Healthy women have reported experiencing blood clots after taking Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills. Both drugs are known as combined-hormone oral contraceptives because they include estrogen and drospirenone, a combination that can increase the risk of clotting. Questions are being asked about Yaz causing pulmonary embolism and other serious side effects related to blood clots.
In some cases, the clots form within a superficial vein near the surface of the skin; they do not represent an immediate danger. In other cases, they can form within a deep vein. This is a condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). While DVT seldom presents an immediate danger, it can lead to life-threatening circumstances. If a clot within a deep vein breaks away and travels with the bloodstream, it can find its way into a pulmonary artery. If the blood clot blocks the flow of blood through that artery, you may experience a pulmonary embolism.
You can lead a relatively normal life after suffering a Yaz PE if you receive treatment. A doctor might prescribe blood thinners and clot dissolvers while a vascular surgeon might recommend filters and in severe cases, invasive surgery.
Heparin Or Warfarin
Heparin and warfarin are blood thinners. They are also called anticoagulants. Neither actually thins your blood; instead, they limit your blood’s ability to clot. By doing so, they can help prevent the formation of future clots while preventing existing clots from growing bigger.
Heparin is administered through IV or needle injection directly into a vein. It usually begins working immediately. Your doctor may also decide to inject a fractionated heparin into your abdomen once or twice a day. Warfarin (or its branded equivalent, Coumadin) is taken as a pill. It may require three or four days to produce an effect.
Clot Dissolvers
If the clot that is blocking a pulmonary artery is large, it can pose an immediate risk to your life. Your doctor may take a more aggressive approach to treating Yasmin pulmonary embolism by administering thrombolytics. These are medications that dissolve clots. While they are effective, they can also cause bleeding, stroke, and other complications. This is the reason many surgeons will only choose this approach if your symptoms are severe.
Filters To Catch Wandering Clots
A metal filter can be placed within your vena cava to prevent future incidents of pulmonary embolism. The vena cava is a large vein in your abdomen that delivers blood to your heart and lungs. The filter can catch blood clots that have detached themselves from a deep vein in your leg. By doing so, it prevents the emboli (wandering clots) from reaching major arteries.
It’s worth underscoring that a vena cava filter does not prevent Yaz blood clots from forming; it merely catches them before they can cause pulmonary embolism.
Suction Thrombectomy And Pulmonary Embolectomy
Depending on the severity of your symptoms and the nature of the condition, your doctor may recommend a suction thrombectomy or pulmonary embolectomy. To perform a suction thrombectomy, a surgeon will guide a catheter to the offending clot. A salt-based solution is injected into the clogged artery and water pressure is used to bring the blood clot closer to the catheter. The catheter is outfitted with a tool to break apart the clot.
A pulmonary embolectomy is similar to a suction thrombectomy. The difference is that the former seeks to completely remove the clot rather than breaking it apart.
Yaz and pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening situation that begins with the formation of blood clots within a deep vein in your leg. If you or a loved one has suffered blood clots after taking this birth control pill, contact a Yaz lawyer to explore your legal options.
