Holly McComish was at work in a theatre when her vision became blurred and her face suddenly dropped to one side. At 25 years old, she thought she was dying.
Her panicked colleagues shouted to call an ambulance and she was rushed to hospital by paramedics, where A&E staff told her she'd experienced a mini stroke.
Holly was overwhelmed and concerned, but even more so when she learnt that her contraceptive pill had almost taken her life. She was a rare and very unlucky case.
The pill carries a small risk of blood clots - affecting around one in 3,000 - and an undiagnosed hole in Holly's heart had allowed a clot to travel into her brain.
Holly isn't the only woman to be impacted by their hormonal contraception. A recent survey of 4,000 pill users found that 77 percent reported negative side effects.
Tonight, a new documentary with Davina McCall on Channel 4 will explore the current state of contraception in Britain and expose the risks associated with using the pill.
The 55-year-old TV host is calling for a 'pill revolution' and has said she's "sad and angry" about the lack of research, knowledge and quality of care that society has towards women.
Holly, now 26, is also raising awareness for tougher screening tests before the pill is prescribed, as she was completely unaware of the health risks before taking Microgynon 30.
"I had a phone consultation with my GP in August 2021 as they weren't seeing patients face-to-face because of the pandemic," she said.
"She explained the pill came with a small risk of depression but I was fine with that because I thought if I felt down I could stop taking it. Nothing was said about blood clots.
"But within a couple of weeks of taking it, I began experiencing nasty headaches. I thought maybe this was normal as my body was adjusting to new hormones.
"Then I was in a meeting at a theatre when I started to feel unwell. My vision started blurring and I couldn't get my words out.
"Someone noticed half of my face had dropped and they called for an ambulance and helped me to the floor.
"I could feel a woman shaking me, saying my name but I wasn't able to respond. It was like being paralysed.
"As a generally fit person I could not believe this was happening and genuinely did wonder whether I was passing away.
"I was conscious in the back of the ambulance and remember thinking, 'this can't be my life'. I was in shock, frightened and confused."
Holly was later referred to the London Neurological Hospital, where it was confirmed that she had suffered a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or 'mini stroke' the next day.
"I immediately burst into tears. It felt like a bad dream, like this couldn't really be happening to me. It was very hard to hear at 25," she said.
"I felt like my body had failed me, let me down. I felt scared, incredibly anxious and numb."
Medics instructed her to come off the pill immediately, and while they couldn't be 100 percent sure, they explained that blood clots can be a side effect of taking the pill.
"When they told me I'd had a stroke, they said the pill can cause blood clots but it's very rare so you've just been unlucky. It made me feel really angry," she said.
It later emerged that she had a common heart condition called patent foramen ovale (PFO), characterised by a flap-valve opening in the heart which usually closes after birth.
It is thought to affect around a quarter of people, and has been associated with risk of strokes or migraines.
Last August, Holly underwent surgery at St Bartholomew's Hospital to repair the hole in her heart, and is "incredibly grateful" to her surgeon, Dr Ajay Jain.
Now, the theatre producer has written a book of poetry focused on women's health issues, titled If Tits Could Talk, which has won praise from cancer charity, Pink Ribbon Foundation.
"Contraception is taken so recklessly. I was given it over the phone, you can even just walk into a pharmacist and buy it yourself," Holly said.
"This attitude of 'just give the pill a try and see how you get on' needs to stop. Contraception needs more research and more tests need to be run before women are prescribed it."
For more information on the contraceptive pill, please head to the NHS website here https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/contraception/combined-contraceptive-pill/
Do you have a story to share? Get in touch. Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
