A young woman who was prescribed the contraceptive pill despite a strong family history of blood clots was awarded £50,000 in compensation after she developed a pulmonary embolism.
The claimant, a woman in her 20s, was prescribed the common combined pill Microgynon after investigations into heavy periods.
However, her sister had a DVT in her 20s and was found to have the gene mutation Factor V Leiden which increases your chance of blood clots. The claimant wasn’t tested for the same gene mutation until after the pulmonary embolism happened.
If you have Factor V Leiden and take the combined pill, your risk of DVT increases 35-fold.
Additionally, both her grandfather and uncle had also had blood clots in the past. She had recently quit smoking tobacco and had a BMI over 30, so wasn’t an ideal candidate for hormonal contraception anyway.
At no point before the contraceptive pill was prescribed was the claimant asked about her family history of DVT.
A month after starting the pill, she developed multiple clots in her lungs. This led to intermittent breathlessness, ongoing chest pain, and paralysing anxiety for which she needed medication.
She sought the help of medical negligence specialist, Miriam Bi, to make a compensation claim for her injuries.
Case summary
The claimant ‘C’ had suffered with heavy and prolonged periods since she was 13 years old. After experiencing bad pain and dizziness, she went to her GP who prescribed the progesterone-only mini pill to try and reduce C’s bleeding.
After being referred to gynaecology, investigations found C had a vascular mass on her womb. Following an MRI scan, it was suspected that this was adenomyosis but to have a definitive answer the radiologist recommended a sample be sent for histopathological review.
A gynaecology consultant discussed the option of having the contraceptive coil or implant fitted, but C declined. Before recommending these options, the consultant failed to ask about C’s family history of blood clots.
A hysteroscopy was arranged but at the pre-operative assessment, C wasn’t asked about her family history of clotting. Neither was a risk assessment done for venous thromboembolism and bleeding.
C underwent the procedure where it was found she had fibroids that were non-cancerous. Afterwards, she was advised to start the combined pill, but again was not asked about her family history of clotting or given alternative options.
A month after starting the pill, she felt unwell around 8pm with severe pain on the left side of her chest which prevented her from sleeping. She woke up with shortness of breath and pain when breathing. After phoning NHS 111, an ambulance was sent and she was taken to hospital.
Here, a pulmonary embolism was suspected so a CTPA was arranged; the CT scan confirmed C had multiple emboli in both pulmonary arteries. Her lungs also had a ground-glass appearance which suggested infection and tissue death had occurred due to the clots blocking blood supply.
C was started on an anticoagulant and stayed in hospital for a week for monitoring. After being discharged, she made a slow recovery and remained on blood thinners. She experienced ongoing breathlessness and chest pain. She also developed anxiety after her ordeal for which she was prescribed medication and CBT therapy.
The case settled in July 2023 for £50,000 which included £40,000 in general damages for her pain and suffering, and £10,000 in special damages for her financial losses.
