The FDA warns that women who take Ortho Evra are more likely to experience blood clots than with the pill.
Unlike the traditional birth control pill, which is taken daily, the Ortho Evra patch is applied to the skin once every seven days for three weeks and continuously releases hormones.
The Ortho Evra patch releases the hormones estrogen and progestin. These hormones are absorbed directly into the bloodstream, as opposed to ingesting them into the body, as with the traditional birth control pill. This causes an increased exposure to estrogen, which can increase the risk of blood clots and other Ortho Evra birth control patch side effects, including heart attack, stroke, pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis.
However convenient the Ortho Evra patch may be, its side effects can be life-altering and even deadly.
The Ortho Evra birth control patch is a contraceptive, used by more than 4 million women since its debut in 2002. 
