ORTHO EVRA: Birth Control and Pregnancy







	How To Get the Patch

	When To Start

	When Protection Begins

	Applying The Patch

	Switching From Another Birth Control Method

	Birth Control After Pregnancy

	What To Expect

	Are There Any Side Effects?

	Want To Change Your Patch Day?

	Forget To Change Your Patch?

	Want To Become Pregnant?

	Patient-Doctor Discussion Guide









	For Prescribers

	Full US Prescribing Info

If you are breast-feeding, consult your healthcare professional before starting any form of contraception. You may want to consider starting ORTHO EVRA after you have weaned your child completely, because some of the drug can be passed on in the breast milk (this also may decrease
the amount and quality of your breast milk). However, there are some progestin-only methods, such as ORTHO MICRONOR® (norethindrone), that have shown to have no adverse effects on breast-feeding performance or the health, growth or development of the infant.

Once you have stopped breast-feeding, ORTHO EVRA is a simple and convenient way to get protection from unplanned pregnancies until you are ready to have another baby. If you do not wish to get pregnant again, you can continue using ORTHO EVRA to safely and effectively prevent pregnancy until menopause.

If you are not breast-feeding, you can start using ORTHO EVRA as early as 4 weeks after childbirth, but no sooner. Because every woman is different, it's best to talk to your doctor or other healthcare professional about the best time to start using the birth control patch.

For more information, please see the full US Prescribing Information for ORTHO MICRONOR® Tablets.

Important Safety Information
Serious as well as minor side effects have been reported with the use of the Patch. Serious risks, which can be life threatening, include blood clots, stroke and heart attacks and are increased if you smoke cigarettes. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects, especially if you are over 35. Women who use the Patch are strongly advised not to smoke. Some women should not use the Patch, including women who have blood clots, certain cancers, a history of heart attack, blood clots, or stroke, as well as those who are or may be pregnant.

Hormones from ORTHO EVRA^® get into the blood stream and are processed by the body differently than hormones from birth control pills. You will be exposed to about 60% more estrogen if you use ORTHO EVRA^® than if you use a typical birth control pill containing 35 micrograms of estrogen. In general, increased estrogen may increase the risk of side effects. The risk of venous thromboembolic events (blood clots in the legs and/or the lungs) may be increased with ORTHO EVRA^® use compared with use of birth control pills. Studies examined the risk of these serious blood clots in women who used either ORTHO EVRA^® or birth control pills containing one of two progestins (levonorgestrel or norgestimate) and 30-35 micrograms of estrogen. Results of these studies ranged from an approximate doubling of risk of serious blood clots to no increase in risk in women using ORTHO EVRA^® compared to women using birth control pills.

You should discuss with your healthcare professional whether ORTHO EVRA^® is a good method of contraception for you. The Patch does not protect against HIV or sexually transmitted diseases.

Please see the Full Product Information.

© Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2008 . All rights reserved. Your use of the information on this site is subject to the terms of our Legal Notice. Please see our Privacy Policy. This site is published by Ortho Women's Health & Urology™, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, which is solely responsible for its contents.

Capitalized product names are registered trademarks of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

This information is intended for use by our customers, patients and healthcare professionals in the United States only. Ortho Women's Health & Urology™, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals recognizes that the Internet is a global communications medium; however, laws, regulatory requirements and medical practices for pharmaceutical products vary from country to country. The prescribing information included here may not be appropriate for use outside the United States.

Last Modified Sep 05 2008 at 15:11:46 EDT

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