professional if you have ever had any of these conditions. Your healthcare professional can recommend a nonhormonal method of birth control. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE USING ORTHO EVRA r Hormones from ORTHO EVRAr get into the bloodstream 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 EVRAr 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. Like pregnancy, hormonal birth control methods increase the risk of serious blood clots, especially in women who have other risk factors, such as smoking, obesity, or age greater than 35 years. This increased risk is highest when you first start using hormonal birth control. Some studies have reported that women who use ORTHO EVRAr have a higher risk of getting a blood clot. Talk with your healthcare provider about your risk of getting a blood clot before deciding which type of birth control is right for you . It is possible to die or be permanently disabled from a problem caused by a blood clot, such as a heart attack or a stroke. Some examples of serious blood clots are blood clots in the: Legs (deep vein thrombosis) Lungs (pulmonary embolus) Eyes (loss of eyesight) Heart (heart attack) Brain (stroke) Call your healthcare professional immediately if any of the side effects listed under "WARNING SIGNALS" occur while you are using ORTHO