RICHMOND, Va. -- The physician that heads up family planning services at the VCU Medical Center said women should not be deterred from using the birth control at the center of a lawsuit concerning life-threatening blood clots.
“It's not true that risks of using the NuvaRing are any higher than any other combined form of birth control,” Dr. Frances Casey, said.
Casey said there is a slight increased risk for women who have risk factors for blood clotting to develop blood clots while on any combination hormone birth control, but it hardly ever happens.
“The life threatening blood clots that you read about that become sensationalized are very, very rare events, and they're likely associated with other risk factors that they might or might not be explaining to you,” Casey said.
The lawsuit highlighted in a story published by CNN alleges that NuvaRing's maker, Merck, “failed to adequately warn consumers about a heightened risk of blood clots associated with the use of NuvaRing, even though the manufacturer was aware that NuvaRing posed greater risks than other hormonal contraceptives.”
One of the families who filed the lawsuit, told CNN their daughter died after suffering multiple pulmonary embolisms that hospital records cited the NuvaRing as a risk factor for contracting.
Merck issued the following statement to CNN:
"While there is a very small risk of a blood clot when using NuvaRing or any combined hormonal contraceptive, this risk is much less than the risk of blood clots during pregnancy and the immediate post-partum period."
