At age 27, Jacksonville, Florida resident Bethany Fonseca suffered a stroke on October 2011, that stunned her and highlighted a growing health concern among young adults. She collapsed at home after experiencing dizziness, numbness in one arm and was rushed to Baptist Medical Center South. Doctors initially was going to discharge her after basic tests, but she insisted on more checkups. They finally discovered her stroke, which occurred just millimeters from her brain stem. They linked it to three combined risk factors: use of oral birth control, a heart condition known as patent foramen ovale (PFO), and a history of migraines.
During recovery, Fonseca faced right-side weakness and engaged in intensive physical therapy. Her regimen included exercises adapted to carry the weight of her twins in Brooks rehabilitation. After a week in hospital and eight days of rehabilitation, she regained mobility and returned to driving within a month. She still feels weak on her right side but admits being luckier than most and highlights the importance of increasing awareness about stroke symptoms and prevention.
Fonseca credits her survival in part to her dog, Koda, who repeatedly nudged her as she crawled toward the door to unlock it for paramedics. “Every time I wanted to give up, he nudged me again. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here,” she said to USA Today.
Emergency medical technicians initially underestimated her condition and even had her walk down the stairs of her apartment despite her severe symptoms. At the hospital, doctors prepared to discharge her before a neurologist finally performed a stroke assessment and confirmed the diagnosis.
Bethany later joined the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s awareness campaigns, stressing that “stroke is not just an older person’s disease—it can happen to anyone, no matter your age or race.” She uses her platform to advocate for knowing the warning signs, such as sudden dizziness, vision changes, weakness or numbness on one side of the body, and severe headaches.
Medical experts point out that while oral contraceptives are generally safe, they can increase clotting risk in women who already have other stroke risk factors such as migraines, smoking, or heart defects. According to her rehabilitation assistant, she was one of at least four women he had treated for strokes linked to birth control in a decade.
Medical professionals increasingly describe strokes as not just an older adult issue. In the U.S., strokes among adults aged 18–44 increased by 14.6 percent, and by 15.7 percent in those aged 45–64, based on CDC data comparing 2011–13 to 2020–22.[1] Another report notes that between 1993 and 2015, stroke rates in people aged 20–44 nearly doubled. [2]
Classic cardiovascular risk factors: high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, smoking, and sedentary lifestyles are alarmingly prevalent in younger cohorts, contributing significantly to the trend. [3] Migraines, especially with aura, combined with PFO can multiply stroke risk, sometimes more than doubling it.
Hormonal birth control also carries a known risk. Research indicates users have a 1.6 times higher risk of ischemic stroke, with users typically younger and showing different clinical patterns such as fewer traditional factors but more lipid abnormalities and undetermined causes. Importantly, long-term outcomes after stopping contraceptives were more favorable, with fewer recurrent strokes. [4]
Strokes in younger adults may not appear as severe initially and often go unrecognized. Neurologists emphasize distinguishing symptoms early using the BE FAST acronym (Balance, Eyes, Face, Arm, Speech, Time) and seeking immediate care, as timely treatment affects outcomes significantly. [5]
References:
Omoye E. Imoisili et al., “Prevalence of Stroke — Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, United States, 2011–2022,” MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 73, no. 20 (2024): 449–55, https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7320a1.
Tufts University School of Medicine, “‘Stroke in Young People Is Not That Rare’,” Tufts Medicine, accessed September 10, 2025, https://medicine.tufts.edu/news-events/news/stroke-young-people-not-rare.
Manoj S. Dhamoon and Mitchell S. V. Elkind, “The Clinical Approach to Stroke in Young Adults,” in Stroke, ed. Marc Fisher et al. (Bethesda, MD: National Library of Medicine (US), 2024), accessed September 10, 2025, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK572000/.
Feng Li et al., “Oral Contraceptive Use and Increased Risk of Stroke: A Dose–Response Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies,” Frontiers in Neurology 10 (2019): 993, https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2019.00993.
Northwestern Medicine, “Warning Signs of a Stroke,” Northwestern Medicine HealthBeat, accessed September 10, 2025, https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/stroke-warning-signs.
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