Here is a piece on one of our clients who came close to dying from blood clots. We believe that these blood clots could have been caused by her birth control pills. WUSA9 article brought to you by Yaz  injury lawyers  Greenberg and Bederman.

Yaz and DVT

Since Yaz, Yasmin and Oscella have been on the market, hundreds of women who use these birth control pills have been hospitalized with a medical condition called deep vein thrombosis or DVT. While that might not sound like a particularly harmful event, DVT can actually be extremely painful, and even fatal in some cases.

As the name of the condition implies, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) occurs in the major veins in the legs rather than the superficial, minor veins closer to the surface of the skin. What happens is that a blood clot or blood clots develop in the major veins. Believe it or not, the blood clots themselves are not necessarily harmful. Your blood clots quite naturally whenever you cut yourself. But the situation becomes dangerous when the clotting mechanism gets overzealous; especially when pieces of the clots start to break off, because then they are pulled into the pulmonary circulation system.

Blood is meant to flow unimpeded. In fact, this what keeps us alive. Blood is the delivery system for oxygen to every organ in our bodies, from the heart to the lungs to the brain, and if an obstacle is placed in the path of the regular flow of blood, the results can be painful, long lasting or fatal. This is what causes strokes. This is what causes heart attacks. And this is what causes pulmonary embolisms or DVT.

There are multiple causes of DVT. It can be caused by obesity, smoking, or even prolonged immobility. There have been cases where people who spent too much time on planes or trains have developed clots in their legs. It is also not uncommon for people who have suffered leg injuries to develop this condition. Leg fractures or even deep bruises can cause the natural clotting mechanism to overreact.

Another contributing factor to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is birth control pills. The use of progestin in these pills has been known to cause clotting in a few cases ever since birth control pills became available but the number of cases has been minuscule enough for progestin to be considered an acceptable risk.

But this was before Bayer started substituting drospirenone for progestin. The instances of blood clots among women who use these Bayer brands of pills is much higher than those women who take other birth control pills, and according to studies published in the British Medical Journal, the cause of this spike in incidents of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) can be laid at the feet of drospirenone.

This synthetic variation of progestin has been shown to raise the potassium levels in the blood, which makes blood clots much more likely. Rather than warn doctors and potential customers of this fact, Bayer instead focused on other aspects of their birth control pill, such as preventing acne and minimizing effects of PMS and PMDD.

There are various symptoms of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) that you should be familiar with, especially if you happen to be taking birth control pills, and most especially if you happen to be taking Yaz, Yasmin or Oscella. If you experience any of these symptoms, you should seek medical treatment immediately.

Sharp Pain: The pain can occur in the legs, but can be especially sharp in your side or chest if a clot starts to travel.
Swelling: Swelling in your legs is a common sign of DVT.
Warmth: Victims of DVT have experienced a warming sensation in their legs.
Discolored Skin or Bruises: Redness or bruising are also symptoms of heavy clotting.

With deep vein thrombosis (DVT), it is much better to be safe than sorry. It is the sort of condition where it far better to be to early than too late.

Greenberg and Bederman is a Washington, D.C. personal injury law firm that is offering legal assistance for women who have suffered medical complications from the use of Bayer’s line of birth control pills. That includes Yaz, Yasmin, and Oscella. We are helping women receive compensation for their medical bills, as well as pain and suffering. If you or a loved one has been injured or hospitalized due to the use of these birth control pills, contact our yaz lawyer at Greenberg and Bederman for a free yaz legal consultation today