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NuvaRing Lawsuit

Lawyers at Motley Rice are reviewing potential NuvaRing lawsuits involving women who have suffered serious injury or died while using NuvaRing®. NuvaRing is a vaginal ring contraceptive medication that has been linked to serious events such as blood clots, pulmonary embolism, stroke and heart attack.

NuvaRing Side Effects

The following side effects have been associated with the use of combination hormonal contraceptives, including NuvaRing:

  • blood clots 
  • cerebral thrombosis 
  • deep vein thrombosis (DVT) 
  • heart attack or myocardial infarction 
  • pulmonary embolism 
  • retinal thrombosis 
  • stroke or cerebral hemorrhage
  • thrombophlebitis and venous thrombosis with or without embolism 
  • toxic shock syndrome (TSS)

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Contact a NuvaRing Lawyer

If you or a loved one may have experienced serious adverse effects, and would like to speak to an attorney about a possible NuvaRing lawsuit, contact Motley Rice lawyer Carmen Scott by email or call 1.800.768.4026. Motley Rice NuvaRing lawyers hold two of the nine seats on the plaintiffs' steering committee for the NuvaRing multidistrict litigation and represent clients in state and federal cases.

NuvaRing History and Potential Dangers

Approved by the FDA in 2001, NuvaRing is a non-biodegradable, latex-free, flexible vaginal ring containing a combination of the hormones estrogen (ethinyl estradiol) and progestin (etonogestrel). Etonogestrel is the active metabolite of desogestrel, a synthetic form of the naturally occurring female sex hormone progesterone. The NuvaRing contraceptive ring is designed to prevent pregnancy by releasing a steady dose of the hormone combination into the bloodstream through the vaginal walls over the course of 21 days. The hormones prevent ovulation, change the cervical mucus to prevent sperm penetration, and thin the lining of the uterus to, theoretically, prevent sperm implantation.

In October 2003, The New England Journal of Medicine addressed research suggesting that, when taken orally, desogestrel can significantly increase the risk of blood clots. If left untreated, such blood clots can develop into more serious conditions that may include stroke, heart attack, pulmonary embolism, or deep vein thrombosis. These findings, as well as those from other studies, were based upon analysis of the effect of oral contraceptives containing desogestrel.

A Swiss report was released in June 2010 which claimed there were approximately 40 deaths reported in the FDA database of adverse events associated with Nuvaring. 

The current label and package insert for NuvaRing refers only to studies conducted on women using combination oral contraceptives and suggests that adverse reactions associated with the use of combination hormonal oral contraceptives are likely to apply to combination vaginal contraceptives like NuvaRing. The label, however, states that there is no available epidemiologic data to determine whether the safety and efficacy of vaginal administration of combination hormonal contraceptives differs from oral administration. To date, there is no comprehensive study of NuvaRing and the long-term health effects of its vaginally delivered combination.

NuvaRing is manufactured by New Jersey-based Organon USA, Inc., a company that Schering-Plough Corporation acquired in 2007.

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