Ten women’s deaths a year are linked to taking the Pill

Abbey Parkes, 20, was found to have died from blood clots on her lungs that were partly caused by the pill

The contraceptive pill may have contributed to the deaths of 550 women since 1963, officials have said.

The figures were revealed after legal secretary Abbey Parkes, 20, was found to have died of blood clots on her lungs that were partly caused by the Pill.

Experts stress that the links between the Pill and the deaths, mostly from blood clots, were only recorded as suspicions rather than as scientific proof.

They add that while there is a known risk of clotting, it is very small given that 3.5million women in the UK take the Pill.

The medication, made up of progestogen and oestrogen, is ‘generally extremely safe’, they said.

There were 553 deaths with suspected links to the Pill reported between 1963 and July this year – averaging more than ten a year, according to the Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Some of the largest numbers of deaths were when the Pill was introduced and doses were higher. 

There were 21 deaths each year in 1970 and 1977. The number also reached double figures in 2011 with 11 deaths and in 2014 with 13.

The MHRA data also lists 27,000 serious adverse reactions against hormones in the Pill. 

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The adverse reactions would have affected between 9,000 and 13,000 women.

An inquest found that Miss Parkes died last August because of the Pill and a rare underlying condition that made her blood more susceptible to clotting.

Her mother Amanda Parkes, 43, said there was not enough information about the dangers of the Pill. 

She advocated more testing so that women can check if they are at risk of potentially deadly side effects.

Experts stress that the links between the Pill and the deaths, mostly from blood clots, were only recorded as suspicions rather than as scientific proof (file picture)

A post mortem discovered she had a rare clotting disorder Factor V Leiden. Abbey Parkes with her brother Liam at his prom in 2013

Mrs Parkes, of Stone, Staffordshire, said that her daughter’s condition, Factor V Leiden, was not known. 

She said: ‘I don’t want my daughter to die in vain. Even if women ask for tests for Factor V, they are not given them unless you have a close blood relative who has it. More needs to be done to prevent cases like this.

‘There should have been some sort of warning about the dangers and the possibility that you might have the genes for Factor V.’

Jane Bass, of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and a senior pharmacist specialising in women’s services, said: ‘It’s known that these drugs can increase your risk of having a blood clot but given the number of women who take them and the years over which they have been collected, it is very low risk. 

‘In general they are extremely safe. I wouldn’t want any woman to stop taking their contraception because they are worried.

‘If they do, there is the risk of unplanned pregnancy.

‘Improvements have been made over the years, from reducing dose levels which were high in the early years, to changing the patient information leaflets, which make the risks very clear.’

Abbey Parkes with her boyfriend Liam Grocott. Paramedics were called to the property on August 26 last year, where the legal secretary died

Abbey (pictured with her brother Liam in 2015) first started taking the pill when she was 14, because her hormones were all over the place when she first started having her period

Mrs Bass said it was important to report adverse effects or concerns about the Pill to a doctor.

She added: ‘Women having symptoms of shortness of breath, unexplained chest pain … should remind any healthcare professionals they see that they are using a hormonal contraceptive and therefore may be at slightly greater risk of blood clots than the general population.’ 

Medical evidence at a 2016 inquest in Blackburn after the death of teenager Sophie Murray said that of every 10,000 women taking the combined Pill, six on average would develop blood clots as opposed to two in 10,000 women not taking the Pill.

In many of those cases, the condition would not prove fatal and could be treated.

An MHRA spokesman said the figures linking the Pill to deaths may be higher as they were recorded under a voluntary scheme. 

But the body added that not all reported side effects have resulted from use of those hormones in the Pill as they are also used to treat certain cancers.

LEGAL SECRETARY WAS KILLED BY A MASSIVE CLOT ON HER LUNG AT JUST 20 

The illness was undiagnosed, despite Miss Parkes being given painkillers after going to AE with chest pains two weeks earlier

Abbey Parkes had been taking the Logynon pill for the last six years to control her mood during her periods.

But Miss Parkes, 20, did not know she had a rare genetic condition, Factor V Leiden, that made her blood more likely to clot. The Pill is also known to increase risk of clotting.

Miss Parkes developed a pulmonary embolism, a massive clot on her right lung, and two smaller clots on her left lung, an inquest heard. 

She suffered a lack of oxygen to her lungs, triggering cardiac arrest.

The legal secretary, who lived with her boyfriend in Tunstall, Staffordshire, died in August last year.

North Staffordshire assistant coroner Margaret Jones returned a narrative verdict. 

She said: ‘The deceased died from a complication of Logynon contraceptive drug therapy, further complicated by the previously unknown genetic Factor V Leiden clotting disorder.’