Yaz Link to Blood Clots is 2 to 3 Times As Common

The FDA finally announced this week that they are evaluating the risk of blood clots from Yaz, Yasmin and Beyaz birth control, which some studies have shown to be 2 to 3 times greater than the risk associated with other birth control pills. Notice of the safety review into a possible risk of Yaz blood clots with birth control pills containing drospirenone was released by the FDA on May 31, providing additional information for women taking the medications. Included in the warning are all drospirenone birth control pills, which may be sold as: Yasmin, Yaz and Beyaz. The safety review was initiated based on two published studies that reported there is a greater risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) among women taking Yaz, Yasmin or other drospirenone birth control pills. The risk has been reported to be up to 2 to 3 times greater than the risk associated with levonorgestrel birth control pills.

Drospirenone is a newer type of progestin that is usually used in combination oral contraceptives that also include estrogen. It was originally introduced by Berlex Laboratories in Yasmin. Once Berlex was acquired by Bayer Healthcare an updated version of Yasmin was introduced called Yaz. More recently, Bayer introduced a third version, marketed as Beyaz, which includes a folate supplement. Some experts say that drospirenone disrupts the body’s normal mechanism of regulating a balance between salt and water. This results in elevated potassium levels, known as Yaz hyperkalemia, which can cause potentially life-threatening heart problems and other health issues.

While Bayer has attempted to dismiss the claims presented by thousands of women throughout the United States and minimize the risks associated with Yaz, Yasmin, Beyaz and other pills containing drospirenone, one new study published this month suggests that women may face double the risk of blood clots from the birth control pills and another suggests that women may face a 20% higher risk of Yaz gallbladder disease. For women under 30 years old taking the drospirenone-based pills, they were at almost five times the risk of blood clots than if they were taking levonorgestrel, leading the researchers to conclude that drospirenone-based birth control pills can be linked directly to these devastating Yaz side effects.