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Re: YAZ birth control - please read
*I hope the formatting isn't all messed up from me copying this from facebook. This family is well-known in my town and this girl's death was quite shocking. Anyway, please take a moment to read and if compelled, pass it on.*
Hello--
I hope this email finds you well. I am writing about an issue that is deeply important to my family and me ? I hope you'll take a moment to read and then share.
You may know that my sister, Melissa Fender, died unexpectedly on July 27th, 2007. She collapsed while taking a walk with her fianc?, dying shortly after despite attempts to resuscitate her.
The news from the autopsy that Melissa had died from pulmonary embolism ? major, deadly blood clots in her lungs ? shocked us all. Melissa was a 23 year-old college athlete, a health-nut ISU swimmer who never consumed alcohol, never smoked, and even questioned whether consuming the caffeine in chocolate was too much of a vice.
For the months leading up to her death, Melissa was taking a birth control pill called Yaz (very similar are Yasmin, Beyaz and Ocella). It contains a different hormone (drospirenone) than most birth control pills on the market, and in the years since Melissa's death it's begun to receive increased regulatory scrutiny. Independent studies are being released that show Yaz is 2-3 times more likely than other birth control pills to cause potentially fatal blood clots. Today Yaz continues to be widely prescribed and sold.
Bayer, who manufactures the drug, continues to deny that Yaz is any more dangerous than other birth control options ? but the evidence is mounting to the contrary. And millions of women like Melissa are potentially putting their lives at risk by taking it.
I'm asking you to help honor Melissa's memory by spreading the word right now so that more women can be fully aware of the increased risks of taking Yaz.
On October 14th, the ABC News show "Nightline" aired an investigative news segment on Yaz. Please watch it and then share it to help spread the word:
Quote from the video: "The two Bayer-sponsored studies [on Yaz] found no difference in risk.. while the four independent studies all found increased risks"
To help get the word out, use the below links to share the Nightline video on Facebook and Twitter:
- Share Video on Facebook
- Share Story on Twitter
- To share by Email, please feel free to copy and paste this note
- For additional information, watch the Canadian Channel CBC's Video: "Spinning a Pill"
As you can imagine, this is an issue of great importance to many of us who loved Melissa. I feel a tremendous responsibility to reach out about it ? hopefully increasing awareness and saving lives and injuries ? and I hope you will join me!
Thank you for your help,
Matt
P.S. The risk of blood clots is "low" for most birth control pills ? under 10 cases per 10,000 users. Independent studies about Yaz are finding 2-3 times that risk, amounting to thousands of additional deaths or injuries among its millions of users. Women like Melissa are unknowingly putting themselves at higher risk of blood clots by taking an unsafe drug. Please help me get the word out about Yaz and Yasmin by sharing this information.
Melissa studied Forestry at Iowa State University. She LOVED trees - especially shagbark hickories.
She was a terrific person.
Melly on a swimming training trip in Florida.
Re: Re: YAZ birth control - please read