hi, i'm 22 years old & i have been on the ortho evra patch now for over a year & a half. i woke up this morning and i had such horrible pain in my right calf muscle, almost like it was bruised or sore from working out or doing some type of aerobic exercise...but i haven't done anything or hurt myself!!! and ask i figured it just might be some type of cramp in my leg, sleeping on it wrong or something, it has gotten worse throughout the day! i'm so worried that it could be possible blood clots!!! i've been reading up on some stuff on the net that says that birth control pills have an increase risk for blood clots & an even higher risk in women that smoke while using them!...and i smoke! someone please help if you have any idea what this could be or have had the same experience! and thanks for responding

There isn't any way to tell you for sure, but you do have some risk factors. Blood clots can have no symptoms at all, or you can have tenderness, swelling, redness...
Don't be afraid to call your doctor or go to an emergency clinic/room. Even if its nothing, it is better to be safe than sorry, since there is no way to know what is going on without seeing a doctor.

I used to get Charley Horses in my sleep, sometimes I would wake up and sometimes I would sleep right through them and they can hurt and get worse through the day because it's a bruised muscle. It's like stretching a rubber band and then letting it go. Take multi vitamins or eat banana's. Try putting more potasim in your diet and drink lots of water.
On the other note of blood clots, if you have a sitting down job you should get up and walk around for five minutes at least every hour. Try not to cross your legs. Smoking and drinking alcohol can contribute to blood clots while on BC.
I hope I helped. Good luck

i'm going to my primary care physician tomorrow because i have a horrible cold & i believe that i'm going to ask him about it and see what he thinks. anyone else out there that has any input it's very appreciated! :)

Good luck - let us know how is turns out! :)

well i went to the doctor today, and i woke up this morning & my leg wasn't even bothering me! he told me that i shouldn't really worry about it since it's not hurting again today, that more than likely it's not a blood clot, that even tho i didn't do any kind of exercising that i possibly could've still pulled a muscle or something, but that if it get sore again, swells,or becomes red & inflammed i definitely need to get it checked out! thanks for all the help guys! :wave:

Glad it was ok!