A young woman from Nottingham says she is fortunate to be alive after severe hip pain, which she assumed was a minor gym injury, turned out to be a sign of dangerous blood clots. Holly Whitehall first noticed the ache in her left hip last October. She stayed active at the gym and believed she had simply overworked a muscle. When the pain grew stronger, she visited her doctor, who sent her to Nottingham City Hospital for further checks.

Scans revealed clots in her lungs, stomach, and left leg. Doctors told her they caught the problem only days before she was due to fly to Australia for a six-month trip. They warned that the long flight could have been fatal.

Holly had taken several versions of the combined contraceptive pill since 2022 and was told the clots were likely linked to the medication, combined with an underlying condition she did not know she had. She tried ice, heat, and rest to ease the pain, but nothing helped. The discomfort grew so severe she struggled to walk.

She later learned she had antiphospholipid syndrome, an immune disorder that raises the risk of blood clots. The pill can trigger complications in people with this condition, although the overall risk of clots from combined hormonal contraception is very small.

Holly underwent two surgeries to remove the clots and improve blood flow in her hip. She will now take blood-thinning medication for life. After a three-week hospital stay, she encourages others to take any new or persistent pain seriously, especially while using hormonal contraception. She says early checks may prevent life-threatening complications and give people time to choose the safest option for their health.