Jess Seaton shares her story and calls for patients to have a compulsory blood test before being prescribed the contraceptive Pill
March is national Deep-Vein Thrombosis Awareness Month, a public health initiative aimed at raising awareness of this commonly occurring medical condition and its potentially fatal complication - pulmonary embolism.
Jess Seaton was 15 years old when she went to her GP practice, accompanied by her mum, and was prescribed the Combined Pill. An undiagnosed but hereditary blood condition meant that after 10 months of taking the Pill she developed a life-threatening DVT.
Jess wants to share her story to warn others and change the perception that blood clots only affect old people. She is also calling for a simple blood test to be taken prior to someone being prescribed the Combined Pill that will identify any blood clotting disorders that could make taking it life threatening.
Jess Seaton’s Story
In January 2012, aged 15, Jess talked to her mum about becoming sexually active. Her mum suggested that she went with her to their GP practice to discuss her contraception options. This wasn’t just because she was a supportive mum, but because she was concerned that a family medical history of blood clotting disorders may be relevant.
Despite sharing those concerns in the appointment with a Nurse Practitioner, Jess was prescribed the Combined Hormonal Contraceptive Pill (often referred to as the Combined Pill) and reassured that her blood pressure would be monitored and told she would “be fine”.
Fast-forward to October of the same year and Jess developed severe leg pain and swelling that required her to attend A+E where she was diagnosed with a huge blood clot, that ran from her ankle to her belly button. Doctors told her that they had not seen one so large in someone so young.
Jess underwent an emergency 3 ½ hour operation at Southampton Hospital to remove it. A subsequent infection followed, and Jess has been left with long-term problems associated with the DVT.
“For many years I had to use a crutch to walk and wear compression socks. I was self-conscious and crippled by anxiety and depression. This, coupled with continued pain and leg swelling meant I was very much robbed of my teenage years” says Jess, now aged 26 and who lives in the Isle of White with her husband and 2 children (aged 5 and 16 months). “Using my experience, I want to warn other women of the potential complications of taking the combined contraceptive pill and also remind GP and health professionals to conduct proper checks before issuing prescriptions.”
Since developing the DVT Jess has been diagnosed with Factor V Leiden*, sometimes referred to as ‘sticky blood’.
About DVTs and the Combined Hormonal Contraception (CHC) ‘Combined Pill’
It’s called the Combined Pill because they contain a combination of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone in different quantities. The main clotting risk factor is the oestrogen component.
Clots associated with the Combined Pill are typically DVT in the leg. According to the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health, the risk of a blood clot in individuals using a combined hormonal contraceptive is three times higher than the risk in people who don’t use it. This means that between 5 and 12 people in every 10,000 will get a blood clot (compared to around a figure of round 2 people who don’t use it).
Clinical Negligence
Before prescribing the combined pill, medical practitioners are required to carefully evaluate each individual and consider any confounding factors that could further increase the risk of a blood clot, such as
- Obesity - if you have a BMI of 35 or more
- Being over 35 and a smoker
- Having migraines with aura
- High blood pressure
- Having more than one risk factor for heart disease (such as smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity)
- Circulatory problems
- A history of blood clots or cardiovascular disease
- Prolonged immobility, such as being bed-bound for a long period of time after an operation
- Taking particular medication
- A family history of certain conditions or medical problems
- A number of long-term conditions
“Jess was let down in her medical care, as the nurse who prescribed the pill failed to act on the information she was given. Jess should have been prescribed another form of contraception in view of her family history.” says her solicitor Caroline Moore, Managing Partner of Medical Solicitors. “As it is, she’s been robbed of some of the key years of her life and left with residual symptoms that will affect her forever. It is a shame that presently, blood tests to identify clotting disorders are not routine before prescription of the pill”
All media enquiries into the case should be directed to NatalieRodgers@Scala.uk.com 0114 4070159 /07881 780608
