FDA Safety Warning: Blood Clot Risk with Drospirenone Contraceptives

FDA has issued safty notice for women who are taking drospirenone birth control pills. Keeping latest study results in mind FDA has urged gynecologists and physicians to reckon the risk of Drospirenone while prescribing oral contraceptive pills. FDA has also asked manufacturer of those pills to update drug label.

Oral contraceptive pills that contain Drospirenone have been found to increase blood clotting events. Blood clotting is an essential process in body system. The process helps to heal wounds and stop bleeding by clotting blood at the site of wound.

But, the same process poses threat to life when it occurs in blood carrying veins and capillaries. Unnecessary blood clots in capillaries obstruct blood flow which eventually leads to stroke and heart diseases such as cardiac arrest, heart attack.

Dropirenone is widely used in combination birth control pills. It is synthesized progesterone. Studies, conducted by FDA itself, reported increased risk of blood clotting in people who were taking drospirenone was 3 times greater than those who were taking other contraceptive pills. FDA has revised its drug label and safty information pills that contain drospirenone.

Can Girl Get Pregnant Even Before First Period?

Can Girl become Pregnant Even Before First Period?
YES. A girl can get pregnant even before her first period.

Teen pregnancy in ever growing now a days. Recent article on DailyMail.co.uk reported Colombian girl of age 10 got pregnant.

A prevailing belief (a misbelief rather) is that a girl who has not had her first period cannot get pregnant even with unprotected sex. That is completely wrong. The only relation between period, sex and pregnancy is having sex before period increases likelihood of pregnancy. Pre period time is most fertile time for having kids. Indications of pregnancy if no-period are after having sex, spotting and bleeding

What is Period?

Period is shedding of skin membrane located inside vagina. The skin membrane is medically known as endometrium. This occurs every month. Some females have irregular period.

First period of a girl is called Menarche. Menarche is indication of capability of reproduction for girls and ejaculation for boys.

What age a girl has period?

Average age of having first period is 12-13. But in some cases period has been reported quite early age. A Peruvian girl had her first period at age 3.

As long as pregnancy is concerned period is just highly fertile time. So what causes pregnancy? Ovulation is key process for pregnancy.

What is Ovulation?

Ovulation is about producing female egg. Ovary releases egg, those eggs pass in the fallopian tube to be fertilized. The eggs get fertilized by male cells called sperm. A girl may not have first period but, she might already be ovulating. If ovulation is there girl of any age can get pregnant.

What age a girl starts Ovulating?

This largly depend on biology and hormonal changes of girl. Hormonal changes triggers puberty. So, it is assumed that a girl starts ovulating with puberty.

How Does Pregnancy Occur?

Ejaculation by male within vagina is first step of pregnancy. Sperm fertilizes female eggs located within fallopian tube (generally known as vagina). Sperm cells can stay inside vagina for upto five days. So, sex five days before and after ovulation can make girl pregnant.

How to prevent pregnancy?

Use of condom is best bet for avoiding unintended pregnancy. Other methods are birth control pills (also known as contraceptive pills). There are number of birth control pills available. Plan B is emergency contraceptive. Generic Alesse, Depo-provera and generic Yasmin are popular birth control pills.

[Note: All birth control pills have different time to take because all the pills have different formulation and combination]

What Drugs Cause Sexual Side effects? Erectile Dysfunction

There are several drugs whose side effects can harm your sexual life. The drugs can cause sexual side effects such as impotence or erectile dysfunction, low sex drive or decrease libido, premature ejaculation.

In Women (Sexual Dysfunction)

Contraceptive pills: Contraceptive pills are medically known as hormone therapy. Contraceptive or birth control pill alters hormone balance which eventually affects sex drive. All birth control pills contain hormones such as progestins, levonorgestrel or ethinyl estradiol. These pills lower androgens hormone (testosterone) level and thereby decrease sex drive. Several research studies have linked testosterone level to contraceptive pills. check this.

In Men (Erectile Dysfunction)

Hair Loss Drug Finasteride (Propecia®): FDA has issued safety notice on use of only approved drug to treat male pattern baldness. It is proven in research studies that Propecia® cause temporary or permnant erectile dysfunction. If you are on Propecia and experiencing decreased sex drive, stop taking it, it could be irreversible.

Delayed Orgasm
antidepressant such as generic Paxil (Proxetine), antipsychotic drugs such as mellaril and guanethidine (a high blood pressure drug) are suspected to cause delayed orgasm in women and delayed ejaculation in men.

In Both Men and Women
Antidepressants: Antidepressant drugs of class SSRIs and SNRIs have been reported to cause sexual dysfunction in women and erectile dysfunction in men. SSRI drugs prevents re-use of serotonin. Check this guide to manage erectile dysfunction caused by depression medicines.

[Note: Impotence or erectile dysfunction is found to disappear when stopped taking antidepressants]

Drugs of SSRIs class are....

• Celexa (Citalopram)


• Priligy (Depoxetine)


• Lexapro (Escitalopram)


• Prozac (fluoxetine)


• Paxil (Proxetine)


• Zoloft (Setraline)


• Luvox (Fluvoxamine)


• Viibryd (Vilazodone)

Other antidepressants that may affect sexual are tricyclic antidepressants (such as amitryptiline).

Hypertension Drugs or High Blood Pressure Drugs: Some groups do not cause erectile dysfunction and drugs of some groups do.

Blood pressure Drugs that MAY cause Erectile Dysfunction....
Hydrochlorothiazide
Beta-blockers: like Atenolol

NO erectile dysfunction caused by these blood pressure drugs...

• ACE inhibitors: Benazepril (or generic Lotensin), Captopril ( or generic Capoten), Lisinopril ( or generic Zestril or generi Prinivil). These medicines widen blood capilaries which actually helps to treat erectile dysfunction.


• Alpha-blockers


• Angiotensin Receptors Blockers: Check list of drugs in this class


• Calcium channel blockers: Check list of drugs belong to this class.

Simple Way To Prevent Unintended Pregnancy

World Contraception day was on 22nd March. Many women in US is concerned on access to birth control contraception pills. Scientists have found feasible way to address the issue. They have found trivial change which would bring drastic change in unwanted pregnancy in USA.

Most of the health coverage in USA allow 3 months supply of contraceptive pills. Supply for more than 3 months won't be included in health coverage insurance plan. A study published on Obstetrics & Gynecology demonstrated that prescription of birth control pill for more than 3 months would significantly bring consistency in women to continue their birth control plan.

A research study conducted at New York family planning clinic proved that women are more likely to continue to take birth control pills if they are given long lasting supply of contraceptive pills. The research included 661 women of different ages. All the women were given option to go for 3 months supply or 7 months supply. 51% of women who opted 7 months supply had continued the pills after 6 months. And only 35% women of 3 months supply continued. This is not startling fact, in fact it is common sense. However, statistical data that back the claim is necessary to bring changes in insurance policy.

The reason of 3 months supply limit is that a pregnant women take visit to physician and that physician can know any sort of developing complications or side effects of the pill. However, the limit is seem to be problem as women stop taking pills when they run out of the pills.