According to an article posted by Cardiovascular Diagnosis and Therapy (Link posted below), Deep Venuous Thrombosis is the leading cause of maternal death in the developed world. In the same article, references are also made to the fact that DVT is 5 times more likely in pregnant women than women who are not pregnant.
It's believed that pregnant women's blood coagulates to avoid excessive blood loss in the birthing process. Of course, women who develop DVT can experience fatal symptoms such as pulmonary embolism, which is when a blood clot enters the lungs. However, DVT is often fatal for unborn babies as well since clots can enter the placenta and cut off blood supply to the child.
With that being said, why aren't ultrasounds that check for blood clots a normal part of prenatal care? If clots can be detected, it would only make sense that they are searched for early on. Isn't that what preventative medicine is about? In theory, a woman can inform her doctor of any symptoms she is feeling, which could lead to discovering a clot. However, clot symptoms (chest pain, breathlessness, warmness in legs or arms) are often brushed aside as normal pregnancy issues and often go undiagnosed. This begs the questions, why haven't prenatal appointments become more comprehensive to check for clots? Pregnant women and their babies deserve better.
*https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5778511/#:~:text=Epidemiology-,Women%20are%20up%20to%205%20times%20more%20likely%20to%20develop,leading%20cause%20of%20maternal%20death.
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