New Contraceptives and the Increased Risk of Fatal Blood Clots
Birth control pills have always carried the risk of blood clots and stroke, but a new study published in the British Medical Journal has found that the pill can be linked to anywhere from a two to a more than four-fold increased risk of blood clots when compared to women who are not taking oral contraceptives.
Yana Vinogradova, the research fellow at the University of Nottingham who authored the report, told Time that “Our study suggests that the newer contraceptives have a higher risk of [blood clots] than the older agents,” This so-called, “fourth generation” of the pill contains new types of the progestogen hormone such as drospirenone, desogestrel, gestodene, and cyproterone. Apparently, drug developers have altered the progesterone to lower the side effects of the original pill that included acne, weight gain, headache and breakthrough bleeding. The downside of those changes is that the blood clot risk is now significantly higher.
Vinogradova recommends that doctors seriously consider the higher blood clot risk when prescribing the pill to their patients.
Current blood clot from birth control lawsuits
Yasmin birth control pills are a fourth generation contraceptive pill, and they have been associated with serious side effects such as blood clots and pulmonary embolism. There have been more than 12,000 lawsuits against Bayer, the maker of Yasmin and other contraceptive products, alleging that taking their product put consumers at increased risk for deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism and gallbladder problems.
The lawsuits against Bayer Pharmaceuticals are for negligence in their failure to adequately warn consumers about the life-threatening side effects from using Yasmin and the other contraceptives made and sold by the company. By 2012, Bayer had paid more than $402.6 million in settlements for a category of injury involving blood clots that led to heart attack and stroke.
Some of the life-threatening side-effects associated with taking Yasmin and other fourth generation contraceptives can include:
- Blood clots
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- Pulmonary embolism (PE)
- Gallbladder disease
- Stroke
- Cerebrovascular accidents (CVA)
- Heart attack
- Myocardial Infarction
- Death
In 2012 the FDA issued a safety warning about birth control pills that contain drospirenone and the higher risk of blood clots. They recommend that women discuss their risk with regard to blood clots with their doctor when they are trying to decide what birth control to use. The FDA further advises that health care professionals should seriously consider a woman’s risk for developing blood clots before prescribing these drugs.
Christopher T. Nace works in all practice areas of the firm, including medical malpractice, birth injury, drug and product liability, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death, and other negligence and personal injury matters.
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