A recently filed NuvaRing lawsuit blames the contraceptive for a woman’s DVT, also known as deep vein thrombosis. The lawsuit, seeking damages, is one of many NuvaRing lawsuits that have been filed. Dawn Kregel, of Denton, Texas, filed the lawsuit in a Texas court against NuvaRing makers Organon USA Inc., Organon Pharmaceuticals USA Inc., Organon International Inc., Schering-Plough Corp., and Merck & Co. Inc. Ms. Kregel alleges that she suffered a DVT shortly after using the device.

Ms. Kregel used the monthly birth control device for a little over one month in 2010 and she was subsequently diagnosed with a DVT. It’s alleged that the DVT was caused by the NuvaRing device. The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Texas, Sherman Division. NuvaRing is a transparent, flexible vaginal ring that provides month-long birth control by emitting a continuous dose of estrogen and progestin for 21 days. The device releases a combination of ethinyl estradiol, a form of the hormone estrogen, and etonogestral. NuvaRing is marketed as providing the same efficacy as birth control pills, but with the convenience of month-long protection.

Ms. Kregel contends that the Defendants neglected to warn that NuvaRing was linked to more thrombotic events than the pill. The Defendants were accused of marketing, promoting, and advertising NuvaRing as having a relatively low level of estrogen in order to mask the fact that it had a high level of dangerous third-generation progestin. Ms. Kregel, had she been aware of the increased risks connected to NuvaRing, would have used a different form of birth control.

Other NuvaRing lawsuits claim the birth control device caused the sudden deaths of users. An FDA study, published on October 2011, found that the NuvaRing was associated with a significantly higher risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism relative to standard low-dose estrogen birth control pills. The study also mentioned that continuous exposure to combined hormonal contraceptives such as the NuvaRing “potentially result in higher sustained exposure to estrogen and hence, increased thromboembolic risk. According to the Mayo Clinic, side effects of NuvaRing may include: Vaginal infection or irritation; Vaginal secretion; Increased risk of blood-clotting problems, heart attack, stroke, liver cancer, gallbladder disease and high blood pressure; fluid retention; breakthrough bleeding or spotting; weight gain; headache; depression; nausea; breast tenderness; and decreased sex drive.

It’s alleged in the NuvaRing lawsuits that, because the device delivers a constant stream of hormone unmediated by the digestive system or the liver, patients end up receiving higher doses than they do from older pills. High estrogen doses create a greater risk of blood clots, which can be fatal. Hundreds of NuvaRing lawsuits, similar to the one filed by Ms. Kregel, are currently pending in a multidistrict litigation in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri.

Sources: PRWeb.com and The Southeast Texas Record