pulmonary embolism pregnancy

prissie · Newbie Joined: 04 Jan 2007 Posts: 1

Hi, I am seven months pregnant. Until last couple of weeks my pregnancy has been developing just fine. That is until I read about pulmonary embolism during pregnancy and child birth. This had frightened me a lot. Why is pulmonary embolism so frequent among pregnant women? Can I do something to prevent this from happening to me?

andriana · Newbie Joined: 07 May 2005 Posts: 2

Hello, and first of all I would like to congratulate you on your pregnancy. Now to answer your questions. Pulmonary embolism is unfortunately the most common cause of maternal mortality. The blood clots are formed more frequently during pregnancy because of the changes in the physiology of coagulation process. The clots are formed in the legs and from there they travel to the lungs. When a large blood vessel in the lungs gets obstructed with clots a person may die. This is why if a pregnant woman has some more of the risk factors an examination should be done to determine the existence of blood clots. Even though pulmonary embolism is the main cause of maternal mortality it is not that common condition. Only one pregnant woman in one to two thousands has increased risk of thromboembolic venous disease. However, if you are still concerned about pulmonary embolism you should talk to your doctor about it. There are examinations that he will order to determine if your pregnancy is at risk. If this would be the case he will prescribe you medication to prevent pulmonary embolism from happening.

pulmonary embolism pregnancy

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