04/10/2008 - A Bloomington woman nearly loses her life and she says it's because of switching from birth control pills to the NuvaRing.

  Health Alliance employee Liz Larson said, "I've never had a history of blood clots at all and I never had any problem with 'the pill' so they didn't think it'd be a problem."

  Twenty-six year old Larson used birth control pills for more than ten years before she decided to switch to what some doctors call a more convenient contraceptive.

  Gynecologist at Contemporary OBGYN in Bloomington, Heather Dudley said, "If you can't remember to take a pill everyday the Nuvaring you put in, you leave it in for 3 weeks and most women are good at remember that as opposed to taking a pill everyday."

Yet after two months on the NuvaRing, Larson found herself in the ER.

Larson said, "I had a few clots in each of my lungs."

Larson smoked half a pack of cigarettes a day, but she said smoking was never a problem on the pill.

Larson said, "I was upfront about that I smoked and how much I smoked and all of that. So I think doctors and patients both need to kind of be aware."

Still doctors say the ring doesn't necessarily come with a higher risk of clots.

Dudley said, "There really hasn't been anything definitively that has shown with the patch or with the ring you definitely have an increased risk."

Since the NuvaRing hit the market in 2001, it has been the subject of hundreds of lawsuits related to blood clots. It's also been blamed for 12 deaths nationwide.

Larson says women should stay aware of the risks.

Larson said, "Watch for changes in your body, if you do feel like somethings wrong, definitely go and get it checked out."
Especially because she is living to see another day.

Larson said, "I really have to keep reminding myself how lucky I am that it turned out this way, and not, you know could've went a lot worse."

  Doctors say women on birth control should call their doctor or go to the ER if they experience swelling, redness or pain in their legs. Also, chest pain and shortness of breath may be signs of blood clotting in the lungs.