Woman with clotting history died after nine years on the pill

A woman predisposed to blood clots had been taking the contraceptive pill for nine years before she collapsed and died, an inquest has heard.

Jennifer O’Connell, 33, a civil servant from Ballyvolane, Cork, died after developing a blood clot that reached her lungs.

A non-smoker, she had been taking Mercilon, a third-generation contraception pill that carries a higher risk of clotting, particularly in the first year of use.