Quoted from http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/11/france-contraception-eu-idUSL5E9CB6UE20130111
France will ask EU to curb use of newer birth control pills
By Elena Berton
PARIS | Fri Jan 11, 2013 10:09am EST
PARIS Jan 11 (Reuters) - French health authorities will ask the European Union to restrict the use of newer types of contraceptive pills over concerns they might carry health risks.
France's health minister Marisol Touraine said on Friday the newer pills, which have caught on because they reduce side effects from earlier versions such as weight gain and acne, should only be prescribed by specialist doctors to women who cannot use other types of contraception.
Dominique Maraninchi, head of France's health regulator, said at the same news conference: "We will ask Europe not to suspend the pills but to modify prescription guidelines."
While all oral contraceptives are associated with a risk of blood clots, a number of studies suggest the most recent third and fourth-generation pills carry a higher risk than their predecessors.
[Article continues at original source]