Oral Contraceptive Use in Obese Adolescents: A Cautionary Tale.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a life-threatening complication rarely encountered with the use of combined oral contraceptives (COCs). Obesity is an additional thrombosis risk factor that has been shown to further increase the risk of VTE with the use of COCs. We present 5 cases of obese adolescents (body mass index >30 kg/m2) who encountered thrombosis complications while on COCs. Although the absolute risk of VTE events in the setting of COCs is rare, caution should be observed when choosing hormonal therapy and safer COCs alternatives discussed with adolescents who are obese.