Women who Suffer Serious Side Effects From Birth Control Pills Should Consult an Attorney

98% of American women who have had sexual intercourse at least once have used some kind of birth control, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC estimates that 11.6 million American women use birth control pills as a contraceptive method. Accordingly, it is important to understand what birth control pills are and what the serious, sometimes life threatening, medical implications may be for women who use birth control pills.

What are Birth Control Pills?

Birth control pills are oral contraceptives that are primarily intended to prevent unwanted pregnancies. They contain hormones such as estrogen and progestin to prevent a woman from ovulating. Birth control pills may also provide other medical benefits such as helping to clear up acne or reduce the symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), for example. Birth control pills can pose serious medical risks to users and those risks may be augmented by certain medical conditions and other medications. Therefore, birth control pills are only available by physician prescription in the United States.

Do You Have a YAZ Birth Control Lawsuit? »

What Birth Control Pills are Commonly Taken by Women in the United States?

There are many different birth control pills on the market today. Two popular pills manufactured by Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals are Yasmin and Yaz. Yasmin was approved by the FDA in 2001 and Yaz was approved in 2006. Despite the aggressive marketing claims made by Bayer and others, Yaz and Yasmin contain many of the medical risks of other birth control pills as well as some additional risks associated with the progestin drospirenone which the pills contain.

What are Some of the Serious Medical Conditions that Can Result From Birth Control Use?

Birth control pills can result in many serious medical conditions including:

• Cardiac arrhythmia (abnormal electrical activity or rhythm in the heart);
• Cardiac arrest (lack of blood to the heart due to heart failure);
• Intracardiac thrombus (blood clot in the heart);
• Pulmonary embolism (Blood clot in the lung);
• Deep Vein Thrombosis (Blood clot in a deep vein, commonly the leg);
• Gallbladder disease (can include inflammation or infection of the gallbladder or gallbladder stones)
• Hyperkalemia (high levels of potassium in the blood);
• Extrasystoles (a premature contraction of one of the heart’s chambers that usually results ina cardiac arrhythmia);
• Bradycardia (a slow heart rate of under 60 beats per minute);
• Heart attack (occurs when blood flow to the heart is blocked);
• Stroke (occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted);
• Sudden Death from any of the above conditions.

Contact Our Yasmin Class Action Lawyers Today »

Women who take Yaz, Yasmin and other kind of birth control should speak to their doctors about these serious risks and women who have suffered from any of these side effects, or their surviving family members, should consult an attorney about their injuries and potential recovery.