“One Blood Clot Is One Too Many”: Affected Vocal Users’ Negative Perspectives on Controversial Oral Contraceptives

Abstract

In this article, I analyze women’s negative experiences with the fourth generation of contraceptive pills: controversial drugs Yaz and Yasmin. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 24 contraceptive users residing in Canada, I highlight how women who have experienced deleterious side effects understand the risks of hormonal contraception and advocate for changes in health risk communication and prescription drug regulation. Findings show that interviewees did not feel they received adequate risk information prior to starting their new drug regimen nor did they think that pregnancy risks should be used as a comparison point for placing hormonal contraceptive risk into perspective. Patient views were generally underlined by a critique of professional risk/benefit assessment techniques and procedures. To illustrate how the modern complexities of health risk assessment extend to the realm of hormonal contraceptives, I here provide a detailed examination of women’s negative experiences while on the pill.