A news story on WBBH out of Florida deals with the blood clot risk for Beyaz and other birth control pills containing the compound drospirenone.
Contraceptives with drospirenone include Yasmin, Yaz and Ocella.
The report features a woman named Lea Williams, who became pregnant after she was obliged to stop taking Beyaz. Her mother had previously suffered a blood clot. Although her mother recovered fully, Williams was a high-risk patient because of the family history of blood clots.
The added risk of Beyaz made it necessary for her to stop taking the medication.
The report quotes Cape Coral OB/GYN Dr. George Kovacevic as saying: “Being on a birth control pill may have somewhere in between a one to four times greater risk of blood clot formation than not being on any birth control.”
But a number of studies indicate that contraceptives with the synthetic hormone drospirenone carry up to three times the risk of potential blood clots compared to other types of birth control pills on the market.
“I think it’s important when a woman comes in for a discussion of birth control and we’re talking about oral birth control products that we very carefully review their individual family history to find out if they are of those individuals at increased risk,” Dr. George says in the report.
Patients should consult their doctors before making any changes in their medication. A consultation with a Beyaz lawyer is also important if there are significant injuries.
See the report here:
https://www.nbc-2.com/story/18603999/2012/05/23/d
