A California woman who suffered a pulmonary embolism after using the Ortho Evra patch says that she wants other women to know about the increased risk of side effects they may face. Ronda Sloan has joined a class action Ortho Evra lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of the patch, alleging that the health problems she suffered were the result of using Ortho Evra.

Sloan says three months after she started using the patch, she began to experience shortness of breath and chest pains. She underwent a CT scan at the urging of her doctor, which found a blood clot in her lungs, or a pulmonary embolism. Sloan says that she had no health problems before experiencing side effects of Ortho Evra.

Studies have found that the Ortho Evra patch releases 60% more estrogen into a woman’s body than traditional birth control pills. Because estrogen can increase the risk of blood clots, women who use Ortho Evra are twice as likely to experience blood clots as with birth control pills. The warning label for the birth control patch was recently updated to reflect the increased risk of Ortho Evra side effects.

Sloan’s Ortho Evra lawyer says that in addition to blood clots, women may face an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, stroke or deep vein thrombosis from using the birth control patch. Sloan says that her attorneys expect to settle her Ortho Evra lawsuit in court sometime this year.