Woman, 31, left 'trapped in baby's body' given warning sign before contraceptive pill nearly killed her

A 31-year-old woman has revealed how she can no longer care for herself after serious health complications caused by the contraceptive pill.

Young women across the world have been prescribed the contraceptive pill for decades as an effective method of preventing pregnancy and regulating periods.

Although minor side effects such as mood changes and nausea are widely recorded, it is also possible for the pill to cause blood clots, which was exactly what happened to Cristina Popescu.

She first went to the doctor in February with an ache in her heel, which was attributed to plantar fasciitis, however it quickly spread up her leg and she was rushed to hospital after experiencing dizziness and chest pain.

It was there that doctors discovered she had suffered a life-threatening pulmonary embolism caused by multiple blood clots, something which tests revealed had been brought on by her taking the contraceptive pill and a genetic predisposition to blood clotting.

Cristina had lost her job in October 2025 and she's now recovering with her family in Romania, but is 'barely moving each day' and feeling 'very stressed' about her physical and mental health, on top of her unemployment situation.

She said: "I can’t believe the pill contributed to this – it’s terrifying, it nearly killed me.

“I feel like a baby in an adult’s body, I struggle walking – I just want my life back. It just shows how quickly things can change.”

Cristina has been relying on her family to care for her since February (PA)

It was actually while speaking with her therapist that Cristina started to feel particularly unwell, saying that she'd never experienced pain like this before.

“I got into the office and sat down, I tried to explain to my therapist that I didn’t feel well, and by that point I thought I was going to be sick.

“She tried to calm me down and thought it was a panic attack, but I’ve had them before and it was nothing like this pain," she explained.

Cristina had been taking the contraceptive pill since August 2025, to combat the heavy bleeding she was experiencing with her endometriosis, but it would end up changing her life as she became totally dependent on care from her family, saying that she 'could have died'.

She also suffered severe bruising at the hospital (PA)

Doctors expect her to make a full recovery but the last few months have been far from easy, and the former barista has launched a fundraiser to help her get back on her feet, which you can donate to here.

Cristina said: “I’m not doing much day to day – I’m just waking up, reading a lot, and going on a short walk every two hours.

“I’m more active than I was at the beginning, but I’m still feeling very tired.”

She added that the 'trauma' of the experience has also affected her mental health, and she has not yet returned to therapy.

“It’s hard for me to talk about. I’m scared to discuss it with her (my therapist), I think I’d just be crying a lot,” Cristina explained.

“It’s also not easy with my condition at the moment, I get so exhausted.”