How to Recognize Birth Control Blood Clots

Yaz and other third-generation birth control pills such as Yasmin, Gianvi, and Ocella have been alleged to carry an increased risk of blood clot related injuries.

Blood clotting is a critical process in the body, which prevents a person from bleeding to death from injuries. However, when the process malfunctions, medical emergencies can result. Women who have suffered from birth control blood clots can join a free birth control class action lawsuit investigation and pursue compensation.

Birth Control Blood Clots

This new class of birth control pills uses Drospirenone, a synthetic progestin. This synthetic hormone mimics the effects of the same progestogen that prevents ovulation during pregnancy. This class of drugs also includes Yasmin, Yasminelle, Bayaz, Ocella, Gianvi, Zarah, and Angeliq.

Several studies have found a double or even triple risk of blood-clot related medical conditions associated with Drospirenone birth control pills. When a blood clot forms within the body, it can cause a number of serious medical problems, depending on where it forms within the body.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

When a clot forms in the large veins of the body, doctors call it a deep vein thrombosis or DVT. Within the leg, it may cause no symptoms, or it may cause intense pain and swelling, depending on the exact blood vessel obstructed and how complete the obstruction is.

Even though DVT can cause debilitating pain, DVT in and of itself is not life-threatening. However, DVT is often the prelude to much more serious medical problems. The blood clot (called a thrombus) can dislodge or break into smaller pieces and travel through the bloodstream. It can lodge in other tissues and cause more serious damage.

Pulmonary Embolism

If a blood clot lodges in the blood vessels that feed the lungs, it causes a pulmonary embolism or PE. In PEs, the heart may strain against the clot, causing it to fail. Additionally, PEs may damage the lungs by depriving them of blood.

PEs vary wildly, depending on which blood vessel is affected and how totally it is blocked. Some patients experience no symptoms, while some suffer from near-instant death. Typically, patients experience shortness of breath and chest pain during PE. It is a medical emergency.

Stroke

Stroke is another serious blood-clotting related ailment. In strokes, blood clots lodge in the brain, blocking blood flow to brain tissue. Brain cells are particularly oxygen-hungry, and begin to die after several minutes without fresh oxygen.

Like other birth control blood clots, the exact placement of the thrombus and the degree of blockage can both influence the symptoms. In strokes, it is further complicated by the fact that different brain tissues have very different roles. Even a few neurons over, a stroke can produce wildly different symptoms.

Patients having a stroke may experience symptoms like unusual sensations of scent or taste, blurred or failing vision, and numbness or paralysis, depending on what part of the brain is affected.

Birth Control Class Action Lawsuit

According to Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceutical’s shareholder documents, the Yaz maker has faced more than 12,000 lawsuits over Yaz as of August 2012. The same documents mention that Bayer has settled 1,977 cases for a total of $402.6 million, at an average of $212,000 per case.

Many of the cases have been consolidated into a single litigation similar to a class action lawsuit, called a multidistrict litigation or MDL, also known as a Mass Tort. In a birth control class action lawsuit, all the class members can join onto the same lawsuit as others with similar injuries. In a Mass Tort, everyone files individual lawsuits about similar injuries. But pharmaceutical drug and medical device lawsuits are usually treated as Mass Torts, as opposed to a Yaz class action lawsuit, because the injuries can vary so much, making a single class unrealistic.

Mass Tort litigation allows one attorney or a group of attorneys the ability to represent clients with similar injuries as well as pool together resources that can be used and shared by all clients just like in a class action lawsuit.

However, unlike a birth control class action lawsuit, there is no cap as to how much the settlement award can be in a MDL.

The Yaz MDL is formally titled In Re: Yasmin and YAZ (Drospirenone) Marketing, Sales Practices and Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2100, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

Take Action Now

If you or a loved one suffered from blood clot-related injuries after using Yaz or related Drospirenone birth control pills, you’ve almost certainly been through a trying ordeal. Blood clotting related ailments are medical emergencies and can be life threatening. But you need to remember that you still have rights, and there are steps that you can take to regain a measure of control over your situation. You can start by visiting the Birth Control Lawsuits: Yaz, Yasmin, Beyaz, Gianvi, Ocella Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. There, you can enter information about this situation for a free legal review by a trained expert with a background in this type of litigation.