The patch was found to have the same number of side effects as oral contraception. The risk of DVT (deep vein thrombosis, which can lead to pulmonary embolism) comes with any product containing estrogen. However, the risk of this with the pill is less than with pregnancy!
If you're on a hormonal method of contraception, remember NOT TO SMOKE! This increases your risk of side effects like DVT and stroke. Also, if you are going on a long plane ride, try to walk around the plane to prevent blood clots in your legs. Unfortunately, there is nothing else to do to prevent these from occuring.
Edited to add: OOPS looks like I missed the big news story yesterday! Found out when I got to work this morning, though. From the FDA: "The FDA notes that it remains unclear whether women using the patch are at higher risk for serious adverse events compared with those taking oral contraceptives."
So what I found out is that "steady-state levels of ethinyl estradiol were increased by 60% in patch users compared with those taking once-daily oral contraceptives containing 35 µg of estrogen". Yeah, that is somewhat worrying! The extra estrogen could definetely increase the risk of cardiovascular events! However, they do note that since the release of estrogen is STEADY throughout the week (compared to a pill when you take it once a day) the estrogen levels do not get as HIGH as with the pill. So I guess they're not exactly sure what the implications are with regards to that!
I think sensible advice would be to consider why you are on the patch. Is it because you cannot remember to take the pill every day? Perhaps the risk of pregnancy is greater than the risk of a cardiovascular problem (but there are other birth control options like the vaginal ring). But if you can remember to take the pill, it might be best to see your doctor because the benefit doesn't outweigh the risk.
Hope this helps (I know I'm going to be getting some questions about it today!)
Last edited by yesitsmeagain; 11-12-2005 at 12:23 PM.
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