It's Time For A More Honest Conversation

Why young women deserve better when it comes to hormonal contraception and their health

For many young women, the contraceptive pill is simply part of growing up.

It is one of the most widely prescribed medications in the UK and is often introduced during the teenage years or early adulthood. For some, it is about preventing pregnancy. For others, it is prescribed to help manage painful periods, acne or irregular cycles.

For decades, the pill has been considered one of the most significant developments in women’s healthcare. When it became widely available in the 1960s and gave women control over their reproductive lives helping to reshape education, careers and independence.

But while the pill has played a crucial role in expanding women’s choices, the conversations around it has not evolved in the same way.

Today, millions of women rely on hormonal contraception. According to data from NHS, more than three million women in England use the contraceptive pill, making it one of the most commonly prescribed medication in general practice. Yet despite how routine it has become, there are two major concerns that continue to surface.

Two key concerns around the contraceptive pill:

1. The long and often overlooked list of potential side effects

While most women take the pill without major complications, the medication carries a range of possible side effects, some minor and others more serious.

2. The pill has become a default response to a wide range of symptoms

Instead of investigating the underlying causes of issues such as painful periods, hormonal imbalance or irregular cycles, the pill is often prescribed as a first line solution.

For many women, it becomes a quick fix rather than the beginning of deeper medical investigation.

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A Recent Case That Brought the Issue Into Public Conversation

In February 2026, awareness around the contraceptive pill and its potential risks increased following the death of Áine Rose Hurst, a 19 year old from Greater Manchester.

According to BBC reporting, Áine died after developing cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), a rare type of blood clot in the brain, after taking the combined contraceptive pill, Femodette.

She initially believed she was suffering from a hangover after experiencing an intense headache following a night out. Within days, she was rushed to hospital with swelling on the brain and later died.

In response, her family created the Áine Rose Contraceptive Safety Foundation (ARCS) to raise awareness about the potential risks of hormonal contraception and the warning signs of blood clots.

Importantly, the family has emphasised that their goal is not to discourage women from taking the pill, but to ensure that people understand the possible risks and recognise symptoms early.

They also highlight an important point, that different brands of the combined pill exist, but avoiding one specific brand does not eliminate risk entirely. The increased clotting risk is linked to the hormonal combination itself.

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Understanding the Risks of the Combined Pill

The combined contraceptive pill contains two hormones: oestrogen and progestogen.

While these hormones effectively prevent pregnancy, oestrogen can increase the body’s tendency to form blood clots. Some studies suggest it may triple the baseline risk.

As a result, people taking combined hormonal contraception have a slightly increased risk of conditions such as:

• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) — blood clots in the legs

• Pulmonary embolism — clots that travel to the lungs

• Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) — a rare clot in the brain

According to NHS guidance, blood clots affect up to one in 1,000 people using combined hormonal contraception.

It is easy to ignore these stories and hope it will not be you. But it could be, just as it was for Áine, for myself and for many other women who have read the long list of side effects, taken the pill anyway and ended up in hospital.

For the vast majority of women, the pill remains safe and effective. But understanding that risk, however small, is essential for informed decision making.

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My Experience

I developed a blood clot caused by the contraceptive pill Millinette. I was, like so many other women experiencing health issues, misdiagnosed, dismissed and told it would likely go away with rest.

When my symptoms worsened, I was rushed back to hospital where doctors finally carried out a head scan and discovered blood clots in my brain.

I was lucky. But at my lowest moment, in the worst pain of my life, I still had to fight to be heard and taken seriously.

Unfortunately, it did not end there.

A year after being diagnosed with CVST, finally getting back to health, I found myself back in hospital awaiting surgery to remove a 10 by 13cm cyst from my ovary. This time it was not an emergency, but without advocating for myself and trusting my instincts over the previous year, I could have faced serious complications later on.

After the laparoscopic procedure, I was told the dermoid cyst had likely been growing for years, possibly my entire life.

Looking back, that explained many of the symptoms I had experienced for years. It reinforced the role the pill had played in delaying my diagnosis. Not only had it masked my symptoms for much of my life, but it had also been used as a temporary solution to a much larger issue that could have been discovered with a simple scan.

In my case, the pill both masked the underlying problem and contributed to a serious health complication.

A Wider Issue in Women’s Healthcare

This is not only the case for women who have experienced blood clots from the pill, but for many women who are trying to seek answers for ongoing health issues.

The pill has become a bandage for symptoms that should often be explored further. Instead of helping women find the cause and solution, the pill can sometimes mask or delay the discovery of underlying conditions.

The medication has become routine and as a result, conversations around it can sometimes become shorter and less detailed than they should be.

This reflects a broader challenge within women’s healthcare.

A UK government report on women’s health found that 84% of women said they felt they were not always listened to by healthcare professionals, with many reporting that their symptoms were dismissed or attributed to stress or anxiety.

While healthcare professionals often work under significant time pressures, these findings highlight the importance of properly exploring women’s health concerns.

I was only diagnosed and treated at the age of 23 after spending several years trying to understand what was wrong with me, including asking for blood tests and being told at one point that my symptoms were likely just IBS.

By the time the cysts were discovered, they had been growing for years. If I had not insisted on that final scan, I could have found myself back in the emergency department later with a ruptured cyst, without knowing the potential impact it could have had on my ovaries and fertility.

Why Honest Conversations Matter

The key is ensuring that women are given clear, accessible information so they can make informed decisions about their own bodies.

Conversations around standard practices also need to be questioned. The pill should not become a default medication, but rather a last resort after appropriate tests and scans have been carried out. Otherwise, it risks becoming another reason why many women take years, sometimes decades to receive proper diagnoses.

Improving awareness about hormonal contraception is not about creating fear.

It is about creating informed choice.

The contraceptive pill transformed women’s lives by expanding freedom and opportunity. That legacy deserves recognition.

But real empowerment also requires knowledge, transparency and honest conversations about risk. Women’s healthcare needs to be re-evaluated.

My experience taught me that understanding your health and the medications you take, is incredibly important.

And if sharing that experience encourages better conversations about contraception, awareness and women’s health, then it is a conversation worth having.

Continue the Conversation

The aim of this conversation is simply to break down topics around women’s health so people can make informed decisions about their bodies.

If this article helped you understand the risks and realities of hormonal contraception, consider sharing it with someone who might benefit from the information.

Because better awareness leads to better conversations and better healthcare.