The risk of women who use a contraceptive vaginal ring or contraceptive patches developing blood clots is 6.5-7.7 times greater than for women who use a non-hormonal contraceptive This is the result of a new study from Rigshospitalet and Hillerød Hospital.
The risk of blood clots from using these new contraceptive methods is thus just as high as the risk from using the most risky contraceptive pills.
The study is based on data from 1.6 mill. Danish women aged between 15 and 49 in the period 2001-2010, of whom 3,434 suffered a blood clot in their leg or lungs. The risk of blood clots was highest among those women who used a contraceptive patch.
“On the basis of our study, I believe that we should inform women of the real risks these types of contraceptive entail, and that this information should be given whenever a woman discusses contraceptive options with her doctor. Good alternatives are available, for example the hormone coil, that offers the same high level of protection against pregnancy, yet without the increased risk of blood clots. In fact the coil seems to increase protection against blood clots by 20%,” said Professor Øjvind Lidegaard, from the Department of Gynaecology, who is responsible for the study. The study was published on 10 May 2012 in the international British Medical Journal.Download the study here