The family of a 19-year-old Bolton woman who died after taking the contraceptive pill Femodette is demanding that pharmaceutical packaging carry more prominent safety warnings.
Áine Rose Hurst suffered a fatal blood clot in her brain, a rare but recognised complication of the combined hormonal contraceptive she had been prescribed.
Her mother, Kerry Hurst, has launched a campaign arguing that young women remain largely unaware of the medication's potentially deadly side effects.
"We're never going to get Áine back, but if we can make a difference to someone else's life, and stop that happening again, then I hope that's what we can do," she said.
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Áine Rose's mother, Kerry Hurst, has launched a campaign to promote awareness of the risks.
|THE AINE ROSE CONTRACEPTIVE SAFETY FOUNDATION
The family has established the Áine Rose Contraceptive Safety Foundation to promote awareness of the risks.
Áine had enjoyed a Saturday evening out on March 8, 2025. The following morning, she woke with a headache she attributed to a hangover.
Within two days, her condition had deteriorated dramatically, and she was rushed to Royal Bolton Hospital, where medical staff discovered severe swelling on her brain. By Thursday, she had died.
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Kerry described her daughter as someone who "made you feel like you were so special" — a happy, healthy young woman who was "living life to the full" and looking forward to what lay ahead.
An inquest held at Bolton Coroner's Court on November 27 determined Áine's death resulted from extensive cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, classified as a "recognised but rare side effect" of Femodette.
The foundation's primary focus is on challenging how pharmaceutical companies communicate potential dangers to patients.
Kerry highlighted that her daughter's contraceptive pills arrived with a 102-page document detailing side effects. "Young girls don't tend to read them — that's got to change," she said.
She is pushing for serious side effects to be displayed directly on medication packaging, "rather than just a booklet in there that everybody discards".
The reality, she explained, is that most users simply remove their pills and take them without consulting the accompanying literature.
Áine's aunt Dawn Kidd said the inquest findings had given her "the fire in my belly" to campaign on the issue.
Áine's death resulted from extensive cerebral venous sinus thrombosis
|THE AINE ROSE CONTRACEPTIVE SAFETY FOUNDATION
"My number one aim is to make sure this doesn't happen again, and families don't have to experience what we have," she added.
Bayer, which manufactures Femodette, stated that each pack includes an MHRA-approved Patient Information Leaflet "that has undergone user-testing to ensure it can be readily understood" and "provides guidance on how to use the medicine and outlines potential risks, including blood clots".
GB News has approached the company for comment.
According to NHS figures, blood clots affect up to one in 1,000 users of combined hormonal contraception.
Thrombosis UK lists warning signs of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis as persistent headaches with vomiting, vision problems, fainting, loss of motor or sensory function, speech difficulties and stroke-like symptoms.
Kerry emphasised that the campaign is "not trying to scaremonger... and stop people taking the pill — it's there for a reason".
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