Blood clot symptoms and conditions

my husband has been on plavix for about 6 months. He had a heart attack and had a couple stents. He also was a drug addict hut he quit for 4 months he was doing good. unfortunately he started using again (methanphetamines) he also started drinking alcohol not a good combination. I was always telling him that he is trying to kill himself. Well he was feeling great according to him and he felt great, well just yesterday hi went to the restroom and he said that his urine had blood clot and blood. He said the doctor told him he had to quit using meth he said he swore he would. I'm not sure if he is telling me everything or if there is more to this. Has anyone wad blood clots in there urine? I understand these circumstaces are different my husband being a drug addict but i need some help is it more than what he is telling me.

Katie opal payne passed away 8-13-08 from a blood clot that traveled threw here leg and into her lung .She was using nuvaring .Blood clots are a big side effect. .She was only 22.She left behind a 1 year old son .

I started using the Ring 2yrs ago, and at age 38 thought it was the best birth control for me, however within 2 to 3 days after putting it in I had extreme low pelvic back pain,and then within the 1st month, mood changes, fatigue, depression, no sex drive at all But somehow 3 months after being on it I got pregnant. Now I am 40yrs and started the Nuvaring again about 4 months ago and have all the horrible side effects as before. I don't know why I let my Gyn talk me into again. I am now experiencing major pains in my left leg, which I have never had such pain in my leg before at all. And I believe it is the symptom of having blood clots. Which is one of the side effects that is listed. I will be going to the Doctor ASAP to check this out. So anyone else that is having any type of pain in the leg, even if it feels like a ingrown hair bothering you or a little pinch feeling or burning sensation here and there, Go have it checked out before its to late and it becomes painful and possibly a blood clot.

I have been taking Yaz for a month and a half. The only medication I have been on in several years.
At work yesterday, my head started getting foggy. And my perception, was all messed up. After about 15 minutes of this not getting better, I started to lose my speech communication. I couldn't finish sentences or words. Stuff was jumbling together. In my right hand, two fingers went numb, then the whole hand. A client ended up driving me to the ER. I tried to call my receptionist, but I couldn't get the words out, my client took the phone and told her I was going to the ER. By the time I got to the ER, feeling started coming back, and I could communicate, in full sentences, if I paused between. By the time I was checked in and saw the doctor, I was able to tell him all that happened. With no problem, then a huge headache came on.
He wanted to rule out stroke, so did the CT scan and MRI. The nurse had some trouble getting blood from me. She kept mentioning that the blood kept clotting. The doctor sent me home saying my brain was perfectly healthy, and to go see my regular doctor.
A friend told me it was the birth control, because she could not take it, as she has lupus, and could have a stroke. She said it causes clotting. All of this was making sense to me. I looked up the side effects I had and found the "stroke symptoms", listed as rare, on Yaz.
My opinion of what happened, I had a blood clot that ended up passing through, and it could have become a stroke.
Another thing I read, besides the clotting. Was that oral contraceptives increase the potassium in your blood. I had been eating a banana for breakfast, 3 mornings in a row (the third on the day of this episode). The added potassium, could have been related to this episode.
How is anyone to know they can't eat something like "bananas" with birth control? I certainly didn't.
I am afraid to try any form of birth control at this point.

I've been using the Nuvaring off and on for almost six years. I started using it after I had my son in 2002, and I never had any problems with it. I used it for a couple years, had to stop b/c of my insurance. I went back to it after the birth of my daughter, in early 2006. I started having a lot of problems around December, 2007, but I didn't even think that it could be because of the nuvaring, since I had been on it for so long already. I was having stomach problems, awful headaches, horrible anxiety, depression, mood swings, had no energy at all, horrible burning pain after sex. I started having spotting and periods that lasted for up to a month, and would pass huge blood clots. I talked to my obgyn in February and she told me to just switch my rings right away instead of keeping it out for a week for my period. That stopped the bleeding for about two months, then my period came back with a vengeance. I bled for over a month, stopped for a week, bled for a few more weeks. It was ridiculous. I've finally given up on the ring after yet another month-long period. I took it out a week ago and I have finally stopped bleeding. I've noticed a difference with other symptoms as well and I really hope my body gets back to normal soon. I found this site last week when I was trying to decide if I should stop using the ring or not and I couldn't believe how many women had the same symptoms that I've been having. I never realized that all of the problems that I've had were all due to my birth control. Now I'm stumped as to what birth control to try next. I've been reading up on them and they all seem to have horrible side effects like the ring. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!

I STARTED TAKING YAZ IN NOV.07. I AM 49 YRS. OLD AND MY OBGYN GAVE ME 2 SAMPLE PACKS IN HIS OFFICE AND SAID THEY WERE SAFE FOR ME TO TAKE AS LONG AS I NOT A SMOKER(WHICH I AM NOT)THESE PILLS WERE TO HELP ME GO THROUGH THE CHANGE WHICH I WAS STARTING TO GO THROUGH.WELL IN JAN 25 08 I WAS RUSHED TO ER. WITH PAIN SO BAD I COULDN'T WALK IN MY LEFT THIGH. I WAS TOLD I HAD A LARGE BLOOD CLOT AFTER THEY DID A ULTRA SOUND.THEN THEY DID A CATSCAN AND FOUND PARTS OF THE CLOT HAD GONE TO MY LUNGS! THEY KEPT ME IN ICU FOR 6 DAYS GIVING ME HEPRIN AND SHOTS IN MY STOMACH AND STARTING ME ON WARFIN.AND GOT MY BLOOD THINNED TO A 2.5. THEY LET ME GO HOME AND TOLD ME TO FOLLOW UP WITH A DOCTOR IN A WEEK! WELL WHEN I GOT AN APPT. HE SENT ME FOR ANOTHER ULTRASOUND AND FOUND OUT THE CLOT HAD INTENED TO MY GROWING SO HE PUT ME BACK IN THE HOSPITAL FOR 5 MORE DAYS AND MORE SHOTS IN THE STOMACH. AFTER I GOT OUT IN WENT BACK TO HIM FOR A FOLLOW UP AND MY LEG AND FOOT WAS SWOLLEN UP WORSE SO HE CALLED A SURGEON AND HE DID SURGERY TO REMOVE THE CLOT FEB.27 08. WELL A WEEK LATER AFTER THE SURGERY ANOTHER ULTRASOUND SHOWED I HAD CLOTTED BACK UP AGAIN. SO THIS SURGEON SENT ME TO ANOTHER SURGEON IN DALLAS,TEX. AND THEY DID AN EXPERMENTAL SURGERY ON ME THE 19-20-21-22 DAYS OF MAY!!! JUNE THE 27TH HE DID ANOTHER ULTRASOUND TO SEE WHAT I LOOKED LIKE AND I HAD CLOTTED BACK UP TO MY FILTER (WHICH WAS PUT IN MY FIRST SURGERY) SO NOW I HAVE A CLOT FROM MY FILTER(WHICH IS BELOW MY LUNGS) ALL THE WAY TO MY LEFT ANKLE. AND THE DOCTOR SAID HE CANT DO ANY MORE SURGERIES FOR AT LEAST A YR. AND FOR ME TO STAY ON MY WARFIN AND WEAR A COMPRESSION HOSE ON MY LEFT LEG FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE!!! I HAVE TALKED TO 3 LAWYERS AND THEY ALL TURNED DOWN THIS CASE . I GUESS THEY ARE AFRAID OF BAYER. I UNDERSTAND THAT ONE OF THE SIDE EFFECTS IS BLOOD CLOTS . BUT THIS IS NOT NO PLAIN OLD BLOOD CLOT. THIS HAS AFFECTED MY WHOLE LIFE! I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO WORK IN 6 MO.AND I HAVE HOSPITAL BILLS I CANT PAY. THESE PILLS HAS DONE SOMETHING TO MY BLOOD!!!

I got my Mirena on 6-12-08 and still currently have it. I am 22 years old and have two little girls. Before the Mirena I used pills and the patch and never had any problems at all. This thing is a nightmare! I have been twitching-especially my eyes and lips, I cant get my fingers to stop shaking. I have been experiencing the 'drunk eyes' that bulgebegone mentioned. The cramps have not stopped for the month I've had it, even though I was told it would be a week at the most. Also, like so many other women, I was told that I may spot very lightly for 6-9 months and then stop getting my period-after it was inserted. For the last month I have been hemoraging almost exactly the same as those few days in the hospital after giving birth-when they give you the big diapers to wear! My husband hates it too, when we have been able to have sex, he says most of the time it's ok, but then the strings will poke him and it's a very sharp pain. Last Friday I spoke with my doctor about this to see what options we had and I asked her to shorten the strings and she said no, without an explanation at all! I also just read the article below in an email I received. I am now making an appointment to have this removed!!!!!
> I am sure most of you have a daughter, a granddaughter, a niece, a friend
> or
> a friend's daughter... this might be worth checking out.
> PASS THIS ON EVEN IF YOU DON'T USE IT!!
>
>
> Recently, this past week, my cousin Nicole D. (age 31... a newly
> graduated student with a doctoral degree about to start her new career as a
> Doctor...) was flown into a nearby hospital, because she passed out. They
> found a blood clot in her neck, and immediately took her by helicopter to
> the ER to operate. By the time they removed the right half of her skull to
> relieve the pressure on her brain the clot had spread to her brain causing
> severe damage. Since last Wednesday night, she was fighting for her life.
> They induced her into a coma to stop the blood flow and then operated on 3
> times. Finally, they said there was nothing left that they could do.
> Multiple c lots in the left side of her brain were found, the swelling
> wouldn't stop and she was on the life support. She died at 4:30 that day.
> She leaves behind her husband, a 2-year old, Brandon and a 4-year old,
> Justin. The CAUSE of DEATH they found was a birth control she was taking
> that allows you to only have your period 3 X's a year. Doctors said it
> interrupts life's menstrual cycle, and although it is FDA approved... it
> shouldn't be. So to the women in my address book, I ask you to boycott this
> product and deal with your periods once a month, so you can live the rest
> of
> the months that life has in store for you.
> Please send this to every woman you know - you may save someone's life.
> Remember you have a cycle for a reason.
>
> FYI: T he name of this new birth control is Lybrel. If you go to
> ******
> you will find a least 26 pages of information regarding this drug. The
> second birth control is Seasonique. If you go to ****** you will
> find at least 43 pages of information regarding this drug. The warning and
> side effects regarding both pills are horrible.

My wife had Mirena inserted last year around May. Side effects were similar to those detailed here. Non-existent libido. Acne. Consistent with other's reports of joint pain, my wife experienced symptoms that were diagnosed and treated as Lyme disease. At the time we wondered how it could be Lyme disease when the doctor reported that several tests for Lyme disease came back negative. Now we wonder if the joint pain was actually the Mirena.

After reading the comments on this site, we had the Mirena removed in late May, despite a skeptical doctor. A week of uncomfortable heavy period, but not to bad. My wife's libido has returned, her face has cleared up, and I've gotten a vasectomy.

best wishes, Jim in VA

I just took myself off YAZ because of a calf cramp that was so severe we suspected a blood clot -- through investigation found out I DIDN"T HAVE ENOUGH BLOOD TO CLOT -- was so anemic they were worried in the ER I'd have a HEART ATTACK. I had just shy of 33% of the normal amount of blood -- no ownder I had headaches, was dizzy, had shortness of breath, etc, etc . . . no wonder, eh?

Everyone would APPLAUD my low, low, low blood pressure --- yeah me! Not.

Anyone else have serious, debilitating, blood-transfusion worthy anemia on YAZ? or is it just me?

KR

does anyone have excessive urination?i had my period 2 weeks ago and then had a little problem with my insurance and so I had my ring out longer than i was supposed to. Normally I pee an unbelievable amount at night-- sometime i will get up up to 8xs. But for the 1.5-2 weeks that my ring was out i didn't get up at night at all. Not once. Im really thinking about ditching this thing. any alternatives? (i cant take oral ones, i throw them right back up. ugh)

I was just discharged from the hospital on Saturday. I had been taking Yasmin for almost two years now and until recently, had no problems. Last Wednesday I went to the ER for severe pain and inability to breath with my left lung. They admitted me after finding a blood clot in the right, as a result of Yasmin! Turns out, I had pneumonia in the left and since I had no symptoms that the clot was there, the pneumonia saved my life! I too had to take those fun Lovenox shots in the stomach and now I'm on Coumadin for 6 months. I am 29 years old, never smoked a day in my life. I do not drink, I am a healthy weight and I work out regularly. I do not have a history of blood clots in the family. How could this happen especially with a drug my doctors told me was safe?

With the amount of occurrences, I'm interested in a class action lawsuit as well. I will never take a birth control pill again EVER.

Hi I am a 36 year old female, and have been on warfarin for about six months now, I was also on it back in 2004 for six months I had a blood clot in my left lung in 04, and was off of them after six months. But now i Dec 07 i had a clot in my leg, and several in my lungs. I have to be on it forever now according to my docs. It sucks, I am having very bad memory loss, blurred vision also, I get dizzy a lot, and as of last week my levels are not high. I was on a smaller dosage the first time around, but I am currently on 7.5 mg, and it sucks, I want to be off of these. So I also do experience the same symptoms as the rest of you. Memory loss is really affecting my everyday life. Also depression is a big symptom also, I have always been a happy person, not any longer.

i started taking yaz a couple months ago and developed a blood clot in my lung, a pulmonary embolism. i was hospitalized for a week in may of this year. i have visited many websites to see if other women have developed blood clots due to yaz and i have found a startling number of women that have developed blood clots, and a couple girls who even lost their lives. the side effects of birth control are explained to us before we start taking them, and it is expected that some women will experience the side effects, and this is normal. however, when a disproportionately large number of women start having serious health problems due to yaz, then something is not wrong with us, something is wrong with yaz. i have seen many women express an interest in starting a class action lawsuit and i am trying to do so. i have worked in a personal injury law office for the past 2 years and know an excellent lawyer looking to take on a case of this nature and magnitude. if you or your loved one has developed a blood clot, lost their life, or have developed another serious health problem due to yaz than please email me at ****** with your name and an email address i can reach you at. A class action lawsuit requires a large number of plaintiffs. I have already gotten a few emails but need many more before we can make this happen. please email me... help me and yourself.

Please let me know if a class-action lawsuit is ever filed against this Pharm Co because I will file a suit to get this dangerous drug off the market. Yasmin/Yaz almost took my life in January 08. My OB/GYN put me on Yaz in Oct 07 for bad periods and cysts on my overies. Within a month my entire personality changed and I started losing my hair. I experienced a complete loss of sex drive, became depressed and was either constanting crying or raging at someone. However, my adult acne did clear up. On 1/27/08 I experienced extreme pain in my calf that moved up to my thigh within 48 hrs. I went to the ER and was told that no only did I a condition called DVT (Deep Vein Thrombisis-blood clot) in my leg but that the clot had broken off and moved into both of my lungs and I had bi-lateral pulmonary embolism. I can't even describe how incredibly painful this was. I was admitted into the hospital for 1 week and was put on powerful blood thinners, which I will be on for about a year. It's now been nearly 6 months since I was diagnosed and the DVT and it is still in my uppper thigh. But am grateful to be alive. If you would like to contact me I would be glad to answer any questions regarding this situation and my email addy is ****** PLEASE DO NOT TAKE YAZ OR YASMIN OR LET ANYONE IN YOUR FAMILY TAKE THIS MED, IT COULD KILL YOU.

Hello! I'm 27 and I've been taking Yasmin for probably 7 years and never had a single problem. My weight stayed the same, my periods got VERY regular, to the DAY, and things were ok.

Starting about 3 months ago I was on my honeymoon and decided to skip my period that month which I do a few times a year and Yasmin never let me down! Anyways my period came anyways and not only that, but I spotted an extra week after! It was most noticable in the mornings after having sex. It was just brown and yucky. Then I didn't have a period the next month, only 24 hours of brown and this month I had a regular one. On top of that I've suddenly gained 5 pounds without changing ANYTHING. I wonder, can Yasmin suddenly screw me up so many years after I started taking it? I hear horror stories about Yasmin but I only see it from women taking it for a few months or maybe a year? It was always so good to me. What's going on? The weight gain terrifies me too because I so easily gain weight and I've been trying so hard to eat well and I feel like it's been pointless. It ticks me off more because I have to pay $50 a month for Yasmin even AFTER insurance pays 15, and now I think it's messing my body up too.

I have a OBGYN appointment in a few weeks and I'm going to talk to her about it and see about getting on a new pill anyways for price reasons, but do you think all these weird sudden symptoms are from Yasmin? Can you recommend a pill? I can't afford to gain anymore weight. I just can't...

Wow..this makes me feel a lot better reading all of this. I have been off of Yasmin for about a year now but am still feeling the side effects. When I was on it I felt fine at first & was extremely excited about finally being on BC. Then about a month into it I started getting extremely bad heart palpitations and tingly body and arms. My heart would race and I thought I was about to have a heart attack everyday. I consulted my gyn/ob about this and she stated it was "normal side effects of the pill." I told her I was concerned that I had a blood clot or something else extremely severe. She convinced me it was all normal & I would be EXTREMELY ill and in the hospital if that was the case. I told her it was interfering with my life on a daily basis but she didn't seem to believe me. My boyfriend had also noticed I had been acting extremely anxious, moody and depressed and became concerned. It got to the point where he couldn't even touch me when I was at home since I was having STABBING chest pains on a daily basis. I couldn't even move & I would have really bad heartburn all the time. I went to the doctor a couple of times because I thought I was seriously having a heart attack...Stabbing pains- tingly arms and legs, extreme anxiety...my heart was pounding so hard I couldn't breath and then my heart felt as if it would pop in and out when I took a breath. My doctor said it was normal side effects as well so I told myself I was just the crazy one once again. I went to the doctor about a month later when things got worse..this whole time thinking that Yasmin had nothing to do with it and found my blood pressure was 160/90!!! My doc said it should have been about 120/70. I started blood pressure medication but the heart palpitations did not stop so eventually I stopped with Yasmin. Things have gotten better but it has still left me with permanent damage. My anxiety is still a problem and my blood pressure is still sky high...even on meds. I never had any problems before any of this...now I have major problems for life because of this drug. I know they warn you of issues prior but NO medication should do this to ANYONE. I also gained about 20 pounds when I was on the pill and when I got off I lost about 15 pounds in 2 days..I lost equilibrium in my body and felt sick with all of the sudden weight loss....Is anyone considering a Class action lawsuit against this company? & why are the doctors covering up the side effects of this drug? I know they get paid for referring people to certain drugs but this is SCARY...keep me updated.

I have been on Warfarin for two years now and on it for life, i had a blood clot in my left leg. While i was reading everyone's side effects, it was like i was writing it myself...I experience the same symptoms........Foggy mind, short term memory loss (i even have a notebook now wherever i go now), fatigue, thirsty all the time, headaches, strange sore sensations in my legs/body especially when its cold.....all of which i am told Warfarin has no such side effects and that im imagining it.........i have been told this over and over and over. Im soooo glad im not crazy lol and that there are also people out there that are experiencing the exact same stuff that i am.

My profile: I'm 31. Asian. Never had BC before this. Have 1 5yr old son. The type of person that would 4get to take the pill if need to do so everyday. Been on Nuvaring for 6 months now.

I read thru the post here and was intimidated, but I have to say it's working out better than I thought. I didn't notice any serious side effects like blood clot, dizziness or weight gain. Though, I noticed now I have shorter and shorter period duration as the month passes. Now, it's just 1.5-2d where it used to last me 6d: 3 heavy, 3 light.

Another side effect is a decrease in sex drive and being dry... but since my husband is aware of that he help me be stimulated and give more fore-play time. Also, we make sure to stock up on lubricant.

Overall, I can compromise with the side effects that we observed so far, therefore it's not a big deal. The relief of having to worry about unexpected pregnancy is certainly outweight the little inconvenient side-effect that Nuvaring has on me.

I used to be on Yasmin for about 6 years and about 8 months ago I switched to yaz because a friend of mine told me she had less side effects. Not true. I haven't been myself. In the last 6 months I have been getting a charley horse type leg cramp in my right calf about 1-2 times per week in the middle of the night when I am sleeping. After reading this site, I am concerned because a few people said that lead to a blood clot. I didn't realize this until now. Does any one know if this is true? If so I'm off of it asap.

Hello, I've never been on birth control before, but i recently had an abortion and decided I really need to get on some kind of birth control. I am 27, married, and I am a NON-SMOKER. Nuvaring seemed to be the best option for me, easiest, effective and practical. I'm only on my first ring, it comes out for the week break in few days. So far I have NOT had any irritability or headaches, or anything like that. I have gotten a little "spotting" which to me can still be linked to the abortion or even sex. What I DID notice, however, is that I had a few sharp chest pains here and there, quick and not consistent, my husband thinks that could be from stress. I also noticed what I thought to be a pulled muscle in my lower calf could be a sign of a blood clot, which totally scares me. A persistent issue I HAVE had so far, is that I have that numb "pins and needles" feeling in my limbs a bit more often than usual. I do sit odd and my limbs tend to fall asleep more than the average person, but I actually notice it happening more frequently, like my blood circulation isn't as good as it was. I have NOT had high blood pressure. I ALSO noticed I wake sometimes with severe leg pain (cramping) that reminds me of those "growing pains" one would get as a child. I haven't had those since I was a child, wondering if it could be due to the NuvaRing. If anyone has felt similar pains let me know. I am visiting the clinic tomorrow to discuss these things and to see what could be a safer method of BC 4 me!

Hi
I had a blood clot in my l. leg. I had an angioplasty and was put on 4mg of Warfrin daily.
Since I started on Warfrin I have developed a hearing loss and a rather severe feeling of soreness when I rise from a chair. I really feel like I can't make it thru another few months.
Maybe the warfrin is not the problem. I have heard of no other warfrin users getting hearing loss.
Love to hear your Warfrin experiences
Ernie M.
Canberra, Australia

I had the Mirena put in six weeks after having our daughter, on June 30th, 2006. I never was able to loose weight, and felt very bloated, moody, with pains in my sides (ovary level), and then in the Fall of 2007, I noticed a significant loss of vision in my left eye. I went through $40,000 worth of hospital visits, and one 8-day stay, to figure out that the Mirena had caused a rather large blood clot to form on the outside of my brain in the main vein that crosses over the top outside brain. I have suffered from multiple ER visits with migraines lasting up to 72 hours, even after shots and meds. I have been going to the University of Colorado Hospital for treatment and it has taken over six months to get me on a medication regiment that will hopefully alleviate my debilitating headaches and now am living with the possibility that my vision may never get better in my left eye. The Dr.'s I have seen: an eye surgeon, a Neurologist, a Neuro-ophthalmologist, a Retinal Specialist, and the multiple local MD's. The tests run on my body and head have been very extensive, including blood tests, multiple MRI's and the final MRVenagram that tests the flow and drainage of and around my brain that found the blood clot and have ruled out everything from MS, to Pseudotumor Cerebri (which is a lifelong disease offering only pain management for the most part), as well as a macular deterioration related with people over fifty, not 24, they have also ruled out any pre-existing tendency for being prone to blood clots . This has been the scariest thing of my life and so consuming and debilitating, that I would never recommend the Mirena to anyone. I have missed so much work and the traveling to doctors have been a drain on our financial situation. This kind of information needs to get out there because Dr's are denying any relation to the Mirena. My Dr's have definitely diagnosed my problem as the Mirena. The swelling of spinal fluid was my body trying to protect itself and that swelling caused such great pressure on my optic nerve that my macula, where a person has central and fine detail and focusing, wrinkled in a layer of my eye that cannot be operated on. I can no longer read out of my left eye and the stress that created for my right eye is a contributor to the migraines. I also see double at night, when lights or signs are illuminated by the headlights of my car. I am seeing two images! This is very hard to accept and not being able to read for very long also upsets me. The likelihood of my vision repairing on its own is slim to none. Thanks Mirena. SO please, please help the word get out!!!! Also caution anyone you know who is planning on getting the Mirena, or who has one in to be aware of any changes. My experience has been very extreme but maybe women out there are going through the same things I have been and no one will recognize the relation to the Mirena. I am only glad my Dr. was willing to admit the Mirena was the cause.

I H-A-T-E the Nuvaring. My doctor said I would love it...and it was convenient for a little while. But it undid all the work my anti-depressants were doing for my post pardon...it made me gain weight...and I mean WEIGHT. I gained 10 lbs in less than 2 months. I slept all the time. My vagina was COMPLETELY dry. I got swollen and irritable. I hate it. It's not worth it to even try.

Oh, and a friend of mine had a blood clot from Nuvaring...which I know can happen w/ any BC...but just thought I'd add it.

Pulmonary Embolism - blood clots in my lungs which were caused by a presumed blood clot in my leg, which was caused by my Yaz. This is a very dangerous situation, and I was very lucky.

NuvaRing caused me to have a heart attack at the tender age of 32. I had begun using it for the second time after the birth of my third child. My only advice is to pay attention to your body and how you feel. There were warning signs but I didn't heed them as I should have; I chalked it up to being ill. At any rate, the ring caused a blood clot to form and it traveled and blocked a major artery to my heart. As a result I am on aspirin, blood thinners, and blood pressure medicine for the rest of my life. Luckily, my response to the heart attack was quick and no lasting damage was done to my heart. I can't help but be fearful that something like this could happen again even though my cardiologist assures me that my heart is 100% normal. I do suffer from anxiety now, though i'm not sure if its related to the medications i'm on or not. Just be careful and alert your doctor if something doesn't seem right.