<div><p>When Nancy Trickett picked up her prescribed birth control pills from the pharmacy, she didn't think much of the warning written on the back of the package. </p><p>The 28-year-old mother of two had already been taking the contraceptive for about a year without any side effects, so when she suddenly developed a migraine, she didn't immediately associate it with the pills. </p><p>Natalie's migraine progressively got more severe and she began to lose feeling in the right side of her face. </p><p>One morning while getting ready for breakfast with her family, Natalie lost feeling in her lips, part of her eyesight and experienced hallucinations. </p><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>She was taken to the hospital for tests which revealed that she had suffered a stroke. "I was so shocked, I panicked and fainted and it was all a bit of a blur," Natalie told <a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/3348464/mum-of-two-suffers-a-stroke-at-the-age-of-28-after-taking-the-pill-for-a-year/">The Sun</a>.</p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452910.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452910_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452910_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452910_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452910_GH_content_850px.jpg 850w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452910_GH_content_950px.jpg 950w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452910_GH_content_1050px.jpg 1050w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452910_GH_content_1150px.jpg 1150w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452910_GH_content_1250px.jpg 1250w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452910_GH_content_1350px.jpg 1350w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452910_GH_content_1450px.jpg 1450w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452910_GH_content_1550px.jpg 1550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452910_GH_content_1630px.jpg 1630w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>Specialists later confirmed that the stroke was most likely caused by the birth control pill she had been taking. </p><p>"I was taking the Microgynon contraceptive pill at the time and had been taking it for about a year. Strokes are a potential risk of the pill as they can lead to an increased risk of blood clots." Natalie explained.</p><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>Natalie had always been healthy, she competed in crossfit competitions and she didn't smoke or drink. So when she was taken aback when doctors told her she suffered a stroke. </p><p>"There was no other reason for me suffering a stroke at such a young age."</p><p>The young mom has made a good recovery, though parts of her vision has not been restored. </p><div><figure><amp-img src="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452806.jpg" srcset="https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452806_GH_content_550px.jpg 550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452806_GH_content_650px.jpg 650w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452806_GH_content_750px.jpg 750w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452806_GH_content_850px.jpg 850w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452806_GH_content_950px.jpg 950w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452806_GH_content_1050px.jpg 1050w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452806_GH_content_1150px.jpg 1150w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452806_GH_content_1250px.jpg 1250w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452806_GH_content_1350px.jpg 1350w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452806_GH_content_1450px.jpg 1450w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452806_GH_content_1550px.jpg 1550w, https://www.shared.com/content/images/2017/04/nintchdbpict000317452806_GH_content_1630px.jpg 1630w" sizes="89vw" title="" alt="" height="9" width="16" layout="responsive"></amp-img></figure></div><p>"I have blank spots in my vision and I can't do things like play tennis any more because I can't see the ball properly," she said. </p><p>Natalie is planning to go back to University in order to become a teaching assistant. Meanwhile, she is using her experience to warn other women of the potential dangers of the pill and ways to spot harmful side effects. </p><p><!-- [invalid-shortcode] --></p><p>She said, "I don't think there is enough awareness or information about the side effects of the pill and how it can cause a stroke and what a stroke can do to your life."</p><p>"People assume strokes only happen to older people over the age of 50 and I probably thought the same before it happened to me" she added. </p><p></p></div>
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