Questions about the safety of one of the hottest new forms of birth control. Just how safe is the birth control patch?
The articles shocked thousands of women who have switched from the pill to the birth control patch.
The Associated Press did a story which claims to have proof that the new birth control patch carries a higher risk of potentially deadly blood clots than the pill.
But not everyone agrees with the AP's findings.
It is basically the birth control pill in patch form, with all the same benefits and side effects, according to the manufacturer.
So, why even use the patch in the first place?
One simple reason - women are less likely to forget to replace a weekly patch than to take a daily pill.
"Compliance. That is really the key benefit of this birth control method," said Dr. Thomas Wright, from Women's Integrated Health.
But according to the Associated Press, which claims to have documented proof, the risk of blood clots is three times higher with the patch than it is with the pill.
That is based on about a dozen reported deaths from blood clots which were linked to the patch last year.
That number of deaths come from about 800,000 women who used the patch in the same time period. Since it's been around, four million women have used the patch without incident.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, in a statement issued to abc12, "The data is not precise enough to tell whether there is an increased incidence."
The FDA goes on to say they are "actively monitoring the adverse event reports for the Ortho Evra hormone patch, but believes the evidence indicates the product is safe and effective."
Apparently, a lot of doctors agree.
Source
The articles shocked thousands of women who have switched from the pill to the birth control patch.
The Associated Press did a story which claims to have proof that the new birth control patch carries a higher risk of potentially deadly blood clots than the pill.
But not everyone agrees with the AP's findings.
It is basically the birth control pill in patch form, with all the same benefits and side effects, according to the manufacturer.
So, why even use the patch in the first place?
One simple reason - women are less likely to forget to replace a weekly patch than to take a daily pill.
"Compliance. That is really the key benefit of this birth control method," said Dr. Thomas Wright, from Women's Integrated Health.
But according to the Associated Press, which claims to have documented proof, the risk of blood clots is three times higher with the patch than it is with the pill.
That is based on about a dozen reported deaths from blood clots which were linked to the patch last year.
That number of deaths come from about 800,000 women who used the patch in the same time period. Since it's been around, four million women have used the patch without incident.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, in a statement issued to abc12, "The data is not precise enough to tell whether there is an increased incidence."
The FDA goes on to say they are "actively monitoring the adverse event reports for the Ortho Evra hormone patch, but believes the evidence indicates the product is safe and effective."
Apparently, a lot of doctors agree.
Source