Living with Contraception

I am a 48 year old non-smoker. After 16 months of worsening peri-menopause symptoms and PMS I spoke with my GYN about my declining quality of life. We discussed the fact that 22 years earlier I had experience a DVT after a C-section. As I had not had any recurrence or even phlebitis or treatment for over 20 years, I began taking the US oral contraceptive drug YAZ, which is drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol. This appears to be the same drug marketed in Europe under the name Yasmin. This drug is purported to assist with PMS PMDD, acne, and birth control.

On the SIXth DAY after taking YAZ, I had sudden onset shortness of breath. It wasn’t like anything I had ever experienced. While sitting still, my breathing could return to normal, but any movement would cause extreme exertion and inability to get enough air! We went to the Emergency Room. I did not have chest pain, but after walking the short distance from the parking lot I was so short of breath I could not speak. My partner told the ER nurse that I had chest pain and shortness of breath.

Chest x-ray was inconclusive. Blood was drawn b/c of the possible heart attack protocol of shortness of breath and chest pain Heart enzymes were slightly elevated. Protocol then called for a CT scan even though ER Doc and staff believed I had a “virus”. CT scan results got everyone hopping. PE in both lungs. Size of a quarter on right, multiple large clots on the left. Lovenox and 6 days in the hospital. Am now home and on coumadin for lifetime. Have hypertension of the bicuspid heart valve (leaking) from the stress the clots caused to my heart. Follow up regularly with Pulmonologist and Cardiologist

I just found an article about a study in Europe that details a possible link of increased DVT/PE with the use of Yazmin oral contraceptive http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1884900
It is worth the read.