The contraceptive patch, a new form of contraception launched in 2002, has been hailed as the greatest family planning breakthrough since the Pill. Easy to use and 99 per cent reliable, the Ortho-Evra patch is used by more than four million women globally and thousands in the UK. But this week, ten women in America who have suffered blood clots have filed a class action in the Superior Court saying the patch was defectively designed and dangerous, claiming it can increase the risk of strokes and fatal blood clots. So should users worry? Here's what you should know. What is the patch? The thin beige patch is worn on the skin like a plaster.
I used some kind of birth control patch for a few months years ago. I stopped it once my sister (a pharmacist) told me about the horrible side effects and blood clots from it, and that the risk of the side effects were greater if your body near the patch became heated alot, like from heavy clothes, exercise, etc. Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute has recently developed a once-weekly transdermal contraceptive patch (Ortho Evra™/Evra™). Pharmacokinetic studies show that the patch delivers 150 μg of norelgestromin (the primary active metabolite of norgestimate) (1 (1) and 20 μg of ethinyl estradiol daily to the systemic circulation (2.
How does it work? The patch works in the same way as the combined oral contraceptive pill, delivering female hormones, progesterone and oestrogen, into the bloodstream. These stop the ripening and release of an egg from the ovary, and trick the body into thinking ovulation has occurred. What are the advantages of the patch?
Each patch lasts a week, with a week off every month, so women do not have to remember to take a pill every day. It bypasses the stomach, so there is no danger of nausea or vomiting making it less effective. Why is there controversy surrounding the patch? Mu Soft Game Pack Download. Several lawsuits have already been filed in the U.S.
Against the makers, Ortho-McNeil, by families of women who have died or suffered blood clots while using the patch. Around a dozen women died in the U.S. Last year from blood clots believed to be related to its use. What about fatal clots? The Associated Press in the U.S. Carried out an investigation during which they studied Federal Drug Safety reports into the patch. They concluded that a woman who does not smoke and is under 35 has a one-in-200,000 chance of dying from a blood clot while taking the combined pill.
This rises to a threein-200,000 chance of dying from a blood clot if she uses the contraceptive patch. What do the manufacturers say? The Food and Drink Administration in the U.S. And Ortho-McNeil both maintain that the patch is as safe as using the combined oral contraceptive pill.
Katherine LaGuardia director of medical affairs for Ortho, disagrees with the mortality rate of three in 200,000, as suggested by the AP study. She says there were no fatalities during clinical trials of the patch. Why do hormones used in birth control lead to blood clots? Many studies show that there is a slightly increased risk of developing blood clots while taking hormones for birth control. This is because oestrogen helps make the blood thicken. Why do blood clots kill? Many women will develop small blood clots, usually in the legs, which break up and dissolve of their own accord safely.