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Yaz Blood Clots: A Serious Side Effect

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Clinical trials have uncovered serious side effects when using Yaz - primarily from the presence of a progesterone called drospirenone in the pills. When combined with ethinyl estradiol, as it is in Yaz and Yasmin, drospirenone causes a large increase in potassium levels in the blood. This condition, called hyperkalemia, can lead to blood clotting in the legs (deep vein thrombosis or DVT) or in the lungs (pulmonary embolism), strokes and more. In fact, consumer advocate groups say that the risk of blood clots may increase by 75%.

Yaz Deep Vein Thrombosis

Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella have been associated with blood clots known as venous thromboembolisms or VTEs. They're venous because they're not arterial. In many women, this materializes in the form of deep venous thromboembolisms (DVT) typically in the lower extremities or the legs - which generally occurs with symptoms of painful, swollen, red superficial veins which may be engorged. However, medical experts say that DVTs can occur without any symptoms at all. Those who suffer DVTs can suffer a wide range of problems and may need to be hospitalized or undergo surgical intervention.

Yaz Pulmonary Embolism

Yaz has also been linked to pulmonary embolism (PE) - a potentially deadly blood clot that movesto the veins located in the lungs. Victims may immediately have difficulty breathing which could lead to cardiac arrest and other significant injuries generally requiring hospitalization. While victims can recover from pulmonary emboli, death can occur within a matter of minutes if the situation is not realized quickly enough or acted upon immediately. If a patient does survive, she will have a greater risk of experiencing another pulmonary embolism for the rest of her life.

In addition, women who have suffered a pulmonary embolism or similar blood clot-related event may never be able to take birth control medication of any kind for the rest of their lives. That is a major lifestyle change as birth control is a major part of the pharmaceutical regimen for many women in the United States and the inability to use it can be troublesome.

Finally, women who have experienced clotting will forever have to inform doctors and medical staff that they've previously had a clot. In certain situations, medical care may be denied due to the increased risk of clotting or other precautions may have to be made before they have medical procedures that otherwise wouldn't - and those precautions carry their own side effects and their own risks.

Yaz Strokes

Strokes, another type of blood clot which interrupts blood flow to an an area of the brain, are another serious side effect from these fourth generation birth control pills. In these situations, we're talking about an ischemic stroke resulting from a clot, not about a hemorrhagic stroke in which a blood vessel bursts inside the brain. Typically the type of stroke that would be diagnosed by CT scan and MRI of the brain is basically a clot that occurs in the blood vessels of the brain, sometimes as a result of a DVT or a PE and then the clot moves, and they're venous because of where they form. They form in the venous blood system, which explains why they are diagnosed as venous strokes.

Other Yaz Side Effects

Other serious side effects of Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella - commonly referred to as "fourth generation" contraceptivesinclude:

  • Heart attacks
  • High blood potassium (hyperkalemia)
  • Sudden loss of vision or vision changes, suggesting a blood clot in the eye
  • Signs of liver damage (jaundice, stomach pain, dark urine)
  • Gall bladder disease
  • Pancreatitis
  • Anxiety and depression
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Headaches
  • Weight gain

If you or a loved one has suffered injury from the use of Yaz or Yasmin, seek the advice of an experienced Yaz attorney immediately to protect your rights. There is no fee and no obligation. However, if you delay, you may lose your right to seek compensation for injuries caused by Yaz or Yasmin due to state-imposed time limits for filing a lawsuit.

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