Yaz Blood Clots Lead to Lawsuits
Despite the recent controversy surrounding Yaz, Yasmin, and other birth control pills containing the synthetic hormone drospirenone, they continue to be among the most popular forms of oral contraceptives on the market in the United States, especially among young women 13-18.
Lawsuits representing over 7,000 plaintiffs have been filed in state and federal courts and consolidated in multidistrict litigation that will deal with cases associated with Yaz side effects such as gallbladder problems, heart attacks, stroke, pulmonary embolism, blood clots, and deep vein thrombosis. Most cases assert that Bayer did not warn consumers adequately of the potential for side effects.
Yaz, Yasmin, Beyaz, Safyral, Ocella, Gianvi, and Zarah are all so-called fourth-generation birth control pills which contain both estrogen and the synthetic hormone drospirenone. While there is risk of blood clotting with any oral contraceptive containing estrogen, the addition of drospirenone seems to increase this risk as much as six times over.
Drospirenone has been connected to hyperkalemia, which is the presence of levels of potassium in the bloodstream that are greater than what would be normal. This can cause blood to pool in veins and therefore create clots, which can contribute to conditions such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
Deep vein thrombosis begins when a blood clot clogs a major artery, usually in the leg but occasionally in the arm or pelvis. This is a painful condition that may need medical treatment to resolve, although in some cases the blood clot might dissolve on its own.
If left untreated, a Yaz deep vein thrombosis blood clot could travel to a major artery in the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism, another side effects Yaz users are at risk of. Pulmonary embolism can be fatal and, in fact, kills around 60,000 Americans each year, though it is unclear how many of these people were taking Yaz or similar birth control at the time of their death.

