Yaz

I just heard that the teenage daughter of our good friends almost died. She's okay now, but only after a terrifyingly close call.

The diagnosis by the ICU doctors: Yaz.

Her birth control pills.

She's a freshman at UVA and she got Yaz, the birth control of choice among teens (it helps that it's got a cool name and takes care of acne too) from the school's health service.

According to our friends, the doctors at their daughter's hospital said that there have been numerous cases of blood clots with Yaz and that this is going to become a big issue. 

Their daughter is still getting her strength back and is on blood thinners for the next nine months to make sure she doesn't have a recurrence.

Here's the New York Times article, "Health Concerns Over Popular Contraceptives", that came out on Yaz last year.

Comments

[Cooper]

That is terrifying. The idea/question of what birth control pills actually do in your body always freaked me out.

[Becki]

Terrifying is the word for it. I'm so glad she's okay.

[BeachMama]

How awful. Glad to hear she is doing alright. Blood clots have always been an issue with birth control pills, it just happens that we don't get to hear of the cases where it actually happens to someone we know. And poor girl was probably thinking she was doing the right thing.

[Sparki]

They should sue the student health center for not taking a complete family medical history (family history of cardiac problems should mean NO PILL!). Planned Parenthood does the same thing -- hands out Rx for the pill to women who should never take it. They will not stop until there is financial & legal ramifications. I have taught my daughters that our family medical history means the pill is DEADLY. Have you had that conversation with yours?

[mammasam]

This is terrifying! The Pill always made me sick. I last took it 20 years ago.

[Jenny from Mommin' It Up]

I have heard all this stuff about Yaz. I was on it for about two months and it made me CRAZY. Depressed to the max. I had never experienced depression before. I think there are enough documented cases like your friends' daughters that they need to take it OFF the market!!

[JamericanSpice]

I'm glad she is doing alright.

I keep hearing such bad things about Yaz.

Wasn't surprising when they updated their ad with other info about what can happen to you. I guess they were forced to do it?

[Grace from The Productive Mom]

I use Yaz and have been using it for over a year now, and also a couple of years between older and younger children. No complaints on my end but now I am off to go look into this news!

[Julie M.]

Holy cow Emily. That's terrifying! I'm so glad to hear she's doing alright.

[freelance writers]

Tsk tsk...this kind of things shouldn't be happening yet to our teen daughters,.