raise Awareness about Birth Control and Blood Clot Risks

Stand with the National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) during National Women’s Health Week (NWHW), May 14-20, 2017, as we share life-saving information about dangerous blood clots.

Women face a distinctive risk for blood clots that spans much of their lifetime. This risk is connected to important choices women may make regarding family planning and birth control, pregnancy and childbirth, and the treatment of menopause symptoms. Each year, up to 900,000 people are affected by blood clots, and about 100,000 people will die because of blood clots. However, many of these deaths can be prevented simply by sharing life-saving information.

Oral contraceptives are the most common form of hormonal birth control in the United States, and while research shows that they are safe and effective, the pill can carry risks like any other prescription medication. It is important for women to know their risks for blood clots, and to understand their options for birth control. The common risk factor for any form of hormonal birth control, including the pill, patch or ring, is the hormone estrogen, which increases the risk of dangerous blood clots, especially in women with a clotting disorder, a previous blood clot, or a family history of blood clots. Some of the newer hormonal birth control pills pose a greater blood clot risk than the older oral hormonal contraceptives, and the use of hormonal birth control patches and rings pose an even greater blood clot risk.

In recognition of Women’s Health Week 2017, the National Blood Clot Alliance is partnering with the Alexandra L. Rowan Memorial Foundation to provide women with this essential information, and to encourage them to visit Women & Blood Clots. At this website, on the Resources Page, women will find a risk assessment tool to help them determine, along with their doctor, their risk for blood clots and their best contraception options. Even if you are a woman at risk for blood clots, it is still possible for you to plan your family as you choose, by understanding your risk for blood clots and taking steps to reduce your risk. 


What is  Women’s Health Week?

National Women’s Health Week is a special observance led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health. The goal is to empower women to make their health a priority. The week also serves as a time to help women understand what steps they can take to improve their health throughout the entire year. National Women’s Health Week kicks off on Mother’s Day, May 14, and is celebrated through May 20, 2016.


How can you help the NBCA raise awareness about Women and Blood Clots?
For Women’s Health Week 2017, NBCA has partnered with the social media sharing platform Thunderclap to deliver one, unified, life-saving message across social media sites you use everyday – Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr. Our message seeks to alert women – and the men who care about them – about how the choices they make about their health can place them at risk for a blood clot, especially if they are taking or considering taking hormonal birth control. Click here to be directed to Thunderclap and sign up to be a part of this social media sharing initiative, which will automatically update the social media status of your preference on the day the message goes out, May 17, 2017, at 12:00 p.m. Eastern.
You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, where we will be sharing special content related to women and blood clots daily from May 14-20 in recognition of National Women’s Health Week. Share our posts, tweets, pictures, and pins with your friends and family.

Together, we can make a difference to Stop the Clot
Help us share this message – and crucial information about hormonal birth control and blood clots – by sharing the Thunderclap link with your social media networks, family and friends. Like any message, the more individuals that come together to share it, the better the message is heard.
Don’t let your voice be the one that is left out. Join the Thunderclap Women and Blood Clots movement during Women’s Health Week 2017 by signing up today. Click here or on the image below to make your voice heard: