A recent study on the Ortho Evra contraceptive patch backed the findings of a 2006 study that found women who use it are at a two-fold greater risk for blood clots than women taking the birth control pill, according to a Food and Drug Administration news release.
Ortho Evra is a prescription patch that releases two hormones, estrogen and progestin, through the skin into the blood stream.
Women using the patch will be exposed to about 60 percent more estrogen than if they were using typical birth control pills because the body processes the hormones in the patch differently, according to the release.
The increased estrogen may increase the risk of side effects, including blood clots.
The FDA approved an update to the patch's label to include the results.
Blood clots are rare in young women, said Dr. Andrew M. Kaunitz, associate chairman of UF's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Blood clots could lead to pulmonary embolism, which is when a fragment of a clot breaks off and travels to the lungs, Kaunitz said in a phone interview.
However, pregnancy and childbirth increase the risk of blood clots more than birth control, he said.
"Blood clots are not a common concern for college-aged women," Kaunitz said.
UF Nurse Practitioner Phylis Craig said the Student Health Care Center Women's Clinic was wary of prescribing the patch when the 2006 study was first released.
After further research, the clinic decided the patch was an acceptable contraceptive.
Although Craig still uses Ortho Evra as a method of birth control for her patients, she does not prescribe it as much as she once did.
Craig said she would keep patients currently using the patch on it if they have no risk factors. In addition, she would continue to prescribe the patch to women if it is the best option for them.
She said that the study on Ortho Evra prompted a few students to ask about the recent findings. But the only time the clinic had to switch patients to another birth control method was when the price of the patch went up last year.
The cost increased from about $20 to $45 for patients with no health insurance, Craig said.
"Women still use the patch," she said. "It's a very good method and they enjoy using it."
