Blood Clotting - A Severe Side Effect Associated with Use of the Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch
One of the most serious side effects identified with use of the Ortho Evra Birth Control Patch is blood clotting. In November 2005, Johnson & Johnson revised its labeling for Ortho Evra, admitting for the first time that the Patch exposed women to 60% more estrogen than a 35 microgram birth control pill. Because higher estrogen levels are known to increase the chance of blood clots, which can cause deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, as well as heart attacks, strokes and even death, the revised label proves that the Patch poses far more danger to women than the Pill. In fact, this increased exposure to estrogen makes the Patch comparable to the high-dose estrogen forms of the Pill that the FDA required to be removed from the market in 1988.
On September 20, 2006, Johnson & Johnson admitted in its revised product labeling that women on the Patch may be at greater risk of developing blood clots in the lungs and legs than women using birth control pills. In fact, a study sponsored by Johnson & Johnson indicates that the Patch may expose women to a doubling of the risk of blood clot injuries.
