Women who take birth control pills and have a hormone disorder called polycystic ovary syndrome have twice the risk of blood clots as other women, according to a new study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. A blood clot, also called a venous thromboembolism, can be fatal if the blood clot moves to the lungs.

The study, published in the December issue of the CMA Journal, was based on analysis of medical and pharmacy information from a sizable health insurance database, including 43,500 women with polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS.

According to a Reuters Health article, the estimated three to five percent of women in the United States with PCOS have a hormone imbalance that can lead to irregular periods. They are frequently prescribed oral contraceptives as treatment. Many birth control pills have a risk of blood clots as a side effect. But some have a greater risk.

Some widely prescribed, newer oral contraceptives, including Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella, contain drospirenone. Drospirenone is a synthetic version of the female hormone progesterone. The FDA has concluded that oral contraceptives containing drospirenone may be associated with a significantly higher risk of blood clots that can form in the legs and move to the lung, causing a fatal pulmonary embolism.

The researchers observed that about 24 out of every 10,000 women with PCOS taking oral contraceptives were diagnosed with a blood clot, compared to about 11 out of every 10,000 women without the disorder who were taking the Pill, according to an article in Reuters Health.

The study’s lead author, Steven Bird, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said the importance of the study is the increased risk of blood clots associated with prescribing oral contraceptives to women with PCOS.

I am investigating injury claims of women across the United States who have suffered serious side effects from Yaz, Yasmin and Ocella. Thousands of women have filed lawsuits claiming injuries and serious side effects from these prescription oral contraceptives. The Driscoll Firm, LLC, has helped thousands of people harmed by unsafe drugs and defective products to obtain the compensation they deserve.