Many women have reported being seriously injured after using NuvaRing, the hormonal vaginal ring that provides women with progestin and estrogen over a three week period. Others haven’t fared as well – at least a dozen deaths have been linked to the device since it came on the market in 2001.

What is NuvaRing?

NuvaRing, manufactured by Organon USA (which was purchased by pharmaceutical giant Schering Plough in November of 2007) is a flexible, plastic contraceptive ring that delivers doses of progestin (etonogestrel) and estrogen (ethinyl estrdiol). The ring is worn over a three week period to prevent ovulation and pregnancy and is not worn during the fourth, menstrual week. Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2001, it is estimated that between one and two million women use the device.

Reported injuries and deaths

The injuries and deaths that have been reported due to alleged NuvaRing use are heartbreaking – most of them affecting very young, vibrant women with little or no previous adverse medical histories, such as the following:

• 32 year old New Jersey woman developed a blood clot in her lungs and died.
• 31 year old New Jersey woman died of a stroke.
• 27 year old Missouri woman developed two blood clots in her left lung.
• Many other women have reported blood clots, severe mood changes, chest pains, numbness and other side effects on Internet blogs.

Each of these women, or their surviving spouses, say that they were healthy prior to using NuvaRing.

Serious side effects

NuvaRing has been linked to many serious side effects such as blood clots, heart attacks, strokes and breast cancer. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that women who use NuvaRing an increased risk of developing blood clots as compared to traditional birth control pills and the FDA changed the package labeling for NuvaRing to include warnings of bleeding irregularities and valvular heart disease. However, consumer groups say that is not enough and have petitioned the FDA to have the product taken off the market.

If you’ve been injured due to NuvaRing use, contact an attorney whose practice focuses in this area of the law. Consultations are strictly confidential and without any obligation or charge. To contact a qualified attorney, please click here. We may be able to help.