Neurological problems linked to "pill" in 3 women.

PIP: Dr. George B. Jacobs, attending neurosurgeon at the Hackensack Hospital in New Jersey, reported an association between cerebral arterial disease and oral contraception in 3 women at the American College of Angiology meeting in New York City. There was no evidence of any previous neurological, vascular, or systemic problems which might have predisposed the women to cerebroarterial disease. All 3 patients began to complain of headaches within a few days or weeks after starting oral contraceptives. In 1 patient, the headaches disappeared after pill discontinuance; but minimal right hemiparesis is still present. In another, who developed right hemiparesis, marked speech difficulties, and expressive and receptive aphasia, the hemiparesis and aphasia have improved very little since pill discontinuance. The neurological disabilities of the third patient have been improving gradually since the pill was discontinued.^ieng