Editor’s Note: Recently, a 2012 [old news]: < < Australia Develops New Drugs: Can Allow Women to Menstruate Only Three Times a Year > > has gone viral on the Internet.
Even some medical workers are confused by it. Is the advent of such a [divine medicine] really the gospel for all women? Should we celebrate the whole country, [Xi Da Pu Ben]? Is this drug safe? Any side effects? Is it really good to have menstruation only three times a year?
In order to find out, Clove Garden specially invited two experts (Klaith and Tian Jishun) to analyze this problem in depth from the perspectives of drug safety and obstetrics and gynecology respectively.
A few days ago, some netizens dug up a 2012 [old news]: < < Australia Develops New Drugs: Can Allow Women to Menstruate Only Three Times a Year > >.
The article said: [Menstruation, as a physiological characteristic of women, sometimes causes inconvenience to their work and life. However, Australian researchers have developed a drug called “YAZ Flex”, which can make women menstruate only three times a year. At the same time, this drug will not damage women’s fertility and has contraceptive effect when taken for a long time. “
I believe many girls have probably begun to take a keen interest in this drug after reading it.
Think about the inconvenience of things in those days of each month, tore heart and split lung, always make people gnash their teeth and bet that they will not be a woman again in their next life… However, is this drug really as magical as the news reports say?
YAZ Flex is what?
YAZ Flex is a compound oral contraceptive produced by Bayer. Its main active ingredients include:
- Synthetic progesterone drospirenone; Synthetic estrogen acetylestradiol (betadex clathrate).
Each YAZ Flex tablet contains 3 mg of drospirone and 20 micrograms of acetylestradiol.
Can YAZ Flex cure what?
At present, Australia’s drug regulatory agency has approved YAZ Flex for:
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Oral contraception;
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Female patients with moderate acne vulgaris who also want oral contraception.
How do I use YAZ Flex?
Take one tablet a day in liquid. Take it continuously for at least 24 days after the start. From the 25th day until the 120th day, the patient can decide whether to stop taking the drug for 4 days, and the interval between withdrawal should not be longer than 4 days. After 120 days of continuous medication, the drug must be stopped for 4 days. After resuming treatment, the continuous medication should not be less than 24 days or more than 120 days.
So, the so-called “menstruation only comes three times a year” is determined by YAZ Flex’s “usage and dosage”.
Compared with the pattern that YAZ has to stop taking drugs for 7 days every 21 days, YAZ Flex provides a contraceptive cycle of up to 120 days, and the drug users will not have menstrual cramps during these 120 days.
However, strictly speaking, taking YAZ Flex will only cause menstrual cramps twice a year, because the third cramps are already at the beginning of the next year.
Is [menstruation only three times a year] a side effect of YAZ Flex?
Let’s first look at the definition of drug [side effect]: no matter good or bad, as long as it is outside the therapeutic effect, undesirable, drug-induced effects are called [side effects].
As mentioned earlier, the main use of YAZ Flex should be oral contraception, so it seems that although [only three menstruations a year] may not affect health, it has changed the normal menstrual cycle after all, so of course it is [side effect].
After reviewing the drug instructions of YAZ Flex, it is also mentioned that [amenorrhea] is a common adverse drug reaction of YAZ Flex.
[Secondary amenorrhea] refers to the occurrence of menstrual cessation for more than 6 months after normal menstruation, or the calculation of menstrual cessation for more than 3 cycles according to one’s own menstrual cycle. The etiology may be physiological, psychological and also include drug-induced.
In other words, Australia’s drug regulatory agency and Bayer believe that too long menstruation is also a bad condition caused by the drug and should not occur.
What are the problems with YAZ Flex?
First of all, YAZ Flex contraception is not foolproof. About 1% of users still get pregnant every year.
Secondly, similar to other oral contraceptives, YAZ Flex may be related to arteriovenous thrombosis and increased risk of thromboembolism, and long-term administration may be related to increased risk of cervical cancer.
In addition, YAZ Flex also made a long list to tell us who is not suitable for medication:
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Vein or arterial thrombosis, thromboembolism history (such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction), or cerebrovascular accident history;
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History of precursor symptoms of thrombosis (such as transient ischemic attack and angina pectoris);
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History of migraine with focal neurological symptoms;
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Diabetes mellitus involving blood vessels;
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There are risk factors for severe or multiple venous and arterial thrombosis;
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Pancreatitis, or a history of diseases related to severe hypertriglyceridemia;
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Severe liver diseases (liver function cannot return to normal);
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Severe renal insufficiency, or acute renal failure;
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History of liver tumors (benign and malignant);
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Malignant tumors known or suspected to be affected by sex hormones (such as genital organs and breast tumors);
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Vaginal bleeding with unclear diagnosis;
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Known or suspected pregnancy;
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Allergic to any YAZ Flex ingredient.
Once the above situation occurs during medication, medication should be stopped immediately.
Can this medicine be used?
After talking so much about the risks and taboos of YAZ Flex, the girl who was eager to try might back down again.
In fact, as long as he sees a doctor through regular channels and consults a clinician with corresponding qualifications, he will weigh the benefits and risks of drugs according to the actual situation of patients, thus making individualized decisions.
We should remember that we should not blindly believe in the publicity [gimmicks] of non-professional media and start taking a drug without permission just to avoid menstrual cramps.