Vascular Occlusion of the Colon and Oral Contraceptives

Abstract

THE most frequently described complications of oral contraceptive therapy have been occlusive disease of the vessels supplying the brain and thrombophlebitis with pulmonary embolism. Vascular occlusion of the bowel rarely occurs in young adults, and to our knowledge only one case associated with oral contraceptive therapy has been reported.¹ We report the cases of two young women in whom reversible vascular damage of the colon occurred while they were taking oral contraceptive drugs.Case ReportCase 1. A 29-year-old woman awoke 2 days before admission with dull, mildly cramping pain in the lower abdomen. She began to vomit 18 hours . . .