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Yaz and hair loss are linked for many women. Although the makers of Yaz — Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals — barely mention hair loss as a side effect of Yaz use, it is included on the extensive list of potential adverse effects of this drug. In addition, many online blogs, drug discussion forums and chat rooms contain personal reports of extensive hair loss among women who have used Yaz for at least a month, and/or after discontinuing Yaz birth control use.

Since Yaz is meant to be taken for fairly long periods of time, hair loss at such an early point is a significant problem, as is the concept of hair loss on discontinuation. The product liability attorneys at RodaNast are acutely aware of the many adverse side effects of Yaz. If you are one of the many women who have suffered ill effects of Yaz, contact RodaNast to discuss your legal rights.

A Combination-Hormone Birth Control Method

Yaz is a hormonal contraceptive, like the classic "Pill" introduced in 1960 and its many more recent versions. The hair loss that is associated with Yaz may be due to the combination of hormones that makes Yaz effective: a new, synthetic progestin known as drospirenone (3 milligrams in each active pill) and ethinyl estradiol (20 micrograms). Unlike most hormonal birth control pills, Yaz pills are taken on a "24 days on, 4 days off" schedule rather than a "21 days on 7 days off" regimen. Bayer Healthcare maintains that this schedule helps a woman's hormonal levels stay more even.

Drospirenone has been used for only a few years. Its long-term effects are not entirely clear.

A Significant Effect on Your Hormones

Hair loss has been reported as a side effect for essentially all of the hormone-based contraceptives, including pills, patches, implants, vaginal rings and hormonal injections. The combined actions of a progestin and an estrogen — which is what all combined-hormone contraceptives use — suppress a woman's ovulation. Such a significant hormonal manipulation can definitely affect a woman's hair, skin and weight, especially if she is extra-sensitive to hormonal changes in her body.

Moreover, the hormones in Yaz are strong enough to qualify Yaz use as a method to help reduce facial acne, although it is not a first-line treatment for this skin condition.

Another Contraceptive May Be Appropriate

The American Hair Loss Association (AHLA) contends that women who have a family history of hair loss (including males in the family) should be aware that using a hormone-based birth control method — such as Yaz — could result in a troubling degree of hair loss. The AHLS recommends that any woman who wants to use an oral contraceptive — such as Yaz — should think first about whether her family history includes a predisposition for genetic hair loss.

Talk to a RodaNast Lawyer about Yaz

If you have experienced severe side effects of Yaz use, you don't have to suffer in silence. Learn about your legal rights and options — contact the offices of RodaNast and get answers to all of your questions.