Birth Control Overview

With a variety of birth control options to choose from, it’s important to ask the right questions in order to select the best method for you.

Temporary or Permanent?

If there is any possibility of having children in the future, you will want to look at temporary methods of birth control, which are reversible within weeks. Permanent birth control methods such as female sterilization or vasectomy require surgery, and should only be considered if there is no possibility that you or your partner will want children.

Effectiveness

Some methods have a higher rate of effectiveness than others. Permanent methods, as well as the intrauterine device (IUD) have the most effective rate, at 99%. Hormone based birth control that is implanted also has the same rate of effectiveness.

Hormone based contraceptives such as birth control pills, shot, patch and ring have the next highest rate of effectiveness, preventing pregnancies from 92% -97% of the time. Unfortunately, hormonal birth control also has risks of serious side effects. Users of hormone-based birth control pills and Nuvaring birth control have reported problems with blood clots. Nuvaring side effects involving blood clots include DVT, pulmonary embolism, stroke and heart attack.

Barrier methods, such as condoms, diaphragms and spermicides are less effective, at 85% or less.

Which Method Fits Your Lifestyle?

All birth control methods can have high failure rates when they are not used, or not used as directed. Finding the method that fits your lifestyle can increase the chances that the method will be used. Do you want to take a pill everyday, use a method that you only have to think about periodically, or would you prefer to use birth control as needed? Do you want to use a birth control that can help prevent sexually transmitted diseases? Are you willing to see a doctor to get prescriptions or insertion of the birth control? Do you want to share the responsibility for birth control with the male partner?

Safety Concerns

In addition to the effectiveness of your birth control, you should also consider its safety. People with latex allergies should avoid using condoms containing latex. Some hormone-based contraceptives have also raised health concerns. NuvaRing birth control ring, for example, has recently come under fire because a number of women who have used it have developed blood clots that led to strokes, DVT and pulmonary embolisms.

If you or a loved one has suffered from Nuvaring problems please contact us for a free consultation and information on filing a Nuvaring lawsuit. There is never any charge to speak to one of our attorneys.

Coumadin, known generically as warfarin, is the second most common blood thinner or anticoagulant. It helps reduce the clotting ability of the blood by decreasing the amount of vitamin K available for use in the body, which in turn reduces the efficiency of blood clot formation by the body. Blood clots (venous thrombosis) can cause serious medical problems by moving to other parts of the body and blocking blood flow at another location, called venous thromboembolism. Blood clots typically manifest in the lower extremities but can occur in the abdomen, the veins of the brain, the upper extremities, and in superficial veins of the extremities. While Coumadin prevents blood clots from forming, it does not dissolve blood clots that have already formed. However, it may keep the blood clots from becoming larger and causing more serious problems.

Coumadin is prescribed when your body may be making blood clots or you have a medical condition known to promote unwanted blood clots. Conditions which increase your risk of developing blood clots include atrial fibrillation, a certain type of irregular heart rhythm, heart valve replacement, or a recent heart attack. Coumadin is often prescribed for patients with deep venous thrombosis, a condition in which harmful blood clots form in the blood vessels of the legs. These clots can travel to the lungs and lead to a pulmonary embolism. Many women on Nuva ring contraception have reported developing a DVT or pulmonary embolism when they had no other risk factors.

Coumadin tablets are round and scored, and are generally taken once a day, with or without food. Each tablet color represents a different strength (one to 10 mg), and in order to determine the correct dose, you will have to have blood tests performed periodically to monitor your response to the Coumadin therapy. The laboratory tests include the prothrombin time (PT or protime) test which is used to calculate your International Normalized Ratio (INR). This is an international measure of coagulation which attributes a value of 1.0 to people with a normal ability to clot. As the INR increases, it reflects that a person is less likely to form blood clots. Your INR helps determine how fast your blood is clotting and whether your dose needs to be adjusted.

Coumadin can have dangerous side effects or interactions that can place you at risk. The most common side effect is abnormal and sometimes profuse bleeding. People who take Coumadin must monitor stool color and seek medical attention if stools become black or tarry-appearing. Bleeding and easy bruising can occur anywhere in the body, however. It can also interact badly with some foods, especially those containing vitamin K, because it can prevent Coumadin from working properly and may leave you temporarily at a high risk of stroke. Coumadin can also interact badly with prescription medicines and over-the-counter drugs and supplements ranging from aspirin and ibuprofen to Gingko and Ginseng, so be sure to give your doctor a complete list of everything you are taking. Other side effects to look for include: skin conditions such as hives or a rash, swelling of the face, throat, mouth, legs, feet or hands, bruising that comes about without an injury, chest pain or pressure, nausea, vomiting, fever or flu-like symptoms, joint or muscle aches, diarrhea, difficulty moving, and numbness or tingling in any part of the body.

We represent all women suffering from a Nuvaring blood clot on a contingency basis which means that there are never any legal fees unless we win compensation in your case. For a free no-obligation consultation please call toll free at 1-888-343-5375 or fill out our short online contact form and a Nuvaring lawyer will contact you to answer any of your questions.

All third generation birth control such as Nuvaring contains a warning label regarding the risk of blood clots. The manufacturer has been well aware of these dangerous side effects of nuva ring.

Risk of developing blood clots:

Blood clots and blockage of blood vessels are one of the most serious side effects of taking oral contraceptives and can cause death or serious disability. In particular, a clot in the leg can cause thrombophlebitis and a clot that travels to the lungs can cause a sudden blockage of the vessel carrying blood to the lungs. The risks of these side effects may be greater with desogestrel-containing oral contraceptives, such as [brand name of drug] (desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol), than with certain other low-dose pills. Rarely, clots occur in the blood vessels of the eye and may cause blindness, double vision, or impaired vision.

If you have suffered from Nuva ring and side effects such as a pulmonary embolism or blood clots please contact us by calling or via e-mail for a free consultation from a Nuvaring lawyer.

Oral contraceptives are usually made up of a mix of synthetic female hormones. First-generation birth control pills, first introduced in the 1960’s, had high levels of the hormones estrogen and the progestogens lynestrenol or norethisterone. The early contraceptive pills caused a fairly high number of blood clots resulting in blockages in the legs, heart, and brain. These blockages can then lead to heart attacks and strokes.

Second generation birth control pills were formulated to decrease the risk of blood clots. They contained lower amounts of estrogen and a different progestogen called levonorgestrel. The downside to these second generation contraceptive pills was that they caused side effects such as acne, hirsutism (increased hair growth), weight gain, and higher cholesterol levels. Second and third generation oral contraceptives differ in their progestin component.

Third generation birth control pills such as NuvaRing were developed in the 1980’s to contain the progestogen hormones desogestrel or gestodene. The goal was to help reduce adverse effects such as hirsutism and acne. It is estimated that 7.5 million women filled prescriptions for third generation oral contraceptives in the United States in 2006. Studies have found that women using third-generation oral contraceptives have an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (blood clot) compared to users of second-generation contraceptives containing levonorgestrel.

Some researchers are questioning whether third-generation contraceptives such as NuvaRing are more safe and effective than second-generation contraceptives given the increased risk of blood clots. The focus has been on desogestrel, the synthetic form of the hormone progestin. Desogestrel appears to cause resistance to one of the anti-coagulant proteins (Protein C). When coagulation is inhibited it makes it easier for blood clots to form which increases the risk of venous thrombosis.