Birth-Control Patch May Have Higher Risk

[ecstatic]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/patch_problems

About a dozen women, most in their late teens and early 20s, died last year from blood clots believed to be related to the birth-control patch Ortho Evra. Dozens more survived strokes and other clot-related problems, according to federal drug safety reports obtained by The Associated Press under a Freedom of Information Act request.

...the reports obtained by the AP appear to indicate that in 2004 — when 800,000 women were on the patch — the risk of dying or suffering a survivable blood clot while using the device was about three times higher than while using birth control pills.

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Beware ladies :-(

[DanCa]

1. I keep missing the source of this information

I know it's from yahoo but i dont know who is supplying the info. Therefore I cant validate it if it's from a pro life group

[MountainLaurel]

2. According to the article

The source were FDA studies -- I believe information gathered during the original human trials.

Frankly, I'm not surprised: Clotting and strokes are a problem with oral contraceptives and hormone-based birth control in general, which is why the Pill is contraindicated if you have a history of clotting issues, smoke, or are older than 35. I would assume the problem is even more pronounced in a form concentrated enough to be absorbed through the skin.

[DanCa]

5. Thank you

I went back and skimmed it I don't know how I missed it the first two times. You know what they say, however, the third time is the charm.

[Baconfoot]

6. "The pill" is not contraindicted if you are older than 35 as far as I know

My package insert doesn't indicate this, nor have my doctors.

There are many different kind of "the pill." Is what you say supposed to hold for all of them?

I believe you may be referring to the fact that if you smoke AND are over 35 the risk is even greater than if you smoke and are under 35.

[MountainLaurel]

8. I must have missed the AND

:blush:

In at least one source -- Planned Parenthood -- the over 35 issue refers strictly to smokers, and that group is completely advised against oral contraceptives. But this source notes that doctors should be cautious about prescribing the Pill to women over 35.

At work I have access to most of the major medical databases, so if this thread hasn't been archived, perhaps I can take a look at what some systematic reviews for physicians report.

[Baconfoot]

9. I just don't want to be taking pills with risks outweighing the benefits:)

In that link, by the way, the summary paragraph is somewhat at odds with the content. The summary indicates a risk to those over 35 but the content says basically to go by the WHO guidelines which they put in there and regarding women over 35 it says the following:

CATEGORY 4 (Don't use the pill at all please)
" Age >35 years and smoke 20 cigarettes or more per day"
CATEGORY 3 (Use caution)
" Age >35 years and smoke fewer than 20 cigarettes per day"

That's still somewhat misleadingly written.
What if they smoke 0 cigarettes a day? That's still under 20.

It also says:
"In healthy women over 35 years of age who do not smoke, the benefits of oral contraceptive pills generally exceed the risks.4,23 In fact, nonsmokers with no cardiovascular disease may continue using this contraceptive method until menopause. In addition to effective contraception, benefits include the prevention of ovarian and endometrial cancers, an increase in bone mass and the reduction of perimenopausal symptoms."

It doesn't say anything else.

I wish we could skip forward 200 years so that I really know the effects of the medicines I'm taking!

[MountainLaurel]

10. No doubt

I had a t-shirt once that, in a long litany of reasons why feminism is still necessary, asked "We can send a man to the moon, but we can't create a safe, reliable form of birth control?" Guess it's all a matter of priorities.

[kestrel91316]

13. The Pill IS safe and reliable.

[kestrel91316]

12. I am living proof that ...................

it is perfectly safe in some people to take the Pill well into your forties. I started on the Pill at age 18, in 1974. I stayed on it continuously until I was in my thirties, when personal circumstances allowed me to stop taking it for 6-12 months a couple of times. I didn't stop taking it entirely until 2 years ago when I was 46.

My ob/gyns always said there was NO problem doing this. I am NOT a smoker. In fact, the most recent one said I could stay on it until I was 50 if I wished, at which point they would do some blood test for hormones to see if I had hit menopause.

[arikara]

3. You mean an anti-choice group?

Don't dignify them by calling them pro-life. Cuz they are anything but.

;)

[DanCa]

4. Your absolutely right

My bad a 1oo push ups and we'll call it even?

[Sal Minella]

7. Same outfit who decided abortions cause breast cancer???

[DanCa]

11. Yep

You know it takes two to have a baby. If my gender is so against abortion than the answer is simple dont have sex. I am all for contracption btw I am just saying that the only say I man should have in abortion is abstience for himself if he feels that strongly about abortion.

[Maddy McCall]

14. Not proven.

Sad, isn't it. They still spout that as an argument against abortion.