Contraceptive Pill Claimed to Cause 'Fatal Blood Clot' Resulting to Death of 21-Year-Old Teaching Assistant

• comments
• 
• 

A teaching assistant from Tamworth, Staffordshire collapsed in her home and died after taking a contraceptive pill.

Fallan Kurek, 21, a teaching assistant was rushed to Birmingham's Good Hope Hospital on May 11 after she began vomiting, stopped breathing and collapsed.

Kurek died three days later, on May 14, due to a pulmonary embolism or blood clot in her lung, Daily Mail reports.

Her parents, Brian and Julia, who were by her side when she was rushed to the hospital, say that the doctors said that the contraceptive pill she was taking for 25 days could be the reason of her death.

Kurek was prescribed Rigevidon by her GP to regulate her menstrual cycle.

Mum Julia told UK Express: "We felt angry when they first mentioned it could be the pill.

"She was only on it to regulate her periods. I couldn't believe nobody had said the pill could do this. It should say it on the pack - that they can kill - and the label."

Mrs. Kurek explained that her daughter was to take the pill for three months before having a break. In just 3 weeks of taking it, she began to feel pain in her legs and arms and was breathless.

She was initially taken to the hospital for a checkup after what they thought was a panic attack. She had an electrocardiogram (ECG) and was sent home right after.

"They said everything was fine, they said she had probably bruised her sternum," Mrs. Kurek said. "They said to go home and take some ibuprofen and paracetamol - and if the symptoms continue, then go and see your GP. We thought nothing more of it, she still said she had this little niggling pain, but it wasn't bothering her too much."

However, she collapsed after four days. Paramedics came and performed emergency CPR when she stopped breathing while on the way to Good Hope Hospital. She was put on a ventilator in the hospital's intensive care unit.

Mrs. Kurek was asked at the time if her daughter was on the pill.

"While they were working on her someone came in to talk to me. They asked me if there were any heart problems in the family, or if Fallan had taken drugs - to which I replied definitely not."

"The third question was, 'Is she on the pill?'"

"I said, 'Yes, is that relevant?'"

"He said: 'We know what it is' - and off he went."

"Brian and I just looked at each other - we couldn't believe it."

After the emergency scans on their daughter, it was found that a large clot in the lung caused the inflammation of the right side of her heart.

On the night before she passed away, Miss Kurek's blood pressure and heart rate soared and an emergency CT scan was immediately administered.

"I just had a horrible feeling. We knew that something bad had happened," Mrs. Kurek said.

The scan revealed that Fallan was brain dead due to oxygen deprivation before she even arrived at the hospital. She died on May 14 when doctors turned her ventilator off.

An inquest on Miss Kurek's death will be conducted by South Staffordshire coroner. Her parents were given a temporary death certificate to give their daughter a funeral on May 29.

Miss Kurek's parents hope to raise awareness about the blood clot side effects of taking the pill.

"We can't bring her back, all we can do is maybe save another life," Mr. Kurek said.

A spokesman of The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said that the pills are safe and highly effective, and that women should continue taking it.

"The safety of contraceptive pills was reviewed at European level in 2014 and the review confirmed that the risk of blood clots with all contraceptives is small. The benefits of any combined hormonal contraceptive far outweigh the risk of serious side effects - prescribers and women should be aware of the major risk factors for blood clots and the key signs and symptoms," the spokesman said.

"If women have questions, they should discuss them with their GP or contraceptive provider at their next routine appointment but should keep taking their contraceptive until they have done so," the spokesman added.