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More Reports of Women Who Have Had Serious Blood Clot Problems When Using NuvaRing

Serious Adverse Reactions With This Vaginal Ring Birth Control Device Include Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) And Pulmonary Emboli (PE)

(Posted by Tom Lamb at DrugInjuryWatch.com)

An abstract from the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) entitled "Venous Thromboembolic Events in Women Using the NuvaRing®." (Blood — ASH Annual Meeting Abstracts — 2007 110: Abstract 3994) concludes with this statement:

Longer follow-up of safety studies and post-marketing adverse event reporting are needed to determine VTE [(venous thromboembolic event)] risks and incidence while using the NuvaRing®.

In arriving at that conclusion, Merrill K. Shum, MD, Kumar Rajagopalan, MD, and Neil A. Lachant, MD, considered three cases they had observed of women using NuvaRing who had developed complications involving blood clots as well as ten other women with serious side effects while using NuvaRing whom they had identified by searching the medical literature:

We report 3 women who developed potentially life-threatening VTEs (2 with pulmonary emboli and 1 inferior vena cava thrombus) while on the NuvaRing®. VTEs occurred 22 days, 3 months and 3 months after NuvaRing® insertion. None had a personal or family history of VTEs. Extensive thrombophilia evaluation showed 1 with heterozygous factor V Leiden and 2 with a transient lupus anticoagulant. 2 had a personal history of multiple miscarriages and all 3 had an elevated body mass index….

[T]here have been 10 other reported cases of VTEs, in women using the vaginal ring (see table below). Risk factors reported by other authors include anticardiolipin antibodies, protein S deficiency, heterozygous prothrombin 20210, heterozygous factor V Leiden and prolonged air travel.

These doctors commented that determining true incidence, or any increased risk, of serious blood clot problems in women using NuvaRing as birth control is difficult to determine at present due to "limited follow up".  They did point out, however, the results of one study:

… in 2005 the Swedish Medical Products Agency reported a relative incidence of 5.3 cases per 10,000 women years for VTE complications.

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As we reported previously, NuvaRing has been linked to serious side effects caused by dangerous blood clots, such as pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT) as well as ischemic stroke (CVA) and myocardial infarction (MI), or heart attack.  One can learn more about this emerging drug safety issue in our two-part series:

Part One: Organon's Contraceptive Vaginal Ring Uses Etonogestrel, A Metabolite Of Dangerous Progestin Desogestrel

Part Two: Does Organon's Current NuvaRing Label Have Sufficient Warnings About Risk Of Blood Clots And Related Conditions

Accordingly, we agree completely with the authors' conclusion, stated above, that more studies are needed to assess the safety of NuvaRing.

3 responses to “More Reports of Women Who Have Had Serious Blood Clot Problems When Using NuvaRing”

  1. F. F. Avatar
    F. F.

    Thank you for your your informative webpage. I live in Switzerland. Feb 07 I was given Nuvaring. It was mentioned to me, that the hormon doses are lower than in regular contraception pills. And that the risk for adverse side effects will therefore be less. This was one of the reasons why I decided to use Nuvaring for contraception. In Aug 07 I had a deep venous thrombosis in my right calf (deep in the soleus plexus). All the test were done to exclud a defect in the clotting system. The doctors seemed surprised: I am healthy, no clotting factor disorder, age 32, athletic, no family history,…). Their explanation was that I did a hike of 24km, which was to their opinion strenous and could have caused the clot. However the hike was flat around a lake and not strenous at all. I asked if I should go off the Nuvaring. The docs said no, probably not. End of April 08 I had a second DVT at basically the same spot. I now stopped the Nuvaring!!! Now from what the docs say, I’ll have to inject heparin if I get pregnant and I have a much more increase risk for further thrombosis since I had two already. It’s incredible how this Nuvaring can change a life. Now I am still on blood thinning medication and wearing a compression sock.
    Now I noticed for the first time after reading your site, that the hormones in Nuvaring really are not safer at all and that I am not such an unsual case, like they made me fell so far. It’s reassuring on one hand, but a real sad story on the other hand. Pharmaceutical companies don’t seem to do proper research the chemicals they use and they for sure don’t warn enough on their information.
    Yours sincerely,
    F. F.

    Reply
  2. Tom Lamb Avatar
    Tom Lamb

    I appreciate you taking the time to give us this detailed account about your unfortunate experience with the NuvaRing.
    Hopefully more women and their doctors will be knowledgeable about the serious blood clot side effects that are associated with the NuvaRing before it is used so they can make an informed decision.
    Thanks for reading Drug Injury Watch.
    Tom Lamb

    Reply
  3. jill h. Avatar
    jill h.

    I was on the nuvaring for about 9 months and I just discontinued use last month. The first month while on it I started to develop a horrible eye twitch in my left eye which continued for about three months which resulted in a vein bursting under my eye. I reported this to my doctor but was told it was unrelated. Shortly after being brushed off by my doctor I started to develop horrible stabbing pain behind my left eye and below it. I also developed a huge sensitivity to light. I went to an eye specialist and they ran every test possible and were unable to find a reason. I had to live with this horrible pain for almost a year. I couldn’t drive at night, I couldn’t watch tv, I could barely go outside because it hurt so bad. Last month I came across an article online saying that eye pain was an uncommon and serious side effect from the nuvaring and that it could suggest blood clots of other serious medical complications. I stopped taking it and have been pain free since. So be careful and don’t always take your doctors advice.

    Reply

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