Yasmin Complaints Have No Borders

Paris, FranceElina took Yazmine, which is the French equivalent of Yasmin, for more than 10 years before she realized that her health issues are likely related to the oral contraceptive. "I've had gallbladder problems and I have varicose veins and my doctor told me that I need to have them taken out before blood clots form," Elina says. "I can't help but worry that I might develop deep vein thrombosis [DVT] or even worse because of Yazmine."

When she was only 15 years old, Elina was prescribed Yazmine by her gynecologist because she had cysts on her ovaries, although she wasn't sexually active. "I never thought about any side effects, even after blood vessels exploded in my eye—my doctor said it was due to high blood pressure," she says. "I also ignored the varicose veins until recently, when I discovered all the Yasmin lawsuits, and how many women have suffered from DVTs—apparently varicose veins can lead to blood clots in deeper veins. Or worse, travel to your lungs or heart. No one in my family has a history of varicose veins, which leads me to believe that Yazmine is to blame.

"I'm now 28 years old, and overall, my health has been quite fragile. The more I researched Yasmin and Yaz, the more everything made sense; I realized that all the other health issues I've had throughout the past decade or so could be linked to the pill. I know this may have nothing to do with a Yasmine lawsuit, but my hormonal production is completely out of balance since I took the pill. After I stopped taking it I didn't have my period for almost a year, and my skin has been getting worse and worse due to that. I've had gallbladder problems for years and I suffer from serious back aches.

"So, the bottom line is that I am now paying the consequences of taking that pill. I have problems with my health that no one in my family has or had. And getting my varicose veins removed from both legs is going to cost at least $2,000."

Closer to home, Mary (not her real name) from New York was prescribed Yasmin when she was 23 years old, and she took it for 10 months before she suffered three blood clots. "I had a lot of pain in my right knee and I was shocked when they found these blood clots," she says. "Not only was it terrifying, worrying that the blood clots could travel to my heart or lungs, I also had to go through months of being on blood thinner medications, multiple blood tests and doctor's visits. It got to be very expensive."

Mary says that she was prompted to call an experienced Yasmin attorney after she read a number of Yasmin interviews on LawyersandSettlements, and the recent news about the FDA's decision regarding labeling on Yasmin products.

"I feel that I need to be 'counted' as one of the women who were negatively affected by Yasmin so that the FDA has more data in which to base their decisions about the overall safety of this drug," Mary adds. "I believe that this drug is dangerous and that women need to speak up and stand up so that other women can make the best informed decisions and weigh the risks associated with Yasmin and Yaz."