Women 'should monitor effects of the pill'

Women who take the combined oral contraceptive pill have been advised by a sexual health expert to look out for potentially-dangerous side-effects that may occur as a result.

Dr Catherine Hood said that although many women have been taking the Pill for years, they often do not report any changes that have occurred to a doctor.

Research from pharmaceuticals company Bayer Schering Pharma found that although 80 per cent of women think regularly about the fat and calorie intake from their food, only 44 per cent regularly give a thought to their contraceptive pill.

Dr Hood recommended that if women see symptoms like chest pain, breathlessness, migraine or eyesight problems, they should visit a GP as these can be indicative of more serious ailments.

"There are the minor side effects which can be quite irritating but are not health emergencies.[However,] there are ones you should really look out for because there are more serious risks with taking hormones and the danger sounds are particularly around clotting," she said.

In 2005, the Office for National Statistics found the contraceptive pill to be the most common method of contraception, used by a quarter of women in Britain. It is currently used by around 100 million women worldwide.