am i worrying too much?

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2004
am i worrying too much?
3
Tue, 09-28-2004 - 7:11pm
Ok, I just recently started the patch and am on my second week. I have been reading lately about alot of occurances of blood clots with this method, and now I am freaked, really though, are the odds any different than those of the pill?
iVillage Member
Registered: 08-11-2004
Tue, 09-28-2004 - 7:21pm
Take what you've read with a grain of salt. Once there is one big news story, then other incidences get hyped up. There has always been a risk of blood clots with the pill, and now with the patch. If you think you have some health condition that might predispose you to developing clots, then you should talk to your doctor about whether or not birth control methods with estrogen are right for you. If you do not, then your risk is extremely low.
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
Wed, 09-29-2004 - 12:22am
This is the kind of thing the media LOVES! It makes for a good story and grabs a lot of attention, but it's nothing that's actually new.

It's tragic for the family, but all hormonal birth control that contains estrogen carries with it a risk of blood clots. But so does pregnancy, major and minor surgery, having your wisdom teeth out....

I think where things get fuzzy is in how much people are aware that the risks exist--it's no different for the patch than for any of the pills, but as far as most of the advertising on the TV seems to go is "The patch isn't right for everyone. Talk to your doctor...." or something like that.

For most healthy women who don't smoke, the risk of blood clots is pretty minor. It's not zero, but it's minor. Be aware of the warning signs (see your patient information that comes with your patches or look at the prescribing information online)of blood clots or other problems and then if one of those things presents itself, take action.

It's a calculated risk. When you get in the car to go somewhere, there's a risk you'll get into a car accident. Does that keep you home? Of course not, not for most of us. When you're in a thunderstorm, there's a risk you'll get hit by lightning. But not enough to make you flee the thunderstorm or cower in your basement, right? In both cases, you know what to do--pay attention to traffic around you and don't run outside with a golf club. You can't foresee everything, but if you know what to look for and how to react to it, that should help a whole lot.

Good luck!

Judie
Co-cl for Birth Control
Judie Cl for Birth Control 
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-06-2004
Wed, 09-29-2004 - 12:35pm
Thank you guys so much for putting things into perspective for me :-). I am a perpetual worrying, and anything new that I hear about creeps into my thoughts until something else comes along haha.