ARE BIRTH CONTROL PILLS SAFE?

Are You Safe taking Birth Control Pills? Not if you have the Factor V Leiden gene.
A simple blood test would have saved my fifteen-year-old daughter's life. Ask any medical doctor this question; if a person who has the blood disorder factor V Leiden, should that person take a birth control pill?  The answer would be a NO, absolutely not. If your doctor answers yes, I would look for a new doctor. Yet every day, doctors prescribe women birth control pills not knowing if their patients carry the factor V blood disorder. Why is this travesty happening?  I can only guess, one reason might be is the FDA does not require it. Some might argue that there is not enough need for prescreening because of cost, insurance companies or whatever it might be the debate has been going on for years in the medical field, but still no screening is required.  In the mean time unsuspecting women are dying from taking the pill. It is widely known that birth control pills could cause blood clots; this information is mentioned in the packaging.  But what isn't mentioned in the warnings is that if you have the factor V Leiden blood disorder you should not take this medication. It is a fact that pre-screening for factor V would save lives. A one time cost for this simple blood test ranges from $35.00 to $75.00 depending on the test. The need is there, experts have found that this blood disorder is found in 4% to 6% of the United States population, this condition is even higher for the Caucasian population. It is estimated to be as high as 8 % carry a copy of the gene. Do you have Factor V? If you don't know the answer to this question and are taking a birth control pill I would stop, get screened or else it could kill you.  My sweet, healthy, athletic, young daughter died from a pulmonary embolism (PE) when a blood clot formed in her calf and then broke loose, entering her lungs killing her. At the autopsy they discovered that she had the blood disorder factor V, not only wasn't she supposed to be on a birth control pill but her doctor had her on a third- generation birth control pill. This type of birth control pill contains Desogestrel, which is twice as likely to cause a blood clot than a second- generation pill.  My daughter had only been on the pill for 5 months and did not stand a chance because we were not properly warned and she wasn't screened.  There is no hope for my sweet Alex, but by taking the time to read this article you could save some unaware family from this reckless, senseless loss of their loved one.   We need your support so please sign this petition for the FDA.