Gym fanatic, 22, thought her hip pain was a pulled muscle, but scans revealed blood clots which doctors say were caused by the contraceptive pill and could have killed her

A gym fanatic claims she almost died after battling hip pain as a pulled muscle turned out to be a symptom of blood clots all over her body.

Holly Whitehall first felt pain in her left hip in October last year, but she simply blamed it on going to the gym too much.

The 22-year-old paralegal from Nottingham decided to visit her GP when the pain continued to worsen and was advised to go to A&E after doctors suspected an ovarian cyst.

But further tests at Nottingham City Hospital revealed she had multiple fatal blood clots in her lungs, stomach and left leg.

Ms Whitehall says doctors discovered the deadly clusters just 10 days before she was due to fly to Australia – a six-month dream trip that doctors say could have killed her before she got home.

She said she is “lucky to be alive” as she claims doctors told her the blood clots were a rare complication of taking the combined contraceptive pill.

Ms Whitehall had tried three different combination pills since the start of 2022.

But she believes the “aching, growing pain” in her hip was caused by the contraceptive.

“I suddenly started having pain at the top of my hip, but I go to the gym quite often so I thought I had just pulled a muscle,” she said.

‘I didn’t think anything of it. It was like an aching, growing pain.

‘A few days later I thought “this is going to be quite painful”, so I tried the classic ice pack and heat, but nothing helped.

‘My parents actually said, “Maybe you should go to the doctor and get it checked out,” so I went to the doctor and they did tests.

‘At the emergency room I felt more and more uncomfortable. I was in a lot of pain and they basically told me that they found blood clots in my leg and that they were going up to my hip.

‘The pain in my leg became so bad that I eventually could no longer walk.

‘There were clots in my lungs, stomach and left leg. They were shocked that it didn’t affect my breathing.

‘They said it was a significant amount of money and that I was lucky to be alive. I was quite petrified.

“I was supposed to travel to Australia two weeks later and they basically said if I had gotten on the plane I wouldn’t have made it home.”

Mrs Whitehall underwent two operations to remove the clots and underwent surgery to restore circulation to her hip.

She will now have to take blood-thinning medications for the rest of her life.

Blood clots are a side effect of using the combined pill, but this risk is very small.

According to the NHS, only one in a thousand people who use combined hormonal contraception, such as the pill, are at risk of developing blood clots.

These blood clots can appear in the legs or lungs and put you at risk for a heart attack or stroke.

A doctor, nurse or pharmacist should check whether you have certain risk factors, such as blood clots, a heart problem or migraine, before prescribing the pill. They should also check your blood pressure.

Further tests revealed that Mrs Whitehall had antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) – an immune system disorder that causes an increased risk of blood clots.

Certain medications, including the combined contraceptive pill, can cause APS in some people. An unhealthy diet, insufficient exercise and smoking are also risk factors, according to the NHS.

After her three-week hospital stay last year, she is now urging others not to ignore the aches and pains, especially if they are taking the combined pill.

“The doctors said this could possibly have happened in the future due to underlying problems with the APS, but it was triggered and caused by the pill,” she said.

‘What scares me most is not knowing what was happening in my body and how quickly it came out of nowhere. You never think it will happen to you.

‘I would tell people not to ignore the signs or pain you get, especially if you’re on the pill.

‘I tell everyone to have everything checked just to be sure. I probably postponed treatment for myself because I thought it was a minor problem.

“Just consider all birth control options and whether you actually need them.”