{"id":19683,"date":"2024-02-01T17:56:28","date_gmt":"2024-02-01T23:56:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/birth-control-patch-side-effects\/"},"modified":"2024-04-17T08:28:55","modified_gmt":"2024-04-17T13:28:55","slug":"efectos-secundarios-del-parche-anticonceptivo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/es\/birth-control-patch-side-effects\/","title":{"rendered":"Demasiado estr\u00f3geno: Los riesgos que deben conocer las mujeres que usan parches anticonceptivos\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Though not as well known as the Pill or the IUD, the birth control patch is often touted as a good option for women who have trouble remembering to take a daily pill but do not want the more invasive hormonal or copper IUD. Around ten percent<\/a> of women report that they\u2019ve used the patch to prevent pregnancy, and that percentage has ticked up slowly over the past twenty years. What makes the birth control patch different from other forms of hormonal birth control? And is it really a good option for pregnancy prevention, or could it’s estrogen-related side effects actually cause more harm than good? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does the birth control patch work?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The birth control patch<\/a> is a small sticky patch that attaches to your skin and secretes artificial versions of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. These versions aren’t bioidentical or biomolecularly identical, which means they impact the body differently than natural estrogen and progesterone do. Xulane and Twirla<\/a> are the two generic brands for the patch in the United States, with little difference between the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the beginning of each month, you\u2019ll place a new patch on your body (usually on the back of the arm, leg, torso, or buttock) and swap it for a new one at the beginning of the following week\u2013and then again the week after that. After those three weeks of patch-wearing have passed, you\u2019ll take a week off in order to have a \u201cperiod.\u201d However, this bleeding is not a real period (and more aptly termed a \u201cwithdrawal bleed<\/a>\u201d), as women on birth control don\u2019t experience a natural cycle<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The patch is very similar<\/a> to both the combination birth control pill and the vaginal ring because it contains both estrogen and progestin. Instead of ingesting these hormones in a pill, they are secreted into the skin from the patch and absorbed into the bloodstream. Many women choose the patch for this exact reason \u2014 it seems more convenient and easier than remembering to take a pill every day or having an invasive procedure to insert an IUD or vaginal ring. Unfortunately, it is this feature (the absorption of the hormones directly into your skin) that actually makes the patch a more dangerous contraceptive option than its counterparts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, it is this feature (the absorption of the hormones directly into your skin) that actually makes the patch a more dangerous contraceptive option than its counterparts.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

More estrogen is absorbed via birth control patches versus other birth control methods <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Estrogen is known to<\/a> increase the risk of blood clotting<\/a>. Why is that? Let\u2019s first look at how all hormonal birth control methods prevent pregnancy. Without ovulation, there can be no pregnancy, so all HBC methods function primarily by \u201ctelling\u201d the body not to ovulate. They do this by blocking the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian (HPO) feedback loop.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But how does that relate to blood clotting? Stay with me. What\u2019s a major reason the body would not be ovulating? Pregnancy. And when you\u2019re pregnant, the increase in natural (endogenous) estrogen that occurs also causes the body to produce more clotting factor proteins. Why? In order to assist with any bleeding episodes that might occur during a potential miscarriage or during childbirth. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The artificial, constant, small doses of external (exogenous) estrogen from birth control likewise cause more blood clotting factor protein production within the body. This similarly raises one\u2019s blood clot risk, but unnecessarily so<\/em>, as there\u2019s no biological need to prevent hemorrhage as there is with pregnancy.\u00a0A blood clot might not sound like a big deal, but it can cause blockages of blood flow and oxygen to vital body parts, like your lung(s), brain, heart, and\/or legs. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Estrogen absorption from the birth control patch is 60% higher than from the Pill<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Blood clots are a risk all <\/em>women on hormonal birth control face. But the risk happens to be much <\/em>higher with the patch. This is because the amount of estrogen absorbed from the patch is 60 percent higher<\/em><\/a> <\/em>than the amount absorbed from the Pill [1]. That\u2019s why, in December 2011, the FDA issued a warning<\/a> stating that the Ortho Evra patch carries an increased risk of blood clotting due to the higher estrogen absorption that occurs for women using the patch.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women using the Pill already experience a three-fold increase<\/a> of blood clotting compared to non-users, and that risk further doubles<\/a> for women who are using the patch instead. Tragically, there have been countless<\/a> cases<\/a> of women<\/a> losing their lives due to blood clots or clot-related strokes after using hormonal birth control. It\u2019s especially important for women with a family history of blood clots to understand the increased possibility of these dangerous effects when using the patch for birth control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n