Healthcare

An agent of birth control pill of drospirenone had compounds nearly close to natural progesterone, an synthetic progestin.
Yasmin is one of birth control pill contain drospirenone, while it also contain ethinylestradiol.

This agent not androgenic hormone and may had contraindicated for specific patients, such as those with malfunction adrenal glands, liver disease, kidney failure, stroke, and some others.

As part of birth control ingredients, drospirenone can play contribute roles to prevent fertilization.

However, while this agent can elevated electrolyte potassium in the blood, and in extreme case, leading to abnormal heart rhythm and fatal, a new findings suggested that this agent also can increase blood clot formed within a vein or known as venous thromboembolism (VTE).

This suggestion appeared after the researchers studied database of UK General Practice Research that contain more than 3 million people’s data and PharMetrics for US cohort that contain 55 million people’s data.

The case of idiopathic VTE among women in both taking drospirenone and levonergestrel, a second generation of synthetic progestogen, was 61 cases from UK’s database (with 215 match control patients) and 168 cases in US’ database (with 681 match control patients).

Overall, reported in the Britis Medical Journal on April 21, 2011, although VTE risk was absolutely small (23 per 100,000 women/years in UK’s study and 30.8 per 100,000 women/years in US’ study), however, drospirenone significantly had 2 to 3 times elevated the risk of nonfatal VTE when compared with levonorgestrel.

The study authors, Susan S. Jick, Dsc, from the Boston School of Medicine in Massachusetts and colleagues write, “This study adds to emerging evidence that use of the oral contraceptive containing drospirenone is associated with a higher riks of VTE than are preparations containing levonorgestrel.”

Since there is no clear evidence showing that the drospirenone pill better than other oral contraceptives due to prevent pregnancy, included reducing premenstrual syndrome or weight gain, the study authors said that it would be wise to see if the women chooses levonorgestrel compared with drospirenone as first line of choice.