A woman says she developed a blood clot from being on the contraceptive pill for over a year.
Gemma Walsh, 22, shared a dramatic image of her swollen leg as a warning about Microlite, which she has taken every day for the last four years, after recently developing pain in her left calf.
After initially being told it was a problem with her Achilles tendon, Gemma went to A&E on Monday (October 12) after she noticed her leg had begun to stiffen and swell.
The image shows how her left leg looks red and inflamed and is twice the size of her right.
She also has a massive golf-ball shaped lump near the base of her leg.
Following the CT scans, ultrasounds and blood tests doctors discovered a clot in her leg, as well as multiple clots in her chest and a massive one straining to the right of her heart.
Gemma, from Dublin, is now on blood thinners and believes she will be on them for the next six months.
She is currently in the hospital waiting for more tests and answers, but believes the pill is to blame.
She shared the image to Twitter on Wednesday [14 Oct] to warn others, saying: "To all you girls on the contraceptive pill I would really recommend giving your little bodies a break from it for a while if you can especially if you've been on it for a few years, like I have.
"I always heard horror stories about women getting blood clots from the pill but never thought it would happen to me, but unfortunately it has."
She added: "I've never been more scared in my life."
Her tweet prompted a response from many women sharing their own experiences with the pill.
@LeahHh_ said: "This is so so important. My mum is 52 and hasn't been on the pill since this happened to her over 30 years ago and she still suffers from serious blood clots because of it this definitely isn't spoken about enough."
@quinzelalderson wrote: "I don't know what else to do though, I'm on the pill for pain not contraception.
"My periods off of it were so unbearable; cold sweats, doubled over in pain, nausea. I tried going off it a few years ago to see if it had gotten any better but it was the same story."
And @izzyscott_97x said: "Honestly couldn't agree more. I was on the pill for four years until December when they found multiple clots in my lungs as well!
"I've just had to have major surgery to have them removed, but my GP brushed it all off as muscle pain/asthma for ages. Glad you noticed it in time."
Three weeks ago, a Glasgow teen issued a health warning about the dangerous side effects of a contraceptive pill after she had to have fluid drained from around her brain.
Megan Gilchrist was shocked when her optician found swelling at the back of her eyes during a routine examination on September 4 and referred her to the hospital.
Last year, Lexie Nash nearly died after suffering a stroke caused by her contraceptive pill.
The 16-year-old went to the doctors as a precaution who told her it was nothing and was sent home, but was taken to hospital within the next 24 hours.
The teen from Churchdown, Gloucestershire later suffered a rare stroke thought to have been caused by the pill.
According to NHS guidance there is a "very low risk of serious side effects, such as blood clots and cervical cancer" with the combined pill.
It continues: "The risk of getting a blood clot is very small, but your doctor will check if you have certain risk factors before prescribing the pill."
