Originally published February 26 2006
Several lawsuits filed against the birth control patch
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Missouri attorney Jerry Schlichter claims that the birth control patch known as Ortho Evra causes complications and sometimes death in women of college age or younger.
The contraceptive Ortho Evra is the focus of several lawsuits after causing severe side effects or death across the country.
About 60 individual federal and state suits have been filed, said Missouri attorney Jerry Schlichter, who is handling 24 Ortho Evra-related cases.
College-age women and younger using the birth control skin patch are having strokes and blood clots, sometimes leading to death, Schlichter said.
Two of Schlichter's cases involve death due to complications from Ortho Evra, such as pulmonary embolism, he said.
Pulmonary embolism is the sudden blockage of an artery located in the lung, usually resulting from a clot that formed in the leg, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Other side effects can include skin irritation, nausea, heart attacks and some cancers.
In 2004, an eighth-grader in Wisconsin died from blood clots after using Ortho Evra for about eight weeks, Schlichter said.
Marketed as the first FDA-approved birth control skin patch, Ortho Evra exposes women to 60 percent more estrogen than the pill, which could increase the side effects of blood clots, heart attack and stroke.
Ortho Evra combines two hormones, progestin and estrogen to deliver hormones through the skin and into the bloodstream over the period of a week, said Olin Health Center health educator Nicolle Stec.
Like oral contraceptives, it is 99 percent effective against pregnancy but does not protect against sexually transmitted infections.
Since September, Olin has prescribed 679 Ortho Evra one-month supplies to women on campus, a majority to students, said Olin communications officer Kathi Braunlich.
Hospitality business senior Anna Heppler chose Ortho Evra because of its convenience and isn't afraid of the severe side effects.
Women using Ortho Evra are advised not to smoke or drink alcohol because it can increase the risk of side effects, Stec said.
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