A CHARITY has called for a warning about a contraceptive pill linked to a woman's death.

The M.E.N. reported last week how Helen Schofield, 33, from Prestwich, died from a blood clot three months after her GP prescribed her Dianette.

Her mother has called for an inquiry by the General Medical Council - and now she's been backed by a charity set up to monitor the side-effects of drugs.

Millie Kieve founded APRIL when her daughter Karen died in a fall after suffering mental health problems alleged to have been made worse by Dianette.

She said: "It really upset me to read Helen's story. I had tears in my eyes. It was very distressing. This was such a preventable death."

She wants the government body that regulates medicine to send out a fresh warning to GPs about the risks of the drug.

She said: "Girls are on it for years without being warned of the risk of thrombosis.

"They should be educating doctors.

"They issued a warning in 2002 after I asked and they should repeat it because the same drug is still out there and the same risks are still out there.

"To be honest, it's a drug we can well do without."

An inquest heard how Helen's GP, Dr Margaret Colter, didn't tell her of the general risks associated with taking any contraceptive pill, nor the specific risks associated with Dianette.

Dianette is used to treat acne or excess hair in women who also need a contraceptive.

The doctor told an inquest the patient would have been told of the risks when she was prescribed another type of contraceptive pill earlier in her life.

The risk of developing a blood clot is four times greater for women taking Dianette than any other contraceptive pill, the inquest heard.

Charity volunteer Helen collapsed as she walked with her mother Kay Schofield after paying the deposit for her first home.

She died in hospital in February this year of a blood clot in her calf which travelled through her heart and blocked an artery to a lung. A pathologist said the fact she was taking Dianette was `significant'.

Her father had died of a heart attack - and the leaflet accompanying the drug says this would increase the risk of thrombosis for anyone taking it.

A statement from the manufacturer Bayer said: "Every report about possible side effects related to any of our products is reported to our Drug Safety Department and thoroughly investigated by our medical experts.

"Dianette is a well established therapy."

A spokeswoman for the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency said there were risks with all medicines, adding that its previous advice on Dianette remains. The drug should not be used solely for contraception and should not be taken for more than three or four months after symptoms have cleared up, she added.