HARROWING ORDEAL
Girl, 17, left ‘screaming in pain’ with life-threatening blood clot just one week after taking contraceptive pill
Brush up on the symptoms of a blood clot and when the pill may not be right for you
A TEENAGER was left "screaming and crying in pain" from a life-threatening blood clot caused by the contraceptive pill.
Nicole Leadbitter developed severe back pain and noticed one leg looked bigger than the other a week after she started taking the combined pill aged 17.
6
6
She was finally diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in her left leg and a pulmonary embolism in her lungs, which could have killed her if she had waited much longer to seek medical advice.
Now, three years later, Nicole, 20, wants to warn other women to be aware of the symptoms because she didn’t think it would happen to her.
“I had looked at the general side effects and common ones, but I didn’t think too much of the uncommon or rare side effects as I never thought they would happen to me,” she said.
“I would urge people to consider the risks of taking the pill.
"Just because someone you know is on it and is fine, that doesn’t mean you will be.
“And I would also want to raise awareness among young girls that this is a side effect, as I didn’t know what was happening until I was screaming in pain in hospital.”
'I was in agony'
Nicole began taking the progesterone-only pill Cerazette aged 17 but a few months later was changed to the combined pill.
It uses artificial versions of the female hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which are produced naturally in the ovaries.
Most read in Health
The combination pill stops you getting pregnant by preventing your ovaries releasing eggs each month, while also thickening the mucus in the neck of the womb to make it harder for sperm to penetrate it.
However, it has been linked to an increased risk of some serious health conditions, such as blood clots and breast cancer, according to the NHS.
Just seven days after taking her first tablet, Nicole started to get bad back pain.
It got so severe she visited a hospital near her home in Kendal, Cumbria, but was sent home without doctors taking her blood.
In the middle of the night, she began suffering from really bad leg cramps so went to take some painkillers.
Nicole explained: “I then tried to massage my calf and realised my left leg looked a lot bigger and felt swollen so I took a video and sent it to my friends to see if I was just seeing things from being sleepy.
If I had not gone to the hospital the doctors told me that I could have lost my leg or died
Nicole Leadbitter
“They told me it looked a lot bigger than my right one.
“I was in agony and felt extremely light headed so I crawled my way to the bathroom in case I needed to throw up.
"Fortunately my mum had heard me so she came to see if I was okay or needed anything and she looked and my legs and instantly rung the hospital to try and get an ambulance.
“By this time I was screaming and crying in pain.”
In hospital, Nicole was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot that blocks an artery in the lung, which usually starts in a deep vein in the leg.
“The first question they asked was if I was taking the contraceptive pill and which one,” Nicole added.
“By this time I had been on it a week and they came to the conclusion that it was the pill.”
Long-term consequences
Nicole was told that she needed keyhole surgery to remove the clots after several were found in her legs and lungs.
However, she was found to have a deformation of the channels connecting her heart and lungs which would have made surgery dangerous.
Instead, powerful anti-coagulants were used to break the clots up, which fortunately worked, but she couldn’t walk for six weeks.
She had to take blood thinners for two years, must now take them whenever she travels and has to wear a compression stocking every day.
My hands still shake when I think about my condition and I panic because what has come isn’t the last of it
Nicole Leadbitter
Nicole also has the marks from where she was injected and still has visible veins in her legs.
Before the thrombosis, she had ambitions to join the army but is now studying marketing.
It is possible she will suffer more clots, doctors told her.
“If I had left it and not gone to the hospital the doctors told me that I could have lost my leg or even possibly died,” Nicole said.
Know the risks
After her harrowing experience in November 2020, Nicole wants to tell other young girls to make sure they understand risks of blood clots, even though they're slight.
“The contraception pill nearly killed me,” she said.
“Only one in 1,000 people per year get what I got at that age.
“My hands still shake when I think about my condition and I panic because what has come isn’t the last of it.
"Unfortunately, doctors say I am prone to DVT and blood clots and my recent one won’t be my last.
“They also told me that it would be rare for me to be able to have kids or survive the carrying and labour, as they said it would be a miracle if I didn’t get another clot, especially if I was pregnant, so that’s another big lifestyle change to be told at 17 years old.
“To know I have to try and live with a life threatening condition just makes me stronger.
“It won’t stop me from doing what I love, it may slow me down but that’s all.”
What are the symptoms of a blood clot?
There are two types of blood clots.
A blood clot in one of the large veins in someone's leg or arm is called deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
If not treated, DVT can move or break off and travel into the lungs.
A blood clot in the lung is called a pulmonary embolism (PE) - this can be deadly and requires immediate medical attention.
Symptoms of a DVT include:
- swelling in your arm or leg
- pain or tenderness not caused by an injury
- skin that's warm to the touch, with swelling or pain
- redness of the skin
Symptoms of PE include:
- difficulty breathing
- sudden, sharp chest pain that might get worse when you breathe in
- coughing up blood
- fast or irregular heartbeat
Source: ,
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is the government body that oversees how safe prescriptions are to the general public.
A spokesperson said: "The risk of blood clots associated with using the contraceptive pill is very small and has been known about for many years.
“The decision to prescribe or use the pill should take into consideration any risk factors for blood clots, which includes any family history of thrombosis.
"Prescribers and women should, however, be aware of the possible risk factors for blood clots and the key signs and symptoms, which are described in detail in product information.
"If women have questions, they should discuss them with their GP or healthcare provider but should keep taking their contraceptive until they have done so.
"These are very safe, highly effective medicines for preventing unintended pregnancy and the benefits associated with their use far outweigh the risks for the majority of people.
"If you suspect you've had a side effect from the contraceptive pill you can report it using our Yellow Card scheme.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
According to the NHS, you may have to seek alternative contraception options other than the combined pill if you have:
- Blood clots in a vein, for example in your leg or lungs
- Stroke or any other disease that narrows the arteries
- Anyone in your close family having a blood clot under the age of 45
- A heart abnormality or heart disease, including high blood pressure
- Severe migraines, especially with aura
- Breast cancer
- Disease of the gallbladder or liver
- Diabetes with complications or diabetes for the past 20 years
6
6
6
6
Topics