Are newer birth control pills riskier than old ones?
Maybe so – new research from the FDA suggests newer birth control pills, including Bayer’s Yaz, may lead to a greater risk for dangerous blood clots.
The FDA reviewed the medical histories of more than 800,000 women taking different birth control pills between 2001 and 2007. On average, women taking Yaz had a 75 percent greater chance of experiencing a blood clot than women taking older birth control drugs.
When a clot forms in a vein, part of the clot and travel to other parts of the body, and if a clot travels to the lungs or brain it can be deadly – a condition known as venous thromboembolism (VTE). Previous studies suggest women taking drospirenone-containing birth control are at a higher risk of developing VTE, while others have not reported this effect, the FDA said.
What’s drospirenone? It’s a female sex hormone that’s found in newer contraceptive pills including Beyaz, Gianvi, Loryna, Ocella, Safyral, Syeda, Yasmin, Yaz, and Zarah, WebMD reported. […]
“At a certain point we have to ask why the FDA continues to approve drugs that are less safe and have no benefit compared to drugs already on the market,” said Dr. Diana Zuckerman, president of the advocacy group, National Center for Women and Families. “With all these different birth control options, why take the most expensive one that can also kill you?”
Read the rest of the article here.
Read our article, Birth Control Pills: What You Need to Know
To read more about the dangers of birth control pills containing drospirenone, click here.