Two studies published this year in highly respected medical journals add to the concerns about the contraceptive NuvaRing. A flexible plastic ring, NuvaRing is available by prescription and is inserted into the vagina. It prevents pregnancy by releasing hormones into the body over a three-week period that prevent ovulation.
NuvaRing is known as a combination hormonal contraceptive because it contains both an estrogen and a progestin. There has long been a concern about the risk of serious cardiovascular complications for users of combined hormonal contraceptives. Combination hormonal contraceptives, such as vaginal rings, that remain in the body potentially result in higher sustained exposure to estrogen and therefore greater risk of blood clots.
A study published in May in the British Medical Journal, by researchers in Denmark, suggests that women who use vaginal rings such as NuvaRing are 6.5 times more likely to develop blood clots compared to women of the same age who are not using hormonal contraceptives. A month later, a study in The New England Journal of Medicine associated vaginal ring contraceptives with an increased risk of strokes and heart attacks.
A blood clot that forms in a deep vein in the body can break loose from the vein, move through the body to the lung and block an artery, causing a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism. The risk of serious side effects increases if the woman has other risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, a history of smoking or obesity.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration initially approved NuvaRing in 2001 and marketing began in 2002. The NuvaRing, formerly made by Schering-Plough, is now manufactured by Merck.
The FDA says that it remains concerned about the potential risk of blood clots for women who use contraceptives containing Drospirenone, a form of progestin. Whether the FDA will require additional warnings on NuvaRing remains unclear.
The FDA Office of Surveillance and Epidemiology noted in a report that the finding of increased risk of blood clots associated with vaginal rings compared to standard combination hormonal contraceptives is new and raises concern, but it needs to be replicated in other studies.
The NuvaRing injury lawyers of The Driscoll Firm, LLC, are committed to helping people who have been harmed by unsafe drugs and medical devices and manufacturers that put profits ahead of patient safety. We have helped thousands of clients nationwide receive full and fair compensation from pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers whose products cause harm. If you suspect that you or a loved one has been harmed by an unsafe drug, contact us at 314-932-3232 or use our online contact form for a free case review.
