Special Report: Contraceptive Caution

Roberta Alloway, Zakiya's grandmother
"Everybody loved her... everybody."

At 18 years old, Zakiya Kennedy had Hollywood-size dreams...to be an actress, a model, a fashion designer.

But this rising star's dreams came to an abrupt end last spring when she collapsed in a New York City subway.

Zakiya died from a blood clot called a pulmonary embolism.

The New York City Medical Examiners Office says it was a complication from a birth control patch.

Roberta Alloway, Zakiya's grandmother
"I've lost something so precious to me."

Jennifer Cowperthwaite, Connecticut
"I just think about I could have died. I almost didn't make it.

Jennifer Cowperthwaite from Connecticut used the birth control patch for 4 months.

The 25-year-old is blaming the patch for bilateral pulmonary embolisms - in Jennifer's case clots have traveled to both of her lungs.

She only has 20% lung capacity.

Jennifer Cowperthwaite, Connecticut
"I can't take a shower and get dressed right away I have to stop and rest. I can't go out and go shopping or walk around or stuff like that with friends because I get out of breath."

Four million American women have used the Ortho-Evra birth control patch since being introduced more than 2 years ago.

The patch is made of a progestin and estrogen just like a low-dose birth control pill. The difference is in the delivery.

With a pill you have a sharp burst of hormones...over 24 hours that hormone level goes down and it's time to take your next pill.

With the patch, you change it once a week for three consecutive weeks each month.

During that time a continuous level of hormones is delivered through your skin into your blood stream.

Both come with serious side effects including stroke, heart attack and blood clots.

Now dozens of women across the country have hired attorneys and are threatening legal action.

One lawsuit, the first of it's kind, claims a 37-year-old woman from Texas was paralyzed after using the patch for just 12 days.

Amy Clark-Meachum, Jennifer's Attorney
"Most of them - and Jennifer is one of them as well - they have used the pill in the past with no problems."

The FDA monitors a drug's safety by investigating adverse event reports required by manufacturers.

Doctors and consumers can also file voluntarily.

At least six deaths have been reported to the FDA that may be associated with the patch.

Attorneys compared a year of reports of serious blood clot complications for both the patch and a leading birth control pill.

Amy Clark-Meachum, Jennifer's Attorney
The patch had double the amount of adverse injuries than the pill did during that time period and it was only used by less than half the same people who were using the pill."

But Dr. Vanessa Cullins - from Planned Parenthood - says these figures don't prove the patch is dangerous.

Dr. Vanessa Cullins, Planned Parenthood Federation of America
"What one tends to find over time is that the older medications that are associated with adverse events are not reported as frequently as a newer medication.

Dr. Cullins did her own comparison of data for the pill and patch.

She says the patch is even safer than expected.

Dr. Vanessa Cullins, Planned Parenthood Federation of America
"One would expect 22 deaths from pulmonary embolism which is much greater than the estimated 6 that may have occurred among women who are on the patch. So the patch is very safe. It's very effective. There is no reason for alarm or panic."

The patch's maker says it investigates every report of a serious adverse event.

In a letter to 7News, a spokesperson for Ortho Women's Health says the patch is a "...safe and effective birth control choice for many women….All hormonal birth control products carry the risk of serious side effects."

But Jennifer and Zakiya's families say they still want the birth control patch off the market.

Jennifer Cowperthwaite, Connecticut
"So other women can't get hurt, can't get sick and can't die."

Roberta Alloway, Zakiya's grandmother
"That patch is death. It took my granddaughter away."

Doctors say it's important to be aware of your risk factors based on both your personal and family history. They also warn the risk of serious side effects from all hormonal birth control increases for women over 35 and smokers.

For more information:

Side effects and symptoms related to all birth control methods:
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/files/portal/medicalinfo/birthcontrol/pub-contraception-choices.xml

Zakiya's family has set up a scholarship in her name, to find out more:
satindollnyc@aol.com