Blood clots during pregnancy?

Blood Clotting During Pregnancy

Despite the fact that a pregnancy is one of the most wondrous experiences of a woman’s life, the nine odd months that the process lasts sees significant changes occur in the woman on an emotional as well as a physical level. Apart from the obvious visible physical changes to a woman’s body, the constantly changing hormonal levels is the prime culprit for the very common ‘mood swings’ that are also considered to be a symptom of pregnancy. Moreover, the fact that any medical condition affecting the mother could potentially decrease her ability to see the pregnancy through means that special attention and care needs to be given to aid her during the entire pregnancy term. Seeing the development of blood clots on the leg can be quite scary and could be an indication of some medical complications developing within the expecting mother’s body.

It is important that the woman not ignore the development of a blood clot and they will usually appear in the veins nearer the surface of the leg. You may even notice the blood clot break loose and start to ‘travel’ to another part of the body – potentially traveling to the lungs and causing a blockage, this is an extremely serious medical condition, although it happens only in the rarest of cases.  Some of the symptoms and signs to look for when diagnosing the presence of blood clots in your body during a pregnancy include noticeable paleness in the leg, a tender area of the leg that is hot and swollen as well as red streaks appearing all over the skin. You will also notice that squeezing the calf, however gently, is likely to be particularly painful.

While modern medicine will use certain blood thinners to reduce the viscosity of the blood and dissolve the blood clot, more care needs to be taken during a pregnancy and the focus lies primarily on being able to successfully dissolve the blood clot before it is able to break away from the walls of the veins. This can also be achieved by eating the right kinds of foods that are known to have blood thinning properties. It also helps to keep in mind that some of the risk factors for developing blood clots when pregnant include a poor diet, obesity as well as a distinct lack of exercise. Even when deciding to increase the intake of foods that have blood thinning properties to your diet, it is important to make sure that you consult your dietician to determine if these foods are going to have any adverse effects on your system.

Submitted by P T on June 1, 2010 at 02:51

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