Many of us might get confused when we are prescribed medicines that sound similar to names of humans. Yaz and Yasmine are the generic names of oral contraceptive pills. Though both are essentially prescribed for contraceptive purposes the tablets have certain differences between them.

Yaz and Yasmin- The Differences:

Both these pills are one of the most widely used contraceptive pills across the world.

• Like other birth control pills both the tablets are effective in preventing pregnancy by preventing ovulation, maturity of the ovum or making it hard for the fertilized ovum to attach itself to the wall of the uterus. The composition of the tablets slightly varies from each other. Both pills are a combination of a type of progestin called Drospirenone and estrogen. Yaz is composed of Drospirenone 3 mg and ethinyl estradiol 0.02 mg while in Yasmin the amount of Drospirenone is same at 3 mg but the ethinyl estradiol content increases to 0.03 mg.
• Yasmin functions only as a contraceptive. Yaz is prescribed not only for contraception but also for many other conditions such premenstrual dysphoric disorder or PMDD and moderate acne in women who are at least 14 years of age and have attained puberty. Yaz is proven to be useful in treating depression and mood swings characteristic of PMDD because of constant dosage of hormones that these pills deliver to the body in the 24 days.
• Yasmin is marketed as 28 pills out of which 21 pills are active and seven are inactive or placebo pills. A blister pack of Yaz also has 28 pills with 24 of them being active and 4 inactive ones. As a consequence Yasmin is recommended for 21 days or three weeks while Yaz needs to be taken for little over three weeks.
• A patient’s regular insurance does not cover Yaz while insurance covers Yasmin as it has been in the market earlier than Yaz.
• Yasmin was approved by the FDA in the year 2001 and Yaz in the year 2006.
• The side effects of Yasmin are gall bladder diseases and blood clots in the legs. The side effects from the use of Yaz are considered more severe than those due to the use of Yasmin. Some women experience shortness of breath with Yaz usage.
• The side effects of Yaz are upper breathing infections, migraines, vaginal yeast contaminations, infrequent vaginal discharge. Stomach contractions, hair loss, weight gain and increase in the blood sugar levels are also some other side effects of the pill. Severe side effects such a inflammation, itching, breast swellings, discharge from breasts, loss of consciousness, numbness in legs and hands and irregular heart beat are severe side effects of Yaz usage.
• The other side effects of Yasmin usage are stroke, myocardial infarction, heart attack and in some cases death too.

Since both the pills contain drospirenone they have a tendency to increase the potassium content of the body. Though most of the contraceptive pills are considered to be safe for use both these pills Yaz and Yasmin, the fourth generation contraceptives produced by Bayer come with a higher risk when compared to other pills. These are the only contraceptive pills that contain a synthetic form of progestin drospirenone which increases the risk of blood clots in the women consuming them. These blood clots can prove fatal to women because of their tendency to detach themselves from the vein and block the blood flows to vital organs such as lungs or brain.