NEED TO KNOW
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Áine Rose Hurst, just 19, passed away due to a brain blood clot triggered by her birth control pills.
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Her mother, Kerry Hurst, shared with Sky News that Áine initially thought she was just experiencing a hangover, but her headaches lingered longer than expected.
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Following this tragic incident, her family aims to raise awareness about the serious risks associated with hormonal birth control.
A teen girl mistook her severe condition for a hangover, but it turned out she was showing signs of a deadly blood clot in her brain, as explained by her mother. This health crisis is believed to have been caused by her birth control pills.
Áine had started taking birth control at 15 to manage heavy periods, Kerry revealed to Sky News. After a diagnosis of high blood pressure, she took a break from the medication. However, once her blood pressure normalized, she returned to the same pill—a mix of estrogen and progestin. “We were worried and expressed our concerns, but she said, ‘That’s what the doctor advised,’” her mother recounted.
Three months later, while at a friend’s house, Áine called her mother to say she had a hangover. Yet, after a few days, her complaints of a persistent headache grew more alarming.
“I kept urging her to drink water and take pain relief,” Hurst recalled. In the early hours, Áine came into her mother’s room, visibly upset and crying about the increasing pain in her head.
After reaching out to her doctor, they were told to schedule an appointment online. But as Áine’s condition worsened, her mother contacted the emergency services. Hurst remembers, “At first she was responsive, but then she suddenly wasn’t, and her head started tilting back.”
Eventually, Áine began seizing. “That’s when they informed me an ambulance was on its way,” Hurst said.
Paramedics intubated her at home and rushed her to the hospital, where a CT scan revealed a brain clot too large to be treated. “They warned us that if she survived, she might not be the same. They tested for brain function and, after finding none, they turned off the machines,” Hurst shared. “She passed away just minutes later.”
The blood clot Áine suffered from is a rare complication of certain hormonal birth control pills. Investigations cited the pill as a likely cause, and a coroner confirmed it as a “recognized but rare side effect,” according to reports.
“I don’t think many people understand the risks involved,” remarked her aunt, Dawn Kidd. She noted that the detailed 102-page leaflet included with the pills often goes unread, despite outlining the risks of blood clots.
While these incidents are uncommon, birth control pills have been known to increase the likelihood of blood clots, as mentioned by health experts. The Cleveland Clinic cites an annual risk of 1 to 5 cases per 10,000 users. Notably, only pills containing estrogen—like those Áine was using—are associated with this danger.
Kerry Hurst expressed a desire for greater awareness about the potential side effects of medications young women take. “It’s crucial that they understand what they’re putting into their bodies.”
