Does age make a difference?

Yes. The Pill is extraordinarily safe for young women in their teens or 20s who have no ‘risk factors’ (such as smoking). But when you get to the age of 35 or 40, the chances of having a thrombosis (clot) are starting to increase.

In practice, there are some women of 40 who take the Pill. But as the years go by, there is more and more reason to switch to the mini-Pill, or to some other method of contraception, such as sterilisation and vasectomy for men.