As a Kentucky woman, you may be on oral contraceptives for a number of reasons. Whether it’s personal lifestyle choices or for health-related concerns, you should be aware of the fact that there is a strong rumor mill surrounding one ingredient that can be found in certain types of birth control pills.
This ingredient, known as drospirenone, is a type of progestin hormone that can be found in certain birth control pills manufactured by Bayer. According to the National Center for Health Research, this hormone has brought up safety concerns within the Food and Drug Administration. The largest primary concern is that products containing drospirenone may increase the chance of you having a blood clot more than most other types of oral contraceptives. While blood clots have always been a potential issue among those taking birth control pills, some studies have shown that the risks may double or more with drospirenone-based drugs.
On the other hand, studies have been examined by the FDA and the findings from those studies varied. This may be for a number of reasons, such as the divisions of the participants, or differences in how these studies were set up and examined thereafter. The end conclusion was that pills with drospirenone in them do increase the chances of blood clots. However, the number raised from six clots in 10,000 women with traditional contraceptives to ten in 10,000 with drospirenone. These increased risks also largely affect women over 35, while women younger than 35 taking birth control for the first time had an increased chance of both clotting and heart attacks.
All oral contraceptives come with a certain level of risk. However, some can potentially be more harmful than others. These are all important things to take into consideration when deciding what birth control pill is right for you.