Women with no previous clot problems have developed blood clots while on Yasmin and Yaz. Pulmonary embolism (PE) is one of the leading causes of death among those who are hospitalized after suffering the event. It is a condition in which a portion of your lung tissue is starved of blood. This occurs due to a blockage within one of your pulmonary arteries. In nine out of ten diagnosed cases, the blockage results from one or more blood clots that arrive at the site from another area of the body. If you or a loved one has suffered from Yaz and pulmonary embolism side effects please contact us today for the latest information on the litigation and making a claim.

Yaz birth control pills may increase the risk of abnormal clotting. This article will provide a step-by-step outline that describes how Yasmin blood clots can lead to a pulmonary embolism. I’ll describe common forms of treatment and explain how you can live a healthy life after experiencing Yaz PE. While the condition is considered a medical emergency, it does not have to be fatal.

How Do Blood Clots Reach The Lungs?

As noted, taking Yaz birth control pills elevates the risk of developing abnormal blood clots. This is due to the combination of ethinyl estradiol (an estrogen) and drospirenone (a synthetic progestin) contained within the contraceptive.

Blood clots can form within superficial veins near the surface of your skin or within deep veins that are buried within groups of muscles. Deep veins connect to your vena cava, the largest vein in your body. The vena cava leads to your heart. When clots form within deep veins (a condition known as deep venous thrombosis, or DVT), there is a danger that they can break loose. If this happens, the clot can be carried along by your bloodstream into the vena cava and directly toward your heart.

The traveling blood clot (called an embolus) can pass through the right side of your heart into a pulmonary artery. Depending on its size and any existing deposits within the artery, the embolus can block the flow of blood into your lung tissue. Your lung tissue, starved of blood, will sustain damage. The damage can be permanent. Meanwhile, your lungs’ ability to send oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your organs will be impaired.

This is the chain of events that lead to a Yaz-induced pulmonary embolism.

Initial Treatment For Yaz PE

Once the condition has been diagnosed, your doctor will administer anticoagulants to reduce your blood’s ability to clot. The most common anticoagulants are heparin and warfarin (or the branded version, Coumadin).

If your body is unable to break apart the clot on its own, your doctor may prescribe thrombolytic medications that can actively dissolve it. If Yaz PE is life-threatening, your doctor may recommend a more aggressive strategy. A catheter can be threaded to the site of the blockage in order to extract the clot. In extreme cases where the clot is unresponsive to other treatment efforts, a pulmonary embolectomy may be performed.

Living A Healthy Life After A Yaz Pulmonary Embolism

After pulmonary embolism has been controlled through anticoagulants, thrombolytics, and other treatment efforts, you’ll likely need to take warfarin for six months. By helping to prevent further clotting, warfarin will reduce the likelihood that you’ll suffer another PE. You may also need to modify your diet since vitamin K can influence the efficacy of warfarin.

If you suffer from DVT, your doctor may decide to implant a filter within your vena cava to catch other clots that might break away from the deep venous site. You might also need to wear compression stockings around your lower leg to encourage circulation and prevent further clotting.

It is possible to live a healthy life after experiencing Yaz pulmonary embolism. The key is to remain vigilant about factors that may contribute to future blood clots. If you have already developed blood clots or DVT, or have suffered from PE after taking Bayer’s birth control pills, you may have legal options. Contact a Yaz PE attorney to discuss them.