FDA finds worrisome trend with new birth control pills

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - A new FDA study has revealed a troubling trend among women taking a new class of birth control that includes the popular contraceptives Yaz and Yasmine.

Those birth control pills contain a synthetic form of the hormone progestin called drospirenone. The FDA study indicates that synthetic ingredient is making women sick.

Yaz and Yasmine were marketed to young women, used by young women, and according to trial lawyers - harmed young women. Many were women like Gina Miller, a 30-something mother of three.

She is an athlete who suddenly got sick after taking Yaz.

"My running was a struggle,” she recalled. “I was fatigued and short of breath. I just didn't feel like myself."

She was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism - blood clots in her lungs. Now an FDA study confirms that Miller is not alone.

The FDA examined the records more than 800,000 women that showed those taking newer forms of birth control like Yaz and Yazmine had a 75 percent greater chance of developing dangerous blood clots.

"That's incredible. What's my reaction? I wish I could say I was shocked," said Will Riley, an Indianapolis attorney representing more than 65 women in a class action lawsuit against Bayer Pharmaceuticals, the maker of Yaz and Yasmine.

"We see strokes, pulmonary emboli in the lungs, and we see gallbladder injuries requiring surgery," he said.

The FDA mandates warnings on the pill packaging that instruct women to watch for signs of blood clots that include persistent leg pain, severe chest pain or sudden shortness of breath.

As for Bayer, an aggressive marketing campaign helped push sales of Yaz and Yasmine to celebrated highs.

"I believe to date Bayer has made $1.6 billion," Riley said.

Now Bayer faces an estimated 8,000 lawsuits.

The FDA warns women who you smoke and are older than 35 should not take a newer class contraceptive because they could experience a "serious cardiovascular event."

If you're taking Yaz, Yasmine or any contraceptive with drospirenone and you're concerned, FDA leaders advise that you should talk to your doctor before you stop taking the drugs.

The FDA meets Dec. 8 to consider the drugs' safety.