A coroner is warning Kiwis of the risk of taking the contraceptive pill after two women on the pill died from blood clots.
Both women were unaware they had a blood clotting condition, which was made worse by taking the pill.
In September 2021, a 24-year-old who was flatting in Auckland, messaged her father and flatmate to let them know she wasn't feeling well and had pain in her lower back and left leg.
She told her flatmate the pain was so bad she wanted to throw up.
The flatmate responded to her three times, however, never heard back.
When she returned home later that day, she found the woman unresponsive in her bedroom. Paramedics were called to the Mount Roskill flat, and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Coroner Alexander Ho ruled the cause of her death to be pulmonary thrombosis, however, the post-mortem revealed she also had a condition, called Factor V Leiden mutation.
Her condition, which she was completely unaware of, was made worse by using the contraceptive pill.
The woman had been taking the contraception pill, Ginet, from 2017 to 2019, and again in 2021.
In the same month, a 17-year-old girl also died of pulmonary thromboembolism with blood clots found in her legs and lungs.
Her death was ruled to also be caused by Factor V Leiden mutation and the combination of the oral contraceptive pill.
She collapsed while on a walk with her father and was rushed to Auckland Hospital where she died the following morning.
Coroner Ho believes women starting the oral contraceptive pill should be informed of the increased risk of venous thromboembolism, by medical practitioners.
He stressed those who develop symptoms of deep pain thrombosis (DVT), or pulmonary embolism (PE), should seek medical attention.
Symptoms for deep vein thrombosis include:
- Leg pain or tenderness in the thigh or calf
- Leg swelling
- Skin that feels warm to the touch
- Skin with reddish discoloration and streaks
Symptoms for pulmonary embolism include:
- Unexplained shortness of breath
- Rapid breathing
- Chest pain anywhere under the ribcage
- Fast heart rate
- Light headedness and passing out
