Your body has a normal clotting system that produces thrombi (i.e. blood clots) to help heal venous and arterial injuries and to prevent excess bleeding. After injuries have been repaired, your body naturally dissolves the clots. By contrast, Yaz and Yasmin blood clots form when there is no need. As a result, your body’s clot-dissolving mechanism fails to dissolve them.

Once abnormal clots form, they cling to the venous or arterial walls. However, a piece of a thrombus can break away and migrate with your bloodstream. This exposes you to a risk of pulmonary embolism, stroke, and heart attack.

Blood Clots In The Veins

There are two types of veins in your body; both are defined by their proximity to the surface of your skin. Superficial veins lie directly underneath your skin (you can observe them with a casual glance). Beneath them lie muscles. Underneath these muscles lie deep veins.

Yasmin and Yaz blood clots usually form in the deep veins of the legs. This is a condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). You might experience persistent swelling, redness, and pain as the clots cause blood to pool within the area. As long as the thrombi remain attached to the venous wall, these will be the extent of your symptoms. Unfortunately, the clots can be dislodged by the surrounding muscles.

Groups of muscles contract around your deep veins, squeezing them and pushing blood toward your heart and lungs. Blood flows into your lungs and picks up oxygen before your heart circulates it throughout your body. If a thrombus within one of your deep veins breaks away from the wall, it can travel to your lungs and block a pulmonary artery. In doing so, it will prevent oxygen-rich blood from reaching a portion of your lung tissue. This is known as a pulmonary embolism, a dangerous medical event that often results in death if it is not treated promptly.

Blood Clots In The Arteries

While veins carry blood toward your heart, arteries carry blood away from it toward your organs. Yasmin and Yaz blood clots can form in any of these arteries. Similar to venous thrombosis, thrombi cling to the arterial walls, but can break away and travel with your bloodstream. Rather than moving toward your heart, they can migrate to arteries elsewhere in your body.

If a thrombus becomes detached from its wall and travels toward your brain, it can trigger an ischemic stroke. This occurs when an embolus (i.e. traveling clot) becomes lodged within an internal carotid artery and prevents blood from reaching your brain. The affected brain cells starve and begin dying within three or four minutes.

An embolus can also arrive within a coronary artery. These arteries, and their supporting branches of blood vessels, supply your heart with oxygen-rich blood. If an embolus prevents blood from reaching the surface tissue of your heart, it will trigger myocardial infarction – a heart attack.

Pulmonary embolism, stroke, and heart attack are among the most dangerous side effects of Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella. All three oral contraceptives can expose you to these risks. If you have already developed deep vein thrombosis or blood clots within any of your arteries, contact a Yaz lawyer to explore your legal options. You may have the right to file a Yaz blood clot lawsuit claim for compensation against the manufacturer.

Yaz side effects blood clots involving deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is defined as a blood clot that forms in one of the veins that lay deep in your body. These veins are buried within groups of muscles, in contrast to those that lay near the surface of your skin (called superficial veins). The danger with DVT is that the muscles surrounding the deep veins contract whenever you move. The contractions squeeze them, pushing blood back to your heart. If a clot is attached to the venous wall, it can become dislodged by the contractions and carried in the same direction.

Traveling blood clots (i.e. emboli) pose a substantial risk because they can wander into a key artery and create a blockage. Such blockages prevent blood and oxygen from reaching the associated organ. Below, you’ll discover how Ocella, Yasmin and Yaz blood clots in the deep veins can eventually cause stroke, heart attack, and pulmonary embolism.

Stroke: Yaz Blood Clots In The Brain

Your brain is supplied with blood, oxygen, and nutrients by your carotid arteries. Any interruption in this supply results in a stroke. This can occur if an embolus passes through your heart and emerges in your aorta. From there, it can travel into one of your carotid arteries and prevent oxygen-rich blood from reaching a portion of your brain. The affected brain cells will starve and begin dying within minutes.

Yaz stroke injury can result in physical and mental impairments. The location of the stroke and the amount of time that passes before treatment is administered influences the type and severity of the impairment.

Heart Attack: Coronary Arterial Blockage

Your heart is supplied with oxygen-rich blood by your coronary arteries. Blood flows through them into a secondary network of blood vessels that spread across the surface of your heart muscle. These main arteries begin at the base of your aorta. An embolus passing through your heart can immediately veer into one of your coronary arteries (as opposed to traveling to a carotid artery). If it clogs one of the blood vessels, you will suffer myocardial infarction – a heart attack.

Because a heart attack damages the muscle, it reduces its ability to pump blood to the rest of your body. As a result, you might become unable to participate in rigorous activity for long periods. It’s worth noting the function of your heart can be improved through cardiac rehabilitation.

Another side effect of myocardial infarction is that your heart becomes more susceptible to a future attack. This risk is even higher if your heart becomes enlarged following the initial attack.

Pulmonary Embolism: Lung Tissue Death

Your lungs are supplied with blood by your pulmonary arteries. Blood flows from your heart’s right ventricle to your lungs in order to receive oxygen. An embolus can travel along and lodge within one of these arteries, triggering pulmonary embolism. With PE, the lung tissue fed by the clogged artery begins to starve. If the condition is not treated quickly, the affected portion of the lung tissue will begin to die. It will eventually be replaced by scar tissue.

Damage to the tissue can reduce your lung’s ability to oxygenate your blood. That can cause damage to other organs since they rely upon oxygen-rich blood to function properly.

Living With Yaz and DVT

To be sure, a Yaz blood clot that break away from the deep veins can cause life-threatening circumstances (i.e. stroke, heart attack, and pulmonary embolism). To prevent such problems, your doctor may recommend the installation of a metal filter within your vena cava (a large vein leading to your heart). Its purpose is to catch emboli as they migrate toward your heart and lungs.

Even if clots remain attached to the venous wall, they can still cause problems. Some become scar tissue and damage the valves within the blood vessels. That causes fluid to gather at the site, leading to swelling. In rare cases, the vein may be destroyed.

Healthy women with no history of abnormal clotting have experienced blood clots in their deep veins after using Ocella, Yasmin or Yaz birth control. The condition is dangerous. Moreover, it is often difficult to diagnose. If you have suffered deep vein thrombosis or any Yaz blood clot problems after using this oral contraceptive, you may be able to file a claim against the manufacturer. Contact a Yaz blood clot lawsuit attorney who can investigate your case.

Women suffering from side effects after using these birth control pills have looked at their legal options including being part of a Yaz blood clot lawsuit. At the root of Ocella, Yasmin and Yaz blood clots lie the hormones estrogen and drospirenone (a synthetic progestin). Most women are well aware all oral contraceptives that contain estrogen pose a risk of abnormal clotting. It is a risk millions of healthy women are willing to assume. However, the latter of the two hormones – drospirenone – may pose an additional danger. Researchers have discovered that combining it with estrogen raises the risk of clotting 6.3-fold over non-usage (as published in the British Medical Journal in 2009).

Blood clots caused by Ocella, Yaz and Yasmin birth control side effects can cause several dangerous medical events. Some are potentially life-threatening. Below, you’ll discover how clots form in the first place as well as common symptoms that indicate a problem. We’ll also take a closer look at the serious side effects of Yasmin and Yaz blood clots.

How Blood Clots Form

Clotting is a normal process your body initiates to help repair damaged blood vessels. When an area of the venous wall becomes damaged, platelets within your blood are the first to arrive at the site. They help produce fibrin, which forms a net-like mesh over the damaged area. Part of your body’s clotting system also provides for the dissolution of the clots once the damage has been repaired.

When Yaz or Yasmin cause abnormal clotting, the thrombi (i.e. clots) often remain attached to the venous wall without being properly dissolved. When this happens, you might experience a number of symptoms, depending on the size and location of the clots.

Yaz/Yasmin Blood Clot Symptoms

Blood clots can form in superficial veins or deep veins. The former lie near the surface of your skin. The latter are buried more deeply among groups of muscles. Thrombi that are present in superficial veins might cause pain or a dull throbbing sensation. You may also notice redness and tenderness. Clots within your deep veins – a condition known as deep vein thrombosis, or DVT – often manifest the same symptoms. That makes diagnosing them more difficult. Unfortunately, they are far more dangerous than clots in the superficial veins.

Conditions Caused By Yasmin/Yaz Blood Clots

To understand why DVT poses a danger, it’s worth reviewing how blood flows through your body. Your heart pumps oxygen-rich blood to your tissues and organs through a network of arteries. Once the oxygen is depleted, the blood is propelled back to your heart through a network of veins. It flows through the right side of your heart into your lungs to pick up more oxygen before circulating to your tissues and organs again.

With Yasmin and Yaz DVT, blood clots form along the deep venous wall. The surrounding muscles contract and squeeze the veins, thereby forcing blood back toward your heart and lungs. This constant squeezing activity can also cause clots to be jarred loose. If they become detached from the venous wall, they can be carried along with your bloodstream. Therein lies the danger.

Allowed to travel with your bloodstream, Yaz and Yasmin blood clots can migrate into your coronary, pulmonary, or internal carotid arteries. These arteries deliver oxygen-rich blood to your heart, lungs, and brain, respectively. If a clot lodges within any of them and forms a large enough blockage, blood will be prevented from passing through. The connected tissue will begin to starve and in some cases, die.

Depending on which artery is affected, you might experience a heart attack, pulmonary embolism, or stroke. Each of these events can cause persistent, debilitating side effects. If you are unable to receive treatment quickly enough, each of them can be potentially life-threatening.

Understanding The Dangers Of Blood Clots

While most women recognize the increased risk of abnormal clotting posed by Yaz and Yasmin, many remain unaware of the associated dangers. Blood clots can, by themselves, be a nuisance. However, the risks extend much further than many women realize. If you or someone you love has suffered blood clots, DVT, and other serious Ocella, Yasmin and Yaz side effects, now is the time to explore your legal rights. Contact a Yaz blood clot lawsuit lawyer to discuss whether you should file a claim against the manufacturer.

Doctors usually inform women about Yasmin blood clot risk symptoms. But, the potential serious side effects in this oral contraceptive may be greater than most women realize. To be sure, clotting is a normal healing mechanism of your body. It is an important process that aids in the repair of injured blood vessels. However, abnormal clotting can become problematic, especially if it occurs within your deep veins.

Your venous network includes superficial veins and deep veins. Clots in the former seldom cause serious problems. Clots in the latter define a condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Deep veins are surrounded by muscles that contract when you move. The muscles squeeze the veins and push blood toward your heart. The contractions can also dislodge existing clots, allowing them to be carried along with your bloodstream.

DVT is dangerous and can lead to a number of blood clot side effects. Unfortunately, the condition is often difficult to diagnose.

Diagnostic Tests Used To Identify Yaz DVT

Deep vein thrombosis is most common in the legs, though clots can also form in your arms and pelvis. The main reason DVT is difficult to diagnose is because symptoms are often nonexistent or barely noticeable. Your doctor will usually begin with a physical exam. He or she will check for signs of clots, including swelling, redness, or tenderness. If your doctor suspects Yaz blood clots after completing the physical exam, he or she will use one or more of the following tests to produce a conclusive diagnosis.

d-Dimer Test – This test measures the level of d-Dimers that are present in your blood. D-Dimers are fibrin particles that are produced when blood clots dissolve. Low levels imply a low likelihood that DVT exists. Elevated levels suggest the presence of clots, but is inconclusive since other factors (e.g. infection, pregnancy, etc.) can raise the level of d-Dimers. For that reason, doctors will only use this test as a way to rule out deep vein thrombosis.

Doppler Ultrasonography – This test is the most common one used for diagnosing deep venous clots. A doctor will apply gel on the suspected area and hold a device called a transducer at various angles near the site. The transducer emits ultrasound waves that bounce within the venous walls and create an image of your veins. While the ultrasound waves cannot directly produce an image of blood clots, they will help your doctor determine the rate of blood flow. Areas where the flow is slowed or restricted are likely to hold clots.

Venography – A venogram can be performed if an ultrasound fails to produce a conclusive diagnosis of Yasmin blood clots. The test uses a contrast dye, which is injected into your foot or ankle. X-rays are then taken of the veins within the suspected area to generate an image showing possible clots. Venography is used less often today than it was in the past because less invasive tests like Doppler ultrasonography are usually sufficient to make a diagnosis.

Dangerous Side Effects Of Yaz Blood Clots

Your heart is supplied with blood by your coronary arteries; your brain is supplied with blood by your carotid arteries; your lungs are fed by your pulmonary arteries. Blood clots in the deep veins are dangerous because they can break away from the venous wall and travel directly to your heart. Once emboli (i.e. migrating clots) reach your heart, they can lodge within – and block – any of the above arteries. In doing so, they might trigger heart attack, stroke, or pulmonary embolism. All three events can lead to lifelong impairments.

DVT is one of many serious Yaz side effects. The condition places women at risk of suffering debilitating medical events. Some, like pulmonary embolism, can be life-threatening. If you or a family member has developed blood clots after using Yasmin or Yaz birth control, you may have a legal right to file a claim for compensation. Contact a Yasmin blood clot lawsuit lawyer to discuss your case and explore your options.

While myocardial infarction poses an immediate danger (nearly 50% of victims die), it can be treated successfully if medical attention is administered quickly. However, survivors are usually burdened with one or more long-term complications for the remainder of their lives.

Arrhythmias

The four chambers of your heart contract and pump blood as the result of electrical impulses. These impulses are produced by the sinoatrial node, a group of cells in your right atrium. They follow a uniform pathway through your heart’s atria and ventricles, and regulate your heartbeat. If you suffer a Yasmin heart attack, the event can disrupt the path of these electrical signals. This causes an arrhythmia, a condition in which your heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or with an abnormal rhythm.

Reduced Ability To Pump Blood

If the Yasmin blood clots that block your coronary arteries are large, you might suffer a severe heart attack. In such cases, your heart muscle can sustain damage to the point that it becomes unable to sufficiently pump blood. This results in heart failure. If the muscle recovers, the problem may dissipate; otherwise, the damage may become permanent.

Subsequent Heart Attack

Suffering myocardial infarction weakens your heart and places you at risk of experiencing another attack. Nearly 10% of survivors will suffer a subsequent heart attack within a few months of the original event. Nearly 20% will experience recurrent post-infarction angina. Angina is chest pain that results when your heart does not receive an adequate supply of oxygenated blood.

Formation Of Additional Blood Clots

Though rare, a heart attack can damage the heart valves and cause blood to pool within the individual chambers. This can lead to the formation of blood clots in the chambers. Once formed, those clots can potentially escape through the left ventricle and block a coronary artery (triggering another attack) or travel toward your brain. If they reach a carotid artery, they can trigger ischemic stroke.

Pericarditis

Your heart is surrounded by a fibrous sac known as the pericardium. It is filled with fluid and helps contain your heart within your chest cavity while preventing it from over-expanding when blood volume rises. Myocardial infarction can cause inflammation of this sac, a condition known as pericarditis. The most common symptoms include fever, breathing difficulty, and joint pain.

Avoiding A Heart Attack

In addition to the complications described above, a Yasmin related heart attack can also be followed by hypotension, ventricular aneurysm, or a rupture in the heart’s wall. All are potentially dangerous. All can have serious long-term consequences.

If you have already experienced abnormal blood clots, deep vein thrombosis, heart attack, or other side effects of Yasmin Yaz or Ocella, you may have the right to file a claim. These events, while similar in nature, have a unique – and often lasting – impact on each victim. Contact a dedicated Yasmin blood clot attorney who will investigate your case and help determine whether you are due compensation for your injuries.

Yasmin causing blood clots is not always dangerous. If they form within superficial veins near the surface of your skin, their effects rarely extend beyond those associated with minor circulation problems. However, clots can form within the deep veins of your legs, arms, and pelvis. This is a condition known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Please contact us if you have any questions regarding your legal options being part of an Ocella or Yaz blood clot lawsuit.

DVT poses serious risks. If clots detach from the deep veins, they can travel to your lungs, heart, and brain. This is how Yaz pulmonary embolism, heart attack, and stroke occur. Below, you’ll learn how doctors treat Yaz blood clots, beginning with anticoagulants and progressing toward more aggressive treatment paths.

Preventing Yaz Blood Clots From Growing

Doctors who suspect a patient’s deep venous clots present a danger of breaking off and migrating will first administer anticoagulant therapy. This is done to prevent the clots from growing (as opposed to dissolving them).

Heparin is given through injection while warfarin is given in pill form. The former takes effect almost immediately, but is stopped when warfarin begins to work (usually within a few days). If the anticoagulants have no effect, or your body cannot tolerate them, thrombolytic medications may become necessary to treat the clots.

Using Thrombolytics To Dissolve Yasmin Blood Clots

Thrombolytic medications can be administered intravenously or through a catheter to dissolve Ocella blood clots. In doing so, these drugs can reestablish blood flow within the affected vein or artery. However, because they can cause bleeding, their use is typically reserved for circumstances in which your life is at risk.

If you are suffering from a large pulmonary embolism, your doctor may administer a tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to dissolve the offending clot. In the case of heart attack and ischemic stroke, the use of thrombolytics is influenced by how quickly the drugs can be administered after the first symptoms have presented. With a heart attack, they must be given within 12 hours to have any effect. With ischemic stroke, they must be given within 3 hours.

Doctors will occasionally prescribe thrombolytics for DVT if they suspect a clot is likely to become separated from its site. However, because of the risk of bleeding, most doctors will instead recommend the installation of a vena cava filter.

Installing A Vena Cava Filter

Groups of muscles surround your deep veins. When you move, those muscles squeeze the veins and send blood toward your heart. The blood travels through the vena cava, the largest vein in your body. Unfortunately, this is also the route taken by Yaz blood clots when they break off from your deep veins.

Doctors can install a metal filter within your vena cava. This filter functions like a net. Blood is allowed to pass through while emboli (i.e. traveling blood clots) are ensnared within the net. By catching the emboli, the vena cava filter prevents them from reaching your lungs, heart, and brain.

It’s worth underscoring that this filter does not technically treat the blood clots. Instead, it prevents their reaching vital arteries and causing pulmonary embolism, heart attack, and ischemic stroke.

Blood clots within your deep veins can potentially break off and trigger life-threatening events. Unfortunately, many women who are using Yaz birth control pills fail to realize the oral contraceptive sharply raises the risk of developing abnormal blood clots. This is due to the inclusion of drospirenone, a synthetic progestin that is combined with estrogen.

If you have suffered blood clots, DVT, pulmonary embolism, or other serious side effects of Ocella, Yamin or Yaz birth control, you may be able to file a claim against the manufacturer. Contact a Yaz blood clot lawsuit attorney to discuss your options.

Yaz and pulmonary embolism is caused by blood clots that migrate to the pulmonary arteries from other parts of the body. The clots may form due to the estrogen and drospirenone (a relatively new synthetic progestin) contained in these birth control pills including Ocella. Yaz causing blood clots may be triggered by the type of hormones contained in the contraceptive.

These emboli (i.e. wandering blood clots) usually migrate from a deep vein within one or both of your legs. When the muscles that surround your deep veins contract, they squeeze the veins and push blood toward your heart. The squeezing of the veins can also dislodge clots, allowing them to be carried along with your bloodstream through the vena cava.

The vena cava supplies oxygen-poor blood to the right side of your heart. Emboli can travel with the blood as it flows through your right atrium and exits your right ventricle through the pulmonary valve. Once the clots have traveled through the valve, they enter the pulmonary arteries, which supply blood to your lungs. If the blood clots form a blockage, you will experience pulmonary embolism blood clots. Ocella birth control has also been reported as being used by women how have suffered a PE.

Yaz PE can be fatal if it is not treated quickly. While anticoagulants – and in dire situations, thrombolytic medications – are administered as a first response, both may prove ineffective. In such cases, your surgeon may elect to perform a suction thrombectomy or pulmonary embolectomy. Both procedures are used to remove blood clots from the arteries. Both pose serious risks and thus, are reserved for life-threatening circumstances.

Suction Thrombectomy And Pulmonary Embolectomy

During suction thrombectomy, your vascular surgeon will thread a catheter to the pulmonary embolism. A sodium chloride solution is injected through the catheter at the site. This creates retrograde pressure within the blocked artery. The pressure draws the embolus toward the catheter’s tip, which breaks it apart before extracting it.

If all other forms of treatment, including suction thrombectomy, are unable to resolve the blockage caused by Yaz blood clots, pulmonary embolectomy might be performed. The procedure usually involves invasive thoracotomy. A large incision is made into your chest through which the surgeon accesses the site and removes the offending clots. If deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is persistent, the surgeon may also place a filter in your inferior vena cava to catch emboli in the future.

Potential Risks Of PE Surgery

Any type of invasive chest surgery poses serious risks. Infection can present and bleeding can occur. The danger of bleeding is the reason patients who undergo thoracotomy are prescribed anticoagulants for several months following the operation.

Yaz causing pulmonary embolism surgery carries additional risks. It can cause arrhythmia and kidney problems. Moreover, the surgeon may inadvertently dislodge other blood clots that exist within your pulmonary arteries, thereby triggering a subsequent PE. It is worth noting that pulmonary embolectomy has a relatively high mortality rate, but that may be partly due to the procedure being performed on severely ill patients.

Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella birth control pills, like other hormone based contraceptives, are suspected of increasing the risk of blood clots. Healthy women who have never experienced abnormal clotting have developed clots after taking this oral contraceptive. When the clots form in the deep veins of the legs, they pose a danger of causing Yaz pulmonary embolism, heart attack, and stroke. If you or someone you know has taken these birth control pills and suffered clotting, PE, or other serious side effects, contact a Yaz blood clots attorney. Explore your legal options and seek the compensation you deserve.

Yaz and Yasmin (as well as the generic brand, Ocella) are known as combined-hormone oral contraceptives. They were the first birth control pills in the U.S. to introduce drospirenone as an active ingredient, and combine it with estrogen. Drospirenone is a synthetic progestin that has caused controversy due to its link to abnormal blood clots. While all estrogen-based birth control solutions carry a risk of clotting, drospirenone sharply raises that risk.

Healthy women have developed Yaz / Yasmin blood clots despite having never experienced abnormal clotting in the past, even after using other estrogen-based contraceptives. Below, I’ll explain how these clots can lead to serious, even life-threatening, circumstances.

Yaz Blood Clots And Your Venous System

There are two types of veins in your body: superficial and deep veins. Superficial veins lie near your skin’s surface. They are not surrounded by muscle. Blood clots that form within them will cause pain and swelling, but are unlikely to dislodge themselves. This is due to the absence of muscles that squeeze the veins.

Deep veins are located within groups of muscles. They connect to the vena cava, which sends blood toward your heart. When your muscles contract, they squeeze the veins and push blood into the vena cava.

If a blood clot forms in a deep vein, it can become dislodged as a result of the muscles squeezing the vein. Once dislodged, the clot can travel along with your bloodstream. If it reaches your vena cava, it will continue traveling toward your heart and major arteries. At that point, the danger of an arterial blockage escalates.

Arterial Blockages: Your Lungs, Heart, And Brain

If a Yaz blood clot that formed in a deep vein (typically, in the leg) reaches one of your main arteries, it can trigger grave side effects. For example, your pulmonary arteries feed blood to your lungs. The blood is oxygenated before it is sent throughout your body. A clot that lodges within one of these arteries can cause pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal condition. Even in the event that you receive immediate medical attention, you may suffer permanent damage to a portion of your lung tissue.

If the traveling blood clot (known as an embolus) finds its way into a coronary artery, it can have similarly disastrous results. Your coronary arteries supply your heart muscle with oxygen-rich blood. If any portion of the muscle is starved, that portion will sustain damage and you’ll experience a heart attack. If the flow of blood is not restored within a few hours, the damaged muscle will begin to die.

If the embolus reaches any of your carotid, vertebral, or basilar arteries, and creates a blockage, you will suffer an ischemic stroke. These arteries supply your brain with oxygen and nutrients. If the clot interrupts the flow of blood, a portion of your brain will starve. Unlike pulmonary embolism and heart attack, which can potentially develop slowly, ischemic stroke can develop rapidly. The portion of your brain that is starved by the blockage will begin to die within minutes.

Are You At Risk?

When Yaz or Yasmin blood clots form within a deep vein (deep vein thrombosis), they suggest potentially dangerous side effects down the road. The squeezing of your muscles around the vein can dislodge the clots and send them toward your vena cava. Pulmonary embolism, heart attack, and stroke become possible as the emboli travel closer to your lungs, heart, and brain.

If you or someone you love has experienced abnormal clotting after taking Yaz or Yasmin oral contraceptives, you may have the right to make a legal claim against the manufacturer. Contact a Yaz blood clot attorney to explore your options.

If Yasmin or Yaz DVT is left untreated, the clot can detach itself and be carried along with your bloodstream. If the embolus (a wandering clot) reaches a pulmonary artery, it may cause a pulmonary embolism. If it reaches a coronary artery, it might trigger a heart attack. If it travels to a carotid artery and prevents blood from reaching your brain, you will likely suffer a stroke.

Below, I’ll provide an overview of common forms of treatment for Yasmin and Yaz DVT. They include medications, surgery, and less invasive procedures.

Preventing Future Clots With Anticoagulants

Once you are diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT), your doctor will prescribe one or more anticoagulants (also called blood thinners). Their purpose is twofold: to prevent the existing clot from growing larger and to prevent future clots from forming. The two most common blood thinners used to treat DVT are heparin and Coumadin (also called warfarin). Heparin is administered directly into a vein (i.e. injection or IV) and has an immediate effect. Coumadin is taken in pill form and produces results within a few days.

It’s important to note that blood thinners do not dissolve Yaz blood clots. That is the job of thrombolytic drugs.

Dissolving Existing Clots With Thrombolytics

If the blood clot is large and presents severe symptoms or a life-threatening circumstance, your doctor may suggest thrombolysis. Medications called thrombolytics are administered intravenously. These drugs can quickly dissolve existing clots. However, because they also carry a risk of bleeding and stroke, physicians will only recommend their use if your life is in danger.

Vena Cava Filters: An Alternative To Anticoagulants

When anticoagulants fail to prevent clotting, or you’re not a suitable candidate for them, your doctor may recommend a vena cava filter. There is a large vein within your abdomen that carries blood to your lungs and heart. It is called the vena cava. A vascular surgeon can use a catheter to position a filter within the vena cava. The filter will catch wandering clots (called emboli) before they can reach a pulmonary or coronary artery.

Preventing Pooling With Elastic Compression Stockings

A Yaz DVT can cause swelling within your leg as blood pools in the clot site. An elastic compression stocking can be worn around your lower leg to prevent pooling and further clotting. It extends from your ankle to the bottom of your knee, applying a graduated level of pressure. The stocking is tightest near your ankle which encourages blood to move upward toward your heart.

Venous Thrombectomy: Dealing With Severe Yaz DVT

Though rare, deep vein thrombosis can be so severe that invasive surgery is necessary to preserve the patient’s life. The condition is called phlegmasia cerulea dolens; it is unresponsive to anticoagulants, thrombolytics, and other non-surgical treatment paths. Left untreated, it can lead to gangrene. A surgeon can perform a venous thrombectomy to surgically remove the clot from within the deep vein.

Blood clots are common when taking oral contraceptives that contain estrogen. The hormone drospirenone presents a higher risk. If you or someone you love has suffered from blood clots that have led to Yaz DVT, you may have legal rights. Contact a Yaz attorney to discuss them.

Yaz birth control is known as a fourth-generation combined-hormone contraceptive because it contains a synthetic hormone called drospirenone. Along with ethinyl estradiol, drospirenone has been found to increase the risk of blood clots 6.3-fold compared to non-use. Unfortunately, the clotting can lead to a number of serious Yaz side effects. Below, I’ll explain how Yaz blood clots can cause deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can lead to pulmonary embolism, strokes, and heart attacks.

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

Most instances of deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot that forms within a deep vein) occur in the legs, though they can also form in the arms and pelvis. Normally, the muscles in your legs contract through regular physical activity. The contractions squeeze the deep veins and push blood back toward your heart. Yaz birth control can cause your blood to coagulate faster than normal. When that happens, a blood clot can form within the deep vein.

Deep vein thrombosis impedes your circulation. By itself, it is not a life-threatening circumstance, though many women experience discomfort within the DVT site. The danger increases substantially if the blood clot becomes detached from the site and travels with the bloodstream.

Pulmonary Embolism, Strokes, And Heart Attacks

A traveling blood clot is known as an embolus. It is dangerous because it can directly block blood flow to your lungs, brain, and heart. For example, if an embolus travels toward your lungs and settles within a pulmonary artery, it can prevent blood from reaching the lung fed by that artery. This is known as pulmonary embolism (PE); it often results in permanent lung damage.

Similarly, an embolus can settle within an artery that feeds oxygen-rich blood to your brain. If your brain is starved of oxygen, you might experience an ischemic stroke. That may lead to long-term physical impairment.

If the embolus settles within a coronary artery, it can prevent blood from reaching your heart, which will trigger a heart attack. Within a few hours, the area of your heart muscle that has been starved of blood will begin to die.

Should You File A Yaz Lawsuit?

Even though all oral contraceptives increase the risk of developing blood clots, Yaz birth control carries a markedly higher risk. There is growing evidence that Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals (the manufacturer of Yaz and Yasmin) was aware of the dangers and neglected to inform the public. Meanwhile, they launched an aggressive marketing campaign that positioned their drugs as superior to available alternatives, a claim that the FDA forced them to retract.

An increasing number of women who have experienced a Yaz blood clot have filed lawsuits to hold Bayer accountable. If you or someone you love has suffered from DVT, pulmonary embolism, strokes, or heart attacks as the result of taking this oral contraceptive, contact a Yaz lawyer today. You may be eligible to file a claim.