Back to HOMEPAGE

The New York Times - Health Concerns Over Popular Contraceptives - Although Bayer has positioned its Yaz and Yasmin birth control pills as the dominant prescriptions in the oral contraceptive market, concerns still remain that Yaz and Yasmin cause serious side effects, including an increased risk for heart attack, blood clots, and strokes.

British Medical Journal - The venous thrombotic risk of oral contraceptives, effects of oestrogen dose and progestogen type: results of the MEGA case-control study - In October of 2008, the United State Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter to Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals outlining Bayer's misleading TV commercials for the Yaz and Yasmin products. The FDA outlined a number of transgressions including overstating the efficacy of the drug, understating serious risks and side effects, and indicating that Yaz and Yasmin were treatments for ailments that they had not been approved to treat.

British Medical Journal - Hormonal contraception and risk of venous thromboembolism: national follow-up study - According to this study in the British Medical Journal, oral contraceptives that contain both drospirenone and levonorgestrel show no clear difference in their ability to prevent pregnancy or treat acne. The authors of the study suggest that when choosing an oral contraceptive, the choice should be based on which product offers a lesser risk of side effects such as deep vein thrombosis, heart attacks, or strokes.

FDA sends warning letter to Bayer Pharmaceutical over the birth control drug Yaz - Researchers in Denmark found that individuals who use oral contraceptives with drospirenone, such as Yaz and Yasmin birth control, are four times more likely to develop venous thrombosis than those who don't use oral contraceptives containing drospirenone.