Birth Control Patch Warning

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Ortho McNeil maker of Ortho Evra

has finally warned the public

it's patch exposes women to

60% more estrogen and greater risks than a typical BC pill

I say finally because we have known since August

the patch is more risky than the pill

causing three times the risk of blood clots and death

I also say finally because of a 2003 internal company memo

shows the company refused to fund a comparison study

between patch and pill

because there was too high of a chance the study

might not prove a positive result for the patch.

profits over people

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That is a shame. I'm currently using the patch. I like the ease of it. I had such a hard time remembering to take my pill everyday and at the same time. The last couple of weeks I've been having bad headaches and then I saw the news last night. I guess I will be going back to the pill. I've tried the ring did not have a good experence with that. I really liked the shot (the one you get every month, not every three months) but my insurance won't pay for it.

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I just had to chime in here.

On December 23rd, we will be celebrating the 2nd birthday of my beautiful daughter who was conceived while I was on the birth "enhancement" patch. I, personally, know of 13 other beautiful children who made it into the world more easily thanks to this method!!!:chuckle

Clot risks....yet another reason to run...

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

I would love a link to the story, if possible. Thank you.

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Never mind I see it is being discussed at the Current Events thread, where there is a link.

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aahh

current events

where I learned how to type and use the internet

here is a link for those who do not go to current events

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/247942_patch11.html

two big problems with this announcement:

1. womens' lives have been endangered because a company suspected and so therefore avoided earlier research to protect its' profits

2. this is our system, not out of the ordinary. companies pick and fund research.

profits over people

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i work in a vascular icu. three weeks ago we admitted a 23 year old female, she had a blood clot in her leg only three inches away from where she wore her birth control patch:uhoh21: :uhoh21:

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.

I'm an ex-patch user. My OBGYN decided to try me on Yasmin and it went great.

This is such a shame though.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

well I was planning on starting the patch when my husband comes home this month...glad i read this thread!

any bad news about seasonale that i may have missed. Can't take the depo shot it screws up my emotional balance toooooooooo much

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
I'm an ex-patch user. My OBGYN decided to try me on Yasmin and it went great.

This is such a shame though.

Dito...as of today. Luckily I was on my week off when the announcement was made. Actually, my husband woke me up after the late news to tell me that there was something wrong with my birth control. I asked him more about what they said on the news this morning. He was like "I don't know its just bad or something." (this is the same guy that I had to show how to correctly use a prophylactic because he grew up in an extremely conservative home...)

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I'm so glad that this warning is already posted. I had my L & D clinical yesterday and the nurses were telling us to tell all of our friends who are on it, because evidently, very young women are throwing PEs and dying! That's craziness....this is going to be a huge scandal!

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sorry what is PEs? I'm on the patch, my week off is next week, i'm gonna get to the doctor for something different...

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