What is the link between Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella birth control and gallbladder disease? | Yaz injury lawsuit

Many women who have taken the birth control Yaz, Yasmin or Ocella have experienced gallbladder disease, or complications from the presence of gallstones in the gallbladder. The purpose of the gallbladder is to store bile until the body needs it to aid in the digestion of food in the small intestine.

If there is too much cholesterol present in the gallbladder, the cholesterol can harden into crystal-like stones, with sizes ranging from that of a grain of salt up to the size of a golf ball. Gall stones can also form from the excess cholesterol if the gall bladder does not empty itself frequently enough.

The chemicals in Yaz birth control have been shown to increase the levels of cholesterol, which may be why so many previously-healthy women have developed gall stones while on the drug.

Yaz birth control and its generics, Yasmin and Ocella, are also the only oral contraceptives on the market that contain the progestin, Drospirenone. Drospirenone has strong diuretic qualities, which rid the body of salt and water, but it can also cause dehydration. During dehydration, the bile in the gallbladder can become over-saturated, which in turn can cause the gallbladder to slow down and gall stones to form.

Gallbladder disease develops when the gall stones cause some sort of other problem in the body, with the most common problems being:

- Severe pain and swelling from a buildup of pressure that occurs when the gall stones obstruct the cystic duct and prevent the flow of bile

- The gall stones blocking the biliary duct, preventing bile from flowing to the intestine and causing bilirubin, the active ingredient in bile, to build up in the blood. This results in jaundice, when the skin and eyes become yellow from the bilirubin

When either of these conditions develops, doctors often opt to surgically remove the gallbladder, as some women taking Yaz have had to go through. Risks of the surgery include bleeding, infection, injury to the common bile duct or small intestine and pancreatitis.

If you have had your gallbladder removed while taking Yaz birth control, and would like more information, contact Zoll, Kranz and Borgess toll-free at 888.841.9623 or via email at Anneke@ToledoLaw.com.