According to federal drug safety reports obtained by the AP under a Freedom of Information Act request, 12 women died last year from blood clots believed to be related to the patch Ortho Evra. The AP says their report indicates the risk of dying or suffering a blood clot while using the patch was about three times higher than while using birth control pills.

The patch is marketed as more convenient than the pill, which women must take daily. Patch-maker Ortho McNeil says it's just as safe, too.

The company insists none of the deaths can be directly attributed to the patch.

''Although we are investigating each and every one of the reports that we get, we have not drawn any causal relationships to the medication,'' said Dr. Katherine LaGuardia, Ortho McNeil's director of women's health care.

Blood clots are an accepted risk from hormonal birth control because estrogen promotes blood coagulation. The AP admits not all doctors who saw their report were alarmed.

There are dozens of kinds of birth control -- from the pill, to injections, even a 'ring.' The makers of Ortho Evra say millions of women use the patch because it works and because it's safe.

The families of the women who died from blood clots disagree wholeheartedly. Several lawsuits against Ortho McNeil have already been filed.

Ortho McNeil insists none of the deaths can be directly attributed to the patch.