Product News and Recalls

Oprah Website gives warning about Yasmin

An article on the Website for media personality and former talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey includes information about different forms of birth control such as the diaphragm, the sponge and the vaginal ring, listing the advantages and disadvantages of each.

One of the listings is for “the pill,” which the site says is the most popular form of birth control in America, according to a survey by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An estimated 28 percent of women who use contraception take birth control pills.

But as the article notes, “the pill” is a blanket term referring to different types of oral contraceptives. The most common types contain two hormones: estrogen and progestin (a synthetic form of progesterone), which together prevent the ovaries from releasing eggs, thicken the cervical mucus to keep sperm from joining with an egg and thin the uterine lining so that a fertilized egg would have trouble attaching.

The article emphasizes that all contraceptives that contain estrogen — including the pill, the ring, the patch and the shot—can increase the risk of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes, and can be dangerous for women with certain risk factors.

But it mentions that studies have reported an even greater risk for pills containing a variation of progestin called drospirenone, which include Yaz, Yasmin, Beyaz and Ocella.

The article quotes Daniela Carusi, MD, the director of general gynecology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, as saying: “I tell patients interested in Yasmin that the blood clot risk may be doubled from about three in 10,000 to six in 10,000. Many women are still comfortable with this.”

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 while on Beyaz or similar birth control pills.

See the article here:

https://www.oprah.com/health/Birth-Control-Update-Contraception-News-and-Information/5