Raised Clot Risk With Birth Control Patch

There was a new study, which showed that women who use Ortho Evra birth control patch are at a double risk of having blood clots than the women who took the pill instead. This study was conducted by the Food and Drug Administration.

The study suggested that the results were introductory and these do not require any immediate action in this regard, but to advise women to discuss this finding with their doctors.

The results of the research were extracted from the studies to compare both the pill and the patch to find as to what are the differences between the kinds of therapies.

There was an investigation that was done by the Associated Pres, which found that there was increased evidence of blood clots in women who were using the patches.

There were no increased risks of blood clots in the initial study, but the results of the second study suggested that there was about a two fold increase in the risk of venous thromboembolic events or clots in the legs and the lungs in the women who were using the Ortho Evra patch.

The researchers said that there was an overlap between the two studies so there might be no increased risk from the patch or there might be twice as more the risk using the patch.

The researchers also suggested that there is risk of a nonfatal blood clot in women is about one in 10,000 per year in one who are not using any contraceptives, but the women who are using the hormonal contraceptive patch or pill, in them, the risk just goes to between 3 and 5.

The researchers also added that a study was conducted before the patch was approved and in that study there were about 3000 women in whom there were two women in which the blood clot was reported and one of the women had recently had had a surgery before the study was conducted.

There are also studies being conducted to look at the risk of heart attacks and strokes in women who are using the two types of contraception. The researchers said that there is no difference currently, but that will take some more time to tell if there is any difference.

It is also being stated that the risk of clots are rare and the hormonal contraceptives do potentially pose a risk of clots.

The results by these studies came about four months after the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning that the increased levels of hormones that are released by the patch can cause increased risk of blood clots and other serious side effects. The company making the Ortho Evra said that they shared the results of the latest studies with the FDA.

There were additions to the patch label that were made in November that warned women that they would be exposed to 60 percent more estrogen than what they get from the birth control pills.

There are about 4 million women who have used the patch since its release in 2002. The investigation done by the Associated Press learnt that the women who use patch die and suffer blood clots at a rate that is three times higher than the women who are taking the pill.

There was also a suggestion that the women who smoke should not use the patch as smoking increase the risk of stroke and heart attack.


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