A fit and healthy 23-year-old woman collapsed and died from a blood clot five months after being prescribed the combined contraceptive pill, an inquest has heard.
Charlotte Foster went into cardiac arrest at her workplace after a thrombosis caused a massive embolism in her lungs. She died three days later at Princess Royal Hospital in Shropshire on 25 January.
Dr Nigel Tuft, a consultant anaesthetist at the hospital, told the inquest that CT scans showed no tumours, and the only risk factor was the oral contraceptive. He said the clot likely arose in the veins of the pelvis or upper leg.
Foster had been prescribed Dianette for contraception and acne in August, after advising her GP of a family history of pulmonary embolism and breast cancer. She was given a continuing prescription in October after reporting no side effects.
In January, she visited the surgery with lower back pain extending to her knee. Three weeks before her death, a GP noted no signs of deep vein thrombosis.
The inquest heard that the risk of blood clots from contraceptive pills has been known since the 1970s. The coroner, John Ellery, continues to hear evidence.
