My contraceptive pill nearly killed me

My contraceptive pill nearly killed me

A woman who suffered a stroke aged 25 after developing a blood clot just two months after she started taking a combined contraceptive pill, has published a book of poetry warning of the dangers.

Theatre producer Holly McComish is now calling for tougher screening for women before they are given the pill.

Holly collapsed during a business meeting in October 2021 just weeks after being prescribed oral contraceptive Microgynon 30 over the telephone.

She was rushed to A&E by ambulance where doctors later found a blood clot had travelled to her brain via an undiagnosed hole in her heart.

She was told to stop taking the contraceptive pill immediately and placed on blood thinning medication. Later she underwent surgery to repair the hole in her heart and has now fully recovered.

It’s thought up to 25% of people have a similar undiagnosed heart issue without ever knowing about it.

Holly, now 26, has written a book of poetry focusing on women’s health issues including a trilogy based on her experience of having a stroke. The book, entitled If Tits Could Talk, has won praise from health charities such as The Pink Ribbon Foundation.

She said: “I had a phone consultation with my GP in August 2021 as they weren’t seeing patients face to face because of the pandemic.

“She explained the pill came with a small risk of depression but I was fine with that because I thought if I felt down I could stop taking it. Nothing was said about blood clots.

“But within a couple of weeks of taking it I began experiencing nasty headaches. I thought maybe this was normal as my body was adjusting to new hormones.

“Then I was in a meeting at a theatre when I started to feel unwell. My vision started blurring and I couldn’t get my words out.

“Someone noticed half of my face had dropped and they called for an ambulance and helped me to the floor.

“I could feel a woman shaking me, saying my name but I wasn’t able to respond. It was like being paralysed. As a generally fit person I could not believe this was happening and genuinely did wonder whether I was passing away.

“I was conscious in the back of the ambulance and remember thinking, ‘this can’t be my life.’ I was in shock, frightened and confused.”

She was later referred to the London Neurological Hospital who confirmed she had suffered a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or “mini stroke” the next day.

“I immediately burst into tears. It felt like a bad dream, like this couldn’t really be happening to me. It was very hard to hear at 25. I felt like my body had failed me, let me down. I felt scared, incredibly anxious and numb.”

The doctors said she had to come off the pill immediately and while they couldn’t be 100% sure they said that blood clots which are known to cause strokes, can be a side effect of taking the pill.

“When they told me I’d had a stroke they said the pill can cause blood clots but it’s very rare so you’ve just been unlucky. It made me feel really angry.”

Last August Holly underwent surgery at St Bartholomew’s Hospital where surgeon Dr Ajay Jain was able to repair the hole in her heart. Dr Jain has said he is happy to comment on the case via St Barts press office (contact details below).

Holly said: “I am incredibly grateful to Dr Jain and to all the medical staff who helped me on the path to recovery.”

She launched her book, If Tits Could Talk, at a special event at the Royal Court Theatre last week. It highlights issues around women’s health and while it offers a humorous perspective Holly believes real change is needed.

She said: “Contraception is taken so recklessly. I was given it over the phone, you can even just walk into a pharmacist and buy it yourself. This attitude of ‘just give the pill a try and see how you get on’ needs to stop. Contraception needs more research and more tests need to be run before women are prescribed it.”

Holly’s poetry has been championed by well known poet Rupi Kaur who chose her to perform one of her poems on her Instagram page, where she has 4.5m followers.

Holly said: “I started writing poetry while at Brunel University. I was very lucky to be taught by Benjamin Zephaniah.”

Lisa Allen, from cancer charity Pink Ribbon Foundation, said: “Holly’s humour and tongue-in-cheek way of viewing female themes, appeals to many and enables Holly to get important messages across, such as the need to attend smear tests, the use of contraception and the need to be breast aware.”

She launched her book, If Tits Could Talk, at a special event at the Royal Court Theatre last week. It highlights issues around women’s health and while it offers a humorous perspective Holly believes real change is needed.

She said: “Contraception is taken so recklessly. I was given it over the phone, you can even just walk into a pharmacist and buy it yourself. This attitude of ‘just give the pill a try and see how you get on’ needs to stop. Contraception needs more research and more tests need to be run before women are prescribed it.”

Holly’s poetry has been championed by well known poet Rupi Kaur who chose her to perform one of her poems on her Instagram page, where she has 4.5m followers.

Holly said: “I started writing poetry while at Brunel University. I was very lucky to be taught by Benjamin Zephaniah.”

Lisa Allen, from cancer charity Pink Ribbon Foundation, said: “Holly’s humour and tongue-in-cheek way of viewing female themes, appeals to many and enables Holly to get important messages across, such as the need to attend smear tests, the use of contraception and the need to be breast aware.”

Follow Holly on Instagram @holly_mccomish.

Rugged Hank

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Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

Typically thought of as being an easy to clean area of the home, hard floors have risen in popularity in recent decades. Globally, hard floors are the most common floor type,2 and research released today by Dyson has uncovered poor cleaning habits that mean hard floors are likely to be harbouring an array of hidden nasties. This comes as 32% of Brits – equating to 21.6 million people in the UK – will use the same dirty mop head for six months or more before replacing it. What’s more, one in 20 also admit to keeping the same mop for a year or longer, and one in 10 think it is acceptable to use the same mop 100 times, spreading dirt around their floors every time they use it. Cross contamination is a primary issue for most common and traditional mopping methods with germs and bacteria further being unknowingly spread around homes as Brits use dirty water to clean floors.3 45% only change the water to new water between rooms, whereas 41% wait even longer until it looks dirty. This could mean that floors are being washed with dirty water, adding more dirt rather than taking it away. Surprisingly, almost one in 10 (9%) even admit to not changing the dirty water at all when mopping. Over a quarter (28%) admit to mopping their floors once a fortnight or less while over half (53%) admit they don’t regularly clean behind appliances and leave dirt to build up for as long as six months at a time. image002.jpg On how to achieve a perfect barefoot clean feel after mopping, Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert offers their top tips for eliminating dirt around the home: 1. Create a cleaning schedule to stay on top of dirt build-up. In the last year, there has been a 15% global reduction in the number of people who maintain regular cleaning schedules. 47% of the British public admitted to only being motivated to clean when they spot visible dirt or dust.4 Regular floor cleaning with a wet hard floor cleaner like the Dyson WashG1™ removes more stubborn dirt than vacuuming alone. It is important to have a debris free surface, clear any clutter from the floor or other surfaces. Choose the right machine: Different vacuums are designed for different floor types and home sizes. Some machines will be engineered with hard floors in mind and will struggle on thick pile carpets, for example. Choosing the right machine for your home will make a big difference to the ease and speed with which you’re able to clean your home. Clean your floors ‘little and often’. Washing your floors frequently in areas that receive more foot fall will help to stop dirt building up and getting trodden into your floor. Using a dedicated wet floor cleaner on hard flooring such as the Dyson WashG1 is helpful for this, as the versatile format means it vacuums and washes the floor simultaneously. Cleaning schedules have also become less regimented. In recent years only 41% of people claim to have a regular cleaning schedule, and 60% admit to cleaning reactively; being motivated to clean only when there is visible dirt or dust5. It’s perhaps not surprising, that a fifth of people are still concerned their floors are dirty after they’ve mopped them (22%) and one in four6 feel extremely worried about indoor dust at home. Geli Lee, Dyson Engineer and Home Cleaning Expert reveals why it is important to change the way we mop: “Cleaning your hard floors properly and regularly is important for maintaining a healthy environment around your home. Without a proper cleaning routine, dirt may unknowingly build up and spread around your home. It is evident from our research that current mopping habits mean British households aren’t cleaning their floors as effectively as they should. “From ignoring problem areas where dust and debris build up, cross contamination with dirty water to not replacing mop heads or inconsistent cleaning, current mopping behaviours may be making floors dirtier as opposed to cleaner. Moving away from traditional methods, wet floor cleaners like the Dyson WashG1 simplify the floor cleaning experience and provide a modern efficient and hygienic solution” To help take the guesswork out of mopping, the brand new WashG1 is Dyson’s first dedicated wet floor cleaner that tackles wet and dry debris in one go. Engineered for hygienic cleaning and maintenance, the WashG1 is revolutionising wet floor cleaning, removing the need for multi-products and multi-steps to achieve a barefoot clean feel around the home. To put the product to the test, Dyson have cleaned one of London’s most iconic landmarks The Victoria and Albert Museum. From cleaning the grand marble floors housing the most prestigious exhibits, to cleaning up leftover food in the Gamble Room Cafe, the WashG1 had a dirt busting tour of the museum leaving it spotless. Images can be found here. The WashG1 introduces Dyson’s engineering expertise to cleaning hard floors. With a 1 litre clean-water tank to cover flooring up to 290m2, the Dyson WashG1 uses a combination of hydration, absorption, and extraction technologies to remove wet and dry spills and stains simultaneously. The Dyson WashG1 is available to purchase now from Dyson.co.uk, retailing at £599.99.

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