Birth control patch three times more dangerous than the pill

The birth control patch, touted to be as safe as the pill, is actually three times more likely to cause fatal blood clots.
An investigation by the Associated Press revealed a death rate much higher than expected, about a dozen young women (most were in their late teens and early 20s) died last year from blood clots believed to be caused by the patch Ortho Evra.
Blood clots are an accepted risk from hormonal birth control because estrogen promotes blood coagulation.
The AP found that before the patch was approved, the FDA had already noticed nonfatal blood clots from the patch were three times that of the pill. The AP then examined what has actually happened since the patch came on the market and found that deaths also appear to be at least three times as high.
If you are a woman taking the pill who doesn’t smoke and is under 35, the chance that you are going to have a blood clot that doesn’t kill you is between 1 and 3 in 10,000. Your risk of dying from a blood clot while using the pill is about 1 in 200,000.
By contrast, with the patch, the rate of nonfatal blood clots was about 12 out of 10,000 users during the clinical trials, while the rate of deaths appears to be 3 out of 200,000.
Clots usually form in the legs, and become serious problems if they travel to a woman’s heart, lungs or brain.

The AP also found 23 deaths associated with the patch and 16,000 reports of adverse reactions since the patch’s release in 2002.
Why such a big difference between the patch and the pill, both of which have similar estrogen levels? It’s most likely related to the way the patch is administered. The hormones from the pill have to go through the intestinal tract before they hit the bloodstream, hormones from the patch go directly into the bloodstream.
Some doctors the AP spoke to found the number of deaths “suspicious,” “worrisome” and “shocking.” Others (two of which used to work for patch maker Ortho McNeil) say that the number of deaths aren’t unexpected and maintain that the patch is as safe as the pill.
One doctor also pointed out that when dealing with a new drug, rather than one that’s been around for a while, patients and doctors are more likely to contact the FDA when there’s a bad reaction. Other docs said that women shouldn’t get freaked out quite yet and stop using the patch.
Either way, this information certainly warrants further investigation.
Anyone on the patch want to weigh in?