Yasmin Side Effects May Lead to Recall

Although none has been initiated yet, the side effects surrounding popular fourth-generation birth control pills Yaz and Yasmin may lead to a recall of the product by the Food and Drug Administration. The Food and Drug Administration goes forward with a recall when it is determined that the risks associated with a product outweigh their benefit to the consumer. There is no scientific method to determine whether or not this is the case, but the seriousness of Yaz and Yasmin side effects seem significant, while the products are among many birth control options – most of which do not pose the same risks to consumers.

Drospirenone: the cause of Yaz side effects

Yaz and Yasmin are both manufactured by the Bayer Corporation and contain the relatively new synthetic progestin hormone drospirenone, which has been known to cause fluctuations in potassium levels in the blood. This can lead to a slowed heart rate and subsequently to blood clots, which can block the main artery to a lung and cause a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism. 50 deaths have already been reported related to Yaz and Yasmin.

Gallbladder disease is another concern – 40 percent of the 6,000 and some lawsuits in the Yaz and Yasmin cases are regarding gallbladder disease, and many more women are experiencing other side effects such as stroke and heart attack, pulmonary thrombosis, and other serious and potentially fatal conditions. Women who take Yaz birth control are 6.3 times as likely to develop a blood clot as women who take other forms of birth control without drospirenone. There are many forms of oral contraceptives that are less dangerous than Yaz and Yasmin and simply do not come with the same side effects.

In the future, many more studies may be conducted on drospirenone-containing birth control pills, and these will be instrumental in determining whether or not the Food and Drug Administration will initiate a recall of Yaz and Yasmin.