Oral Contraceptives
Are Some Birth Control Pills Too Risky?
Some birth control pills have been shown to lead to an increased risk for adverse events. Some, like Yaz, Yasmin, and Beyaz, were required to add labels. Read more to find out what else you need to know.
Oral Contraceptives
Are Some Birth Control Pills Too Risky?
Some birth control pills have been shown to lead to an increased risk for adverse events. Some, like Yaz, Yasmin, and Beyaz, were required to add labels. Read more to find out what else you need to know.
Oral Contraceptives
Are Some Birth Control Pills Too Risky?
Some birth control pills have been shown to lead to an increased risk for adverse events. Some, like Yaz, Yasmin, and Beyaz, were required to add labels. Read more to find out what else you need to know.
Are Some Birth Control Pills Too Risky?
Some birth control pills have been shown to lead to an increased risk for adverse events. Some, like Yaz, Yasmin, and Beyaz, were required to add labels. Read more to find out what else you need to know.
Are Some Birth Control Pills Too Risky?
Some birth control pills have been shown to lead to an increased risk for adverse events. Some, like Yaz, Yasmin, and Beyaz, were required to add labels. Read more to find out what else you need to know.
be your own reproductive health advocate
Letter 26: Letter from Megan
Dear Annie,
I am so shocked and saddened to hear of your sudden, tragic passing. A young, intelligent, healthy woman, you had the brightest of futures as a new lawyer and were taken far too soon. Thank you to you and your family for bravely sharing your story with the world about the dangers of Yaz, Yasmin, and similar birth control pills. Your story has and will continue to save lives.
My journey with birth control started when I was 17. I went into my appointment not knowing anything about the different types of birth control or their possible side effects. Throughout the next three years, I was on 3 different types of the pill, never quite finding one that did not have any uncomfortable, annoying, or inconvenient side effects. But, even though my experience with birth control was not the smoothest, I have been extremely lucky to have a gynecologist who will not prescribe me Yaz pills and has always been open and honest about the effects of birth control pills. You were not as lucky, and I am so devastated by that.
As a health policy student who has a special interest in women's health, it is so disheartening to know that this dangerous pill is still being taken by and prescribed to so many young women. It is such a mundane thing– taking a pill every day at the same time, seldom stopping to think about any negative effects. And yet, we take for granted every day that goes by where we remain healthy.
We take our health for granted because we have an ingrained trust in our doctors and regulatory bodies. When these entities fail us by keeping dangerous drugs on the market and continuing to prescribe it to uninformed women, it is up to us to become advocates for our own health and the health of those around us. Because of you, Annie, I will be that advocate to ensure that the women who I love are aware of the life-endangering side-effects of drospirenone. More than anything, I hope that justice will be reached and that pharmaceutical companies and FDA will be held accountable for the pain that they have caused your family and so many others.
Best,
Megan