Your Online Pregnancy Help Make PregnancySurvey.com Your Home Page!
Search For:
Example: Pregnancy Morning Sickness
Home Page Pregnancy Calendar Questions and Answers Due Date Calculator Ovulation Calendar About Us Contact Us Site Map
You are here: Home -> Problems in Pregnancy -> Blood Clots During Pregnancy Today: Sunday, November 10
Pregnancy Topics
Preparing for Pregnancy
Health and Medical Concerns
Pregnancy Tests
Medications and Treatments
Nutrition and Exercise
Fatigue, Work and Pregnancy
More than One Baby!
Changes in Your Baby
Changes in You
Your Pregnancy Partner
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Substance Use and Abuse
Single Mother-to-Be
Problems in Pregnancy
Warning Signs During Pregnancy
Bleeding During Pregnancy
Falling while Pregnant
Miscarriage or Pregnancy Loss
Ectopic Pregnancy
Blood Clots During Pregnancy
Breast Lumps in Pregnancy
Pre-eclampsia
When Your Water Breaks
Problems with the Placenta
Labor and Delivery
After Your Baby's Birth
Your New Baby
Feeding Your Baby

Blood Clots During Pregnancy

Blood clots in the leg are occasionally diagnosed during pregnancy. This condition, called thrombophlebitis, is more likely to occur during pregnancy because of changes in blood circulation. Blood flow in the legs slows down (a condition called stasis) because of pressure from the uterus on blood vessels and because of changes in the blood and its clotting mechanisms. Blood clots occur in less than 1 % of all pregnancies.
The condition is serious because the blood clot may break loose and travel to another part of the body, such as the lungs (called a pulmonary embolism). Fortunately, that happens only rarely.
If you have had any kind of blood clot in the past, don't ignore it. Tell your doctor. This is important information! Blood clots may also occasionally appear in veins near the surface of the leg. This condition is not serious. This type of thrombosis does not require hospitalization and is treated with mild pain relievers, elevation of the leg, heat and support of the leg with an Aceā„¢ bandage or maternity support stockings.
Signs and symptoms of deep-vein thrombosis can vary widely and include:
paleness of the leg
leg is cool to the touch
a portion of the leg may be tender, hot and swollen
skin of the leg may have red streaks over the veins
squeezing the calf or walking may be very painful
rapid, abrupt onset of the above symptoms
To diagnose deep-vein thrombosis in a pregnant woman, an ultrasound of the legs is done. In a nonpregnant woman, either X-ray or ultrasound is used.

Treatment

Treatment of this condition during pregnancy usually consists of hospitalization and administration of heparin to thin the blood and to allow the clot to dissolve. While heparin is being given, the woman is required to stay in bed with heat applied to her elevated leg.
If you had a blood clot in a previous pregnancy, tell your doctor. You will probably need heparin during this pregnancy. lt should be started right away. Heparin is administered by injections that you give yourself two or three times a day, by a long-dwelling I. V. (intravenous drip) or by a heparin pump.
Another blood thinner, called warfarin (CoumadinĀ®), is available in pill form, but it is not usually given during pregnancy because it is not safe for the baby. Heparin is safe for use during pregnancy. After you deliver, you may have to take warfarin for a few weeks, depending on the severity of the blood clot.
Problems in Pregnancy Articles:
Warning Signs During Pregnancy | Bleeding During Pregnancy | Falling while Pregnant | Miscarriage or Pregnancy Loss | Ectopic Pregnancy | Blood Clots During Pregnancy | Breast Lumps in Pregnancy | Pre-eclampsia | When Your Water Breaks | Problems with the Placenta
Pregnancy Calendar
Subscribe to Pregnancy Newsletter and receive new and popular pregnancy articles every week.
Your Email Address:
Pregnancy Calendar | Questions and Answers | Pregnancy Glossary | Suggest an Article | Link to Us | Contact Us | Site Map
Please note: All pregnancy articles on this website is for educational and information purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and
treatment, you should consult your personal doctor.
Copyright © 2007, PregnancySurvey.com. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Statement
eXTReMe Tracker