Blood Clot Risk Higher with NuvaRing, Other Non-Oral Hormonal Contraceptives
May 15th, 2012 tmccoy
According to a new Danish study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), women who use non-oral hormonal contraceptives such as patches and vaginal rings, including NuvaRing may be at higher risk of blood clots than those who take oral forms of hormonal birth control.
The study was done by researchers from the University of Copenhagen. The researchers gathered data from over 1.6 million healthy women ages 15 to 49 who took various forms of birth control, including oral birth control, patches and vaginal rings. After analyzing their data, the researchers found that women who took birth control pills had three times the risk of blood clots than those who did not use any type of hormonal birth control.
Those who used non-oral hormonal contraceptives had MORE than three times the risk of blood clots, and as such are riskier to use than oral contraception. IUDs were not associated with blood clots. They were actually associated with a reduced risk of blood clots.
People who are overweight, sedentary, who smoke and have a family history of blood clots are all at increased risk for blood clots and should therefore talk to their doctor about switching from hormonal to a non hormonal type of birth control because they already have a higher risk than most for venous thrombrosis (VT).
The new study did not account for factors such as obesity and smoking in the study.
Source: ABC News, news.yahoo.com
