Ocella, Yaz and Yasmin gallbladder disease symptoms usually begins with the formation of gallstones. These stones form as the result of circumstances that can be traced to the hormones contained in this birth control pill. Even though stones might be present for years without causing symptoms, they can become symptomatic unexpectedly and require medical treatment. Without treatment, several dangerous complications can develop. Individual cases have been consolidated into multi-district litigation and there is currently no national Yasmin class action lawsuit gallbladder litigation in the United States.

To understand how Yasmin birth control may contribute to gallbladder problems, it’s important to know how your biliary tract works. We’ll cover this in more detail below. You’ll also discover some of the serious side effects that can develop as the result of Yasmin gallstones.

How Your Biliary Tract Works

Your biliary tract includes the organs and ducts that contribute to the delivery of bile to your small intestine. Bile fluid is manufactured and secreted by your liver. It is collected into the common hepatic duct through which it flows toward your gall bladder.

The common hepatic duct merges with the cystic duct to form the common bile duct. The majority of the bile fluid travels through the cystic duct and into the gall bladder, where it is stored and concentrated. It remains there until food enters your small intestine.

When food arrives, the presence of fat stimulates the release of a hormone called cholecystokinin. The release of this hormone, in turn, stimulates contractions in your gallbladder, which pushes bile outward into the common bile duct. The fluid flows downward through the duct and eventually passes a muscular valve called the Sphincter of Oddi. This valve controls the passage of bile and pancreatic secretions into the duodenum, the top portion of your small intestine.

Essentially, your biliary tract has two jobs to perform. First, it carries waste material from your liver to your small intestine. Second, it functions as the delivery mechanism for bile, which is necessary for digestion.

Bile also has two jobs. It serves as the delivery vehicle for waste material from your liver to your duodenum. It also helps digest fats. Being aware of this process is important for understanding how Yasmin gallbladder disease develops.

Effects Of Yasmin and Yaz On Your Gallbladder

This birth control pill contains estrogen and drospirenone, a synthetic progestin hormone used exclusively in Yasmin, Yaz, and Ocella. Many experts believe these hormones have two distinct effects on the biliary tract. First, they cause the liver to secrete a higher-than-normal level of cholesterol. This is significant because most gallstones are comprised of cholesterol. Second, the hormones reduce the gall bladder’s activity. The contractions become less frequent and less forceful, which causes the organ’s contents to remain within.

Excess cholesterol and reduced motility (i.e. movement) dovetail, setting the stage for the formation of gallstones. Cholesterol normally comprises a very small portion of the liver’s secretions. This makes it possible for the compound to be absorbed into the gall bladder’s lining. When there is too much cholesterol present, it cannot be absorbed completely; the excess sits within the organ and forms crystals.

Meanwhile, the reduced motility results in bile fluid remaining within the gall bladder. Along with bilirubin, calcium, and small fragments of cholesterol, it turns into biliary sludge. This sludge can inflame the lining and eventually evolve into stones. This inflammation is the catalyst for the intense abdominal pain experienced during a gallbladder attack.

Health Problems Caused By Yaz Gallbladder Side Effects

The typical treatment path for symptomatic gallstones and gallbladder disease is to have the organ surgically removed. However, many patients neglect the pain, and refuse to seek medical attention. This can lead to a number of dangerous complications.

Infection can develop in certain areas of your biliary tract, causing liver damage and kidney problems. Acute inflammation of the gallbladder can lead to perforation, fistulas, and accumulation of pus in the organ (called empyema). If gallstones migrate far enough down the common bile duct, they can block secretions from your pancreas, causing pancreatitis. This condition can be potentially fatal.

Yasmin gallbladder disease can be dangerous if the condition’s underlying cause is left untreated. If you have suffered from gallstones, inflammation of the gall bladder, or any related complications, contact a Yasmin lawyer to discuss your case. You may be able to file a Yasmin lawsuit gallbladder claim.

Yaz side effects involving a pulmonary embolism is defined as a blockage in the lung arteries. This blockage prevents blood from reaching the lung tissue supplied by the affected artery. If it is not resolved, either through dissolution or removal, it can lead to permanent lung damage. Please contact us for the latest Yaz lawsuit update 2010 news.

There are several types of material that can obstruct the blood vessels of the lungs, including air bubbles, fatty deposits, and even small tumors. By far, however, the most common cause of a PE is a blood clot that forms in the deep veins of the calves or thighs. This is a known as deep vein thrombosis, or DVT. Such clots can embolize (i.e. break free of the venous wall) and travel to the lungs, causing an obstruction in the pulmonary arteries.

Once a pulmonary embolism has been diagnosed, a treatment plan is created based on the severity of the blockage and any conditions that preclude certain measures. Beyond addressing your immediate symptoms (e.g. low blood oxygen levels), treatment usually begins with anticoagulant drugs.

Preventing Further Clot Development

Anticoagulant medications are given to slow your body’s clotting system. This prevents the obstructing embolus from growing and further clots from forming. The drugs used for this purpose come in two main varieties: heparin, which has an immediate effect, and warfarin, which starts working after a few days.

When treating a PE, doctors try to slow the rate of clotting as quickly as possible. For this reason, both heparin and warfarin are usually given at the same time. Once warfarin begins to show results, heparin is stopped. Also, because use of natural – or unfractionated – heparin requires continuous blood monitoring, low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is often used. The outcomes are similar, though LMWH precludes the need for constant monitoring.

When Anticoagulant Medications Are Ineffective

If an obstructing clot is very small, anticoagulant drugs may be the only treatment necessary. Your body’s natural clot-dissolving system can often break up the embolus. There are times, however, when heparin or warfarin are insufficient. They fail to slow your body’s clotting mechanism, and are unable to address larger emboli that may be life-threatening. In such cases, thrombolytic drugs are administered.

Thrombolytics are commonly called clot-busting medications. Drugs such as urokinase, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), and streptokinase dissolve fibrin, the sticky substance that forms the covering of a clot. These medications can be introduced through injection, IV, or directly into the blocked pulmonary artery via catheter. Often, a contrast dye is introduced that allows your doctor to take x-rays of your lungs and monitor the dissolution of the clots.

The main risk associated with thrombolysis is internal hemorrhaging. If your doctor suspects the risk is too great, he or she may recommend removing the obstructing clots through surgery.

Removing Blood Clots From The Lung Arteries

When use of thrombolytic drugs is contraindicated, or the embolus is massive, and thus places your life at risk, a pulmonary embolectomy is done. This is a procedure during which a surgeon will retrieve the emboli from your pulmonary arteries.

In the past, embolectomy was performed through thoracotomy. The chest was opened and the breastbone was split to provide the surgeon access to the affected lung. Today, the procedure is done by guiding a catheter (i.e. a thin tube) to the site of the blockage. An instrument on the tip of the catheter breaks up the clot so the pieces can be withdrawn through the tube’s opening. However, while pulmonary embolectomy may be necessary for the removal of life-threatening blood clots, not every surgeon has the expertise needed to perform the procedure.

Yaz Lawsuit Update 2010
Regardless of whether a pulmonary embolism is mild or severe, it is important to seek immediate medical attention when symptoms present. If you have suffered a deep vein thrombosis, PE, stroke or gallbladder removal after using Ocella, Yasmin or Yaz birth control, you may be able to file a claim for compensation against the manufacturer. Contact a Yaz lawsuit settlements lawyer to discuss your options.

The onset of Yaz and Yasmin side effects involving stroke requires immediate medical attention to limit brain injury and minimize the resulting side effects. Delays in going to the emergency room will likely have a negative effect on your recovery. Some types of medications (e.g. tissue plasminogen activator) are only effective if they are given within a few hours of the first symptoms. If you or a family member has suffered blood clot or gallbladder disease problems please contact us for the latest Yasmin side effects lawsuit news. We are currently representing women throughout the United States in bringing claims for compensation.

When you arrive at the hospital, the medical team’s first priority will be to regulate your vital signs. They will monitor your body temperature, blood pressure, breathing, and heart rate. Even slight variances – especially in your body temperature – can aggravate your condition.

Once your vital signs are under control, your doctor will diagnose your condition and create a treatment plan. Treatment is based on the severity of the stroke, and may include anticoagulants, thrombolytic therapy, and in life-threatening situations, surgery.

Blood Thinners And Antiplatelet Medications

Anticoagulants (i.e. blood thinners), such as warfarin and heparin, usually represent the first-line treatment for a stroke. Warfarin is taken orally in pill form, and requires several days to begin having an effect. It inhibits the production of vitamin K, an important clotting agent, and thereby slows the rate of clot formation.

Heparin is given by injection or intravenously, and takes effect immediately. It inhibits thrombin, an enzyme that causes the protein fibrinogen to turn into fibrin. Fibrin strands form the net that becomes the basis for a clot. Hence, inhibiting the action of thrombin slows your body’s clotting system.

Blood clots form when cells called platelets begin to clump together. Antiplatelet drugs, taken in pill form, prevent these cells from clumping. By doing so, they prevent further clots from forming in the blocked carotid artery following a stroke caused by Yasmin or Yaz.

Thrombolytic Medications (Clot-Busters)

While blood thinners and antiplatelet drugs work to prevent further clotting, they do not address the clots that triggered the stroke. Other measures must be taken to break these clots apart and remove them. This is the job of thrombolytic drugs, such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), streptokinase, and urokinase.

These medications are administered intravenously and attack fibrin, the sticky net that forms the basis of a clot. Following a stroke, thrombolytics can dissolve the fibrin and break up the obstructing clots within the carotid arteries. This helps to restore blood flow to your brain.

The main drawback of thrombolytic therapy is that the drugs pose a high risk of bleeding in the brain. For this reason, most doctors will only administer them if they can do so within the first few hours after symptoms present.

Treating A Stroke With Surgery

If thrombolysis proves ineffective for breaking up clots, or the drugs cannot be given due to the risk of bleeding, surgery may be necessary. A procedure called carotid endarterectomy can be performed to remove the offending clots. An incision is made into the neck over the blocked carotid artery. The artery is opened so the surgeon can remove the obstruction. Then, the incisions are closed.

Though seemingly simple, there is significant risk involved with this procedure. The surgeon may unintentionally dislodge other clots in the area, thereby causing another stroke.

Installing A Filter In The Carotid Artery

Doctors will occasionally recommend the installation of a stent and filter in the affected carotid artery. This is done when surgery poses too great a risk. The stent keeps the artery open so blood can flow freely to your brain; the filter ensnares migrating blood clots before they can cause a blockage. This is similar to a vena cava filter that is installed to prevent a pulmonary embolism.

A stroke can cause lasting impairments to your physical and cognitive functions. If you or someone you know has suffered blood clots, stroke, or other serious Ocella, Yaz or Yasmin side effects, find out about your legal rights. Contact an experienced Yasmin lawsuit lawyer to discuss your options.

Some women may be at risk of suffering Yaz side effects involving pulmonary embolism due to blood clots that form in their leg veins. If you have suffered from blood clot problems or gallbladder disease please contact us for the latest Yaz lawsuit settlements 2010 news. Most cases of PE originate from deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition in which blood clots form in the deep veins (usually the legs). Doctors are responsible for informing women regarding the increased risk of clotting and pulmonary embolism while using Yaz birth control. However, many women remain unaware that blood clots can also cause pulmonary hypertension (PH).

Unlike a pulmonary embolism, which can be fatal in severe cases, PH is rarely so. However, it is no less serious a condition, and can lead to lifelong complications.

The Link Between PE And Pulmonary Hypertension

The majority of PE cases occur when clots in the deep veins embolize. That is, they break free of the venous lining and travel with the bloodstream toward your heart and lungs. As blood flows from the heart to the lungs to receive oxygen, these clots can move into one of your lung arteries. If they become lodged within these blood vessels, they can prevent blood from reaching your lung tissue. This triggers a pulmonary embolism.

Clots that migrate into the pulmonary arteries and cause a partial blockage will still allow blood to reach your lung tissue. However, the right side of your heart will need to work harder in order to push blood through the restricted passage. This causes the blood pressure in your lung arteries to rise, a condition known as pulmonary hypertension.

Both PE and PH can originate from the same root cause: Yaz blood clots in the leg veins. While the side effects of PH are typically milder than those that accompany PE, complications may still occur.

Potential Complications Of Pulmonary Hypertension

With PH, your symptoms may include dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath, and an accelerated heartbeat. These side effects can usually be treated with medications (we’ll address this in more detail below). Of greater concern are complications that stem from the increased workload placed upon your heart.

In the absence of high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries, the right side of your heart is less muscular than the left side. This is because less muscle is needed to pump blood into your lungs than to pump it into your aorta. With pulmonary hypertension, the right side is forced to work harder. The right ventricle expands and thickens in order to handle the increased pressure. Unfortunately, this is a temporary solution. The right ventricle eventually fails under the strain – a condition known as cor pulmonale.

Another problem involves clotting. Because blood is unable to flow freely through the restricted pulmonary artery, a portion may pool within the right ventricle. This sets the stage for clots to form within the chamber. As with DVT, the clots can embolize and roam into the lung arteries, triggering a pulmonary embolism.

How Pulmonary Hypertension Is Treated

Treatment for PH is different than that used to resolve or control Yaz blood clot problems. The condition seldom warrants invasive procedures, such as suction thrombectomy (a catheter-based technique) or pulmonary embolectomy (i.e. surgery). At the same time, your doctor will want to prevent PH from causing cor pulmonale, ventricular clotting, or pulmonary embolism. This is accomplished with medications.

Vasodilators are useful if the restricted blood vessel has dilated. These are drugs that widen the passage in order to increase blood flow and reduce arterial blood pressure. Calcium channel blockers may also be helpful in widening the passage. Diuretics might be given if excess fluid has accumulated; they help reduce the pressure placed on the right ventricle. Anticoagulants are usually prescribed to minimize the likelihood of clotting in the chamber.

In extreme cases, pulmonary hypertension may require an open-chest operation called atrial septostomy. A surgeon will make a small hole between the left and right atria of the heart. This reduces the pressure placed on the right side of your heart, but can lead to further complications.

As noted earlier, pulmonary hypertension is less serious than a pulmonary embolism. But both can be caused by deep vein thrombosis. If you have suffered Ocella, Yasmin or Yaz side effects involving DVT, PE, or other gallbladder side effects after using this oral contraceptive, find out about your legal rights. Contact a Yaz lawsuit settlements attorney to discuss your options.

Studies have shown that Ocella, Yasmin and Yaz birth control may increase the risk of blood clots over competing oral contraceptives. Women suffering from serious side effect have looked at their legal options including receiving Yaz lawsuit compensation to help cover unpaid medical bills, lost time from work and permanent injuries. Experts believe this abnormal clotting activity is due to the hormones contained in the pill. These hormones – estrogen and a relatively new synthetic progestin called drospirenone – potentially expose millions of healthy women to dangerous blood clot problems. Some of these women have suffered Yaz deep vein thrombosis (DVT)problems, a condition where clots form within the deep veins (usually in the legs). This can lead to potentially life-threatening health problems.

Treatment for Yaz, Ocella and Yasmin side effects involving blood clots can take several forms to accomplish different goals. For example, your doctor will want to prevent existing clots from becoming larger and new clots from forming. Another priority is to prevent blood clots from traveling to your lungs and triggering a pulmonary embolism. These goals are accomplished by using anticoagulant therapy, filters, compression stockings, and in rare cases, surgery.

Preventing Further Yaz Blood Clot Problems

Anticoagulant drugs, such as warfarin and low-molecular-weight heparin, are used to minimize clotting problems. Warfarin comes in pill form and requires a few days before it takes effect. Heparin is introduced through injection and begins working immediately. Doctors often prescribe both at the same time, but stop heparin after warfarin starts working.

These two anticoagulants work a little differently to achieve similar results. Heparin binds to antithrombin III, a small protein molecule in your blood that incapacitates enzymes needed for clotting. By binding with this molecule, heparin activates it, thus preventing your blood from coagulating.

Warfarin helps to control Yaz problems caused by a DVT by neutralizing vitamin K. It accomplishes this by preventing your liver from using vitamin K to produce proteins required for clotting.

Note that anticoagulants do not dissolve blood clots. Instead, they reduce your blood’s ability to coagulate, either by inactivating clotting enzymes (as with heparin) or preventing their production (as with warfarin). Thrombolytic medications are needed in order to dissolve clots. However, due to the risk of bleeding, they’re seldom used for DVT unless the condition poses an immediate danger.

Avoiding Pulmonary Embolism

The primary goal of treating deep vein thrombosis is to prevent pulmonary embolism. This occurs when clots create an obstruction in your lung arteries, thereby preventing blood from reaching your lung tissue. Most cases of pulmonary embolism are caused by blood clots that travel to the lungs from the leg veins.

Clots can break away from the venous wall and travel with your blood to your vena cava. This is a large vein through which blood flows directly to your heart. Clots that are carried into your heart can migrate further into your pulmonary arteries. If they form a blockage, you will experience a pulmonary embolism.

Your doctor can install a metal filter in your vena cava to prevent migrating blood clots (called emboli) from reaching your heart and lungs. This is often done when anticoagulants and thrombolytics have proven ineffective.

A catheter is inserted in your arm or neck and guided to the vena cava. The filter is delivered through the catheter in a collapsed form. Once it is positioned at the intended site, the filter is opened like an umbrella.

Surgically Removing Deep Venous Clots

In rare instances, a DVT may be so severe that tissue death (i.e. gangrene) becomes a risk. This is a form of deep vein thrombosis known as phlegmasia cerulea dolens. Symptoms include severe pain and swelling, and a bluish color to the skin. The condition is usually characterized by large blood clots that pose an imminent danger of causing a pulmonary embolism.

In these cases, your doctor may recommend a surgical procedure called venous thrombectomy. A vascular specialist will insert a catheter in your groin or near your knee. The catheter is guided to the DVT site and shatters the clot before extracting it.

Yaz and deep vein thrombosis is a dangerous condition that can lead to life-threatening circumstances. If you or someone you know has suffered blood clots, DVT, or pulmonary embolism after using this birth control, Yasmin or Ocella, explore your legal rights. Contact one of our Yaz lawsuit compensation attorneys to discuss your options. There is never any charge to speak to an attorney.