New Study of Irsaeli Women Reveals Increased Risk of DVT and Pulmonary Embolism in Yaz/Yasmin Users

A new study published November 6, 2011 in the Canadian Medical Association Jounral links oral contraceptives containing drospirenone (Yaz, Yasmin, Ocella, Beyaz) with a higher risk of venous thrombosis (DVT and pulmonary embolism) compared to both second and third generation birth control pills.

The study followed Israeli women aged 12 to 50 years old who were prescribed combined oral contraceptives from 2002 through 2008. The population-based cohort study used computerized records of the largest health care provider in Israel.

The article's authors concluded that "[u]se of dropsirenone-containing oral contraceptives was associated with an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism... relative to second- and third-generation combined oral contraceptives." The study did not find an increased risk of arterial thromboic events in users of drospierenone-containing oral contraceptives.

Over ten thousand law suits have been filed by women who suffered serious injuries, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, after taking drospirenone-containing birth control pills such as Yaz, Yasmin, Ocella and Beyaz made by Bayer Healthcare. The first bellwether trials for women who suffered pulmonary embolism are slated to begin in January 2012.