Used to prevent pregnancy. They contain either a combination of the female hormones progesterone and oestrogen, or progesterone alone, both of which are produced naturally in the ovaries.¹⁸

18. Healthline. Birth Control Pills: Are They right for you? Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/birth-control-pills. Last accessed September 2021.

The process of examining a patient’s symptoms and their underlying causes to identify a disease or condition.¹⁹

19. Britannica. Diagnosis. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/science/diagnosis. Last accessed September 2021.

A serious condition that occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein deep within your body, usually in the thigh or lower leg.²⁰

20. Healthline. Everything you want to know about deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/deep-venous-thrombosis. Last accessed September 2021.

Drugs which are sometimes given through the vein to dissolve clots quickly. They can cause sudden and severe bleeding, so are usually reserved for serious situations. The terms ‘clot busters’, ‘dissolvers’ or ‘thrombolytics’ are often used to describe these medications.^13-15

13. What is stroke? Available at: https://www.stroke.org.uk/what-is-stroke/diagnosis-to-discharge/treatment. Last accessed September 2021.
14. Pulmonary embolism. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pulmonary-embolism/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354653. Last accessed September 2021.
15.Drugs.com. Thrombolytics. Available at: https://www.drugs.com/drug-class/thrombolytics.html. Last accessed September 2021.

Used to describe a range of sensations, such as feeling faint, woozy, weak or unsteady.²¹

21. Mayo Clinic. Dizziness. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dizziness/symptoms-causes/syc-20371787. Last accessed September 2021.

Socks that help blood flow by putting gentle pressure on your leg and ankle. Wearing flight socks during journeys lasting 3 hours or more can help prevent DVT if you’re at an increased risk.²²

22. NHS. Prevent DVT when you travel. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/prevent-dvt-when-you-travel/. Last accessed September 2021.

A team of healthcare professionals which may include doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together to plan your treatment.²³

23. Macmillan Cancer Support. Talking to your healthcare team. Available at: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/diagnosis/talking-to-your-healthcare-team. Last accessed September 2021.

A type of dietary supplement containing one or more herbs also known as ‘botanicals’.²⁴

24. NCCIH. Dietary and Herbal Supplements. Available at: https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/dietary-and-herbal-supplements. Last accessed September 2021.

Relieves the symptoms of menopause by replacing hormones that are at low levels.²⁵

25. NHS. Hormone replacement therapy. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hormone-replacement-therapy-hrt/. Last accessed September 2021.

A term mainly used to describe two conditions – ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease – which are long-term conditions that involve inflammation of the gut.²⁶

26. NHS. Inflammatory bowel disease. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/inflammatory-bowel-disease/. Last accessed September 2021.

Medications that are given directly into your vein using a needle (injection), which sends medication quickly into your bloodstream, or that are given via a tube (infusion), which delivers medication slowly over a longer period of time. The term ‘intravenous’ means ‘into the vein.’²⁷

27. Healthline. Intravenous medication administration: What to know. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/intravenous-medication-administration-what-to-know. Last accessed September 2021.

A feeling as if you might faint. Your body and head may feel heavy. Another way to describe lightheadedness is a ‘reeling sensation’.²⁸

28. Healthline. Light headedness. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/lightheadedness. Last accessed September 2021.

A drug or other form of medicine that is used to treat or prevent disease.²⁹

29. Healthline. Light headedness. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/lightheadedness. Last accessed September 2021.

The part of the menstrual cycle when a woman bleeds from her vagina for a few days.³⁰

30. NHS. Periods. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/periods/. Last accessed September 2021.