A 19-year-old woman died just days after a night out with friends after developing a rare and fatal complication linked to the contraceptive pill, a coroner's court has heard.
A Sudden and Devastating Decline
Aine Rose Hurst from Halliwell, Bolton, enjoyed a night out on Saturday, 8 March. The following morning, she complained of a headache, which her mother, Kerry Hurst, initially believed was a hangover. Kerry advised her daughter to take paracetamol and drink water.
However, the headache persisted and worsened over the following days. By Wednesday, 11 March, Aine's condition had deteriorated so severely that she collapsed and was rushed to Royal Bolton Hospital. Doctors discovered she had severe brain swelling. Despite medical intervention, the teenager died two days later on Thursday, 13 March.
Questions Over Medication and Medical Advice
An inquest at Bolton Coroner's Court on 27 November heard that Aine's death was caused by cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST), a type of blood clot in the brain. The oral contraceptive pill was recorded as a "potential contributing factor".
Aine had been prescribed the combined pill Femodette since 2020. During a routine review with nurse Emma Walker on 18 December 2024, her blood pressure was found to be elevated at 140/93. Ms Walker instructed Aine to stop taking the pill and to see her GP.
On 6 January, Aine saw Dr Moyinoluwa Oluwaseyi Onayade at Spring House Surgery. She expressed a desire to restart contraception. Dr Onayade said her blood pressure reading that day was 130/90 and that home readings she provided were 120/70. He discussed switching to a progesterone-only pill, but Aine declined due to concerns about side effects, preferring to resume Femodette.
The family has raised serious concerns about this decision, questioning why the GP did not give more weight to the recent high blood pressure reading. They want to know what safeguards exist to prevent similar tragedies.
Coroner's Conclusion and a Family's Heartbreak
Area Coroner Peter Sigee delivered a narrative conclusion, stating Aine's death was "caused by a recognised but rare complication of appropriately prescribed medication". He ruled that the Femodette was appropriate to include as directly contributing to her death on the balance of probabilities.
In a moving tribute, Aine's family described her as the "most beautiful, caring, funny and sensible girl", the life and soul of every family gathering. "Our family is distraught at losing her, life will never be the same for us without our girl," they said.
Coroner Sigee acknowledged the tragedy, noting that medications can have rare side effects and "tragically, someone has to be that one in a thousand or one in ten thousand".
