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New generation oral contraceptives run a greater risk of causing blood clots

By jeremyc | June 6, 2011

Birth control pills, also known as oral contraceptives are an important part of many adult women’s lives. But according to a latest study report published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) it has been found that birth control pills which contain the hormone drospirenone are likely to cause blood clots twice as much as the pills that contain the hormone levonorgestrel.

The latter birth control pills are the older versions of the contraceptives while the former ones are the newer versions. These newer versions were launched in the market in 2006. Some of the names of the newer versions of the contraceptives are Yaz, Yasmin, Zarah and Ocella while Jolessa, Seasonique and Seasonale are some of the brandnames of the older version of the contraceptives.

Statistically speaking this report translates into:

This above mentioned statistic is only about the cases studied in the United States. In Great Britain, the statistic total was like this:

This means a likelihood developing blood clots increase by nearly 2.7 times in women taking the contraceptives with the hormone drospirenone as compared tothose who take contraceptives containing the levonorgestrel hormone.

Apart from blood clots, the woman taking the contraceptives with the hormone drospirenone also have a huge possibility of experiencing pulmonary embolisms (clot in the lungs) and thrombosis of the veins. Both of these conditions are potentially fatal.

It was always known for a fact that oral contraceptive pills have certain adverse effects on women. But this study report is quite revealing and puts a completely different perspective on the subject of oral contraceptives.

However, even as this report was being published the producer of the contraceptives Yaz and Yasmin – Bayer – came out vehemently opposing the report. According to Bayer, the contraceptives are tested before they are put into the market and their steady use by women from the time the pills were launched, are proof that there are no side effects to the pills.

But irrespective of whether the statements made by the drug producers are true or not, women across the nation will definitely think twice before going for a pill that could most probably cause them serious health problems.

Topics: | Birth Control |

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