Healthy Habits: Thrombosis

As women, we face a unique set of important decisions that may place us at increased risk for life-threatening blood clots during various stages of our lives. The National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) wants to raise awareness about dangerous blood clots as they pertain to the choices women face every day.

While anyone can be affected by blood clots, women face an increased risk of blood clots at crucial life stages:  When taking birth control that contains estrogen, when they are pregnant or in the weeks after their baby is born, and later in life when the symptoms of menopause might be treated with hormone therapy. 

Each year, blood clots affect more people than AIDS, breast cancer, and automobile accidents combined. In the U.S. alone, up to 900,000 people each year are affected by blood clots in their legs (known as deep vein thrombosis or DVT) and blood clots in their lungs (known as pulmonary embolism or PE), which can be life-threatening. On average, 1 person dies every 6 minutes due to a blood clot.

While these figures are frightening, choices connected to family planning, pregnancy, and the treatment of menopause symptoms must be carefully weighed to reduce the risk of dangerous blood clots. You can find more information about these risk factors, the signs and symptoms of blood clots, and important steps women can take to reduce them at http://womenandbloodclots.org/.  

Equally important to assessing and reducing your risk, is the opportunity to discuss these risk factors and the decisions women face with each other in a safe and supportive community. That’s why NBCA, in partnership with Inspire, is launching a new online, patient-driven discussion forum and support group to foster these discussions and raise awareness about the dangers of blood clots.

Learn more: follow NBCA on Twitter @stoptheclot .