Sadly the answer is YES. As a Nuvaring Pulmonary Embolism and Deep Vein Thrombosis attorney, I have written extensively about the inherent risks associated with oral contraceptive pills containing Drospirenone, like Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella and contraceptive ring device like the NuvaRing.
According to a Danish report, some women using hormonal contraceptives other than single hormone birth control pills have an increased risk for serious blood clots.
NuvaRing Lawsuits
Currently, we are reviewing potential suits for users of the NuvaRing who suffered a thrombotic incident like a deep vein thrombosis, stroke or pulmonary embolism.
Lawsuits are currently pending in the NuvaRing MDL lawsuit (which is a class action only for purposes of discovery). The NuvaRing’s manufacturer and related companies are the defendants: Organon USA, Inc., Organon Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., and Organon International, Inc. are being sued for not taking into account the higher level of hormone transference that occurs for users of the NuvaRing and not properly explaining the risk of using the NuvaRing in comparison to other methods of birth control such as the pill.
These alternate hormone-releasing birth control methods include skin patches, implants and vaginal rings. According to the researchers, to reduce the risk, women who use these should consider switching to safer birth control pills.
Nuvaring Blood Clot Risks
Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot that typically originates in the legs and can travel to the lungs, where it becomes a pulmonary embolism, which can be deadly. Sometimes there may be no signs or symptoms of a deep vein thrombosis in the leg, until a clot breaks off and travels to the lung. And sometimes the first symptom of a deep vein thrombosis may be a sudden collapse because a massive blood clot has blocked the blood supply to the lungs. This can kill you.
Study Findings
The transdermal patch and vaginal ring have at least a sixfold increased risk of venous thrombosis as combined pills with desogestrel or drospirenone, a risk which is about twice the risk among women using second-generation pills with levonorgestrel.
According to the researchers, women should be informed about these risks in order to be able to choose the most appropriate hormonal contraceptive product, there are hormonal contraceptive alternatives which confer less or no risk of venous thrombosis.
The findings were published May 10 in the online edition of the BMJ.
Women who used a vaginal ring had a 6.5 times higher risk. There was no reduction in risk with the long-term use of a patch or vaginal ring.
To reduce the number of women who develop clots from these riskier birth control methods, the authors advised that more women choose the safer birth control pills.
Take Home Message
Combined oral contraceptives with levonorgestrel or norgestimate have 50% of the risk of venous thrombosis than oral contraceptives containing desogestrel, gestodene, or drospirenone. Progestogen only pills do not confer an increased risk of venous thrombosis
Women who use combined contraceptive transdermal patches are at an increased risk of venous thrombosis about eight times that of non-users of hormonal contraception.
Vaginal rings increased the risk of venous thrombosis 6.5 times compared with non-use of hormonal contraception.
The risk of venous thrombosis was not significantly increased with use of subcutaneous implants or the levonorgestrel intrauterine system compared with non-use of hormonal contraception.
Nuvaring almost 7 times the risk of venous thrombo-embolism, so tell me again, why is the Nuvaring still on the market?
Read more about NUVARING and DROSPIRENONE containing birth control pills here and for more information visit my blog.