Why did my daughter, age 16, have a stroke?

I am very sorry to hear of your daughter's stroke. I had a stroke seven years ago (Christmas Eve, 2018) and it changed my life -- and not all for the worse, believe it or not.

After my stroke, doctors weren't able to determine a cause. I wasn't high-risk -- never smoked, no chronic hypertension, very light drinker, no family history, etc. The best they could offer was "Sometimes strokes just happen." Not much comfort, but at least they admitted they didn't know.

Of course, no two strokes are alike and no stroke patients are alike, either. That being said, there are some general categories. Mine was "lacunar ischemic" -- basically a blood clot in the motor-nerve area of my left brain. What kind of stroke did your daughter experience?

I'm no doctor, but given your daughter's age, she is resilient enough to have a good recovery, as long as she keeps working at it. It takes an incredible amount of patience and determination, but it does pay off.

The best advice I got was to be grateful. Grateful for still being able to speak; having my memory; having a loving wife; even being left-handed (I lost use of my right side).

You and your daughter may find it helpful to watch some of my YouTube videos about my journey, "From Recovery to Discovery": https://www.youtube.com/@srlucado/videos

Best of luck to her and to your whole family. Stay positive, practice gratitude, and be patient.

@scottrl thank you for the positivity! She had an acute infarct right internal capsule which did affect her left side and she is left handed but she is young and is pretty much back to normal, it would just be nice to have an answer as you know! I’m glad you are better and so positive and have good support! Again thank you for the kind words we will check out your story!

@tabathamobbs Congratulations to her on doing so well!

Gosh. So sorry. Back in 1973 I was told that strokes were a possible side effect of birth control pills. My daughter currently has an IUD to prevent pregnancy (name brand Mirena) that secretes hormones and I'm not too happy about it because stroke is listed as a possiblilty, especially if you have a history of migraines with aura, which she does. I'm so glad to hear that your young daughter is pretty much back to normal and if I were her I'd consult with a gynecologist and find another method of birth control. I'd consider the first stroke a warning and thank God she is doing well.

I'm so sorry to see your 16 yr old had a stroke! I pray she will totally recover and never have another. I agree with MaryAnn about seeing the gyn for another option for birth control. I had horrible migraines with aura and pain for years - started when I was 12 or before. I couldn't take birth control pills when I was young because of the migraines. When I had a stroke in 2022 at the age of 71, one of the doctors commented about my history of chronic migraines with aura and pain. So, maybe there is a connection. It will be interesting to see what you discover. Keep us posted and we'll be cheering for your daughter.

I’m guessing she was on BC pills for her menstrual issues and not to prevent conception? She may require a more nuanced approach other than plain BC pills. Possibly a specialized formulation suited for her alone.

After my first and only IUD, there’s a possibility hormones changed and exacerbated my Fibromuscular Dysplasia which caused 3 strokes.

More info: http://www.FMDSA.org

I’m sorry about your daughter. My prayers are with you. Did they do a bubble test for her heart? When my husband had a stroke and couldn’t figure it out, luckily we had a doctor that ran that test. Not all cardiologist do. He has a pin size hole on the backside of his heart since he was born. It never closed up and no one knew. He also suffered all his life with migraine and auras. Some was from his neck from the accidents he was in when he was little but the other was from the heart issue (PFO). I pray they figure out why. 🙏❤️

I also had strokes at a young age with two in 3 months. Some key points….
1. Migraines with Aura increase risk of stroke
2. Birth control is not advised for those with Migraines with Aura for risk of stroke. Progesterone only BC pills is safer
3. High Cholesterol, specifically Lipoprotein(a) may also increase risk of migraines and stroke

Tests that may uncover cause:
1. Anti-coagulation antibodies
2. Blood clotting profile
3. Homocysteine and MTHFR tests
4. Echocardiogram Bubble to check for holes in the heart (PFO) that can spit out small clots triggering both migraines and strokes

For me, I had a PFO that was considered small at 1mm but 10mm long tunnel. It had a right to left shunt (blood was making it from the upper right ventricle to the left ventricle) even while at rest which is risky.

Also, migraines with Aura require a careful approach as those that impact vascular tone where directly or indirectly can result in adverse effects. Example, Nurtec which is labeled as safe gave me odd toe discoloration (both big toes purple, second toes both while, third toes both red, and the pattern continued) this was a micro vascular issue as Nurtec inhibits vascular dilation so my vessels were not opening enough. Tristan’s promote dilation but for me caused perforations in my brain as they were dilating too much.

To prevent future strokes I suggest getting the full testing done and looking at the heart as well as having a headache and migraine expert (not just general neurology) review her medications against full symptoms and reactions.

I'm so sorry to hear about your daughters stroke. I had my stroke on October 12, 2021 at the age of 29. Mine was caused my a large PFO/ASA/ASD in my heart. I'm assuming they have checked her heart? I algo had migraines with auras and ever since they fixed the hole in my heart, the auras have gone away.