TikTok girlies are reminding women on the contraceptive pill to be careful on long flights

As summer holiday season begins, girls are posting on TikTok to warn other women taking the pill about the dangers of the contraception option when you’re on a long flight.

One video shared this month got more than 8.8 million views, which shows a woman walking around the plane bathroom doing bizarre squats and stretches. She wrote on the screen: POV – You’re on the pill on a long flight.”

“Wait a minute I’m on the pill and don’t know about this whatttt…. someone please explain,” someone said in the comments, while another asked: “I’m confused can someone please explain.”

@maddison__xx00

Every hour and half 🤌🏽#fyp #traveltok #emirates #flights #longhaul #travel

♬ original sound – officialmooli

It turns out, loads of people didn’t realise that it’s really important to move around when you’re on a long flight if you take the contraceptive pill because it can cause blood clots, which is when the blood thickens and clumps together. This can be a serious medical emergency if the clot travels to the lungs, brain or heart, causing a stroke or heart attack.

In March, another woman shared a video on TikTok revealing she “almost died” after collapsing in the aisle while on a flight from Toronto to Dubai. She suffered a “massive bilateral saddle pulmonary embolism,” which is when a blood clot blocks a vessel in your lungs.

“Please get up and move on your flights,” she said. “If you are on oestrogen birth control or if you are doing hormone therapy for perimenopause, menopause please just talk to your doctor.”

@alwayssingingmom

Replying to @Soulo Serenity sharing my NDE for those who are curious and… also for me 🤍🥰 thank you TikTok for being so supportive of me in this experience #nde #neardeathexperience #storytime #travel #pulmonaryembolism #cardiacarrest #awareness #bloodclots

♬ Dreamy Girl – Headphone Chill Girl

The pill can cause blood clots on long flights

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As explained by WebMD, long flights can cause blood clots because you’re sitting still for a long time. When you move, your muscles contract which helps to move blood through your veins, but sitting still allows blood to pool, potentially causing clots. They are especially common in the leg, because plane seats put your knee at a weird angle that makes the veins kink up, so the blood can’t flow through them.

Anyone can get blood clots on long flights for this reason, but those taking combined birth control pills are at a higher risk because the oestrogen also makes the blood more prone to forming clots. On top of that, the changes in air pressure inside the plane cabin reduces the amount of oxygen you breathe in, and low oxygen in your blood makes blood clots more likely to form.

Credit: Canva

Women on the pill need to take extra precautions

Short flights aren’t usually an issue, but for any flights longer than six hours, you should get up and walk around every two to three hours. If the seatbelt sign is on, do leg stretches in your seat every 30 minutes instead.

Make sure you drink lots of water before and during the flight to stay hydrated too, as your blood gets thicker when you are dehydrated, making clots more likely. Avoid coffee and alcohol, as these will dehydrate you.

Don’t take sleeping pills because these will stop you from moving around. Using compression socks is also a good idea as they put pressure on your legs and keep the blood flowing.

If you know any women on the pill who are taking long flights this summer – remind them too! It could save their life.

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Featured image by: Canva