Yaz, Stroke, and Lawsuits

    

The serious risks involved in the Yaz method of birth control include stroke, which is defined by two categories – ischemic strokes happen when a blood clot obstructs the flow of oxygen to the brain, which kills off brain cells. A hemorrhagic stoke occurs when there is bleeding in the brain. Both types of stroke are extremely serious and cause significant loss in brain function, which leads to complications – paralysis, loss of balance, loss of vision or hearing, and inability to speak or understand basic communication are common in stoke victims. 

     Physical rehabilitation and medical treatment can be beneficial to victims, but it is not always possible to enjoy a full recovery from a stroke. Broadway actress Brenda Hamilton suffered a stroke at the age of twenty-seven, which is relatively uncommon. She was taking Yasmin birth control at the time. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes are risk factors for stroke – and most strokes happen in older people. Brenda had none of these risk factors. 

      She was lucky enough to have made a complete recovery from her stroke, but many people are not so lucky. Susan Gallenos, a young mother from California, had only been taking Yaz for one month before suffering a stroke, which occurred in 2008. Her stroke was so severe that the swelling in her brain forced doctors to remove a piece of her skull in order to alleviate the pressure. She now has brain damage with a diminished IQ and a changed personality – her children now have to adapt to the changed woman who is their mother.

     Other side effects of Yaz include gallbladder disease, heart attack, and pulmonary embolism, which are all very serious and can be life-threatening. Because Yaz raises the risks for these serious conditions, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, the corporation that manufactures the drug, have been faced with over three thousand Yaz lawsuits in recent months from women who have suffered from the negative side effects of the drug, and the Food and Drug Administration has given the company a warning based on their advertising methods – Yaz was originally touted as an effective low-estrogen birth control with properties that could help fight mild to moderate acne, and the serious risks of taking the drug were glossed over by the company.