How does pregnancy increase the risk of pulmonary and other emboli?
How is pregnancy associated with an increased risk in pulmonary embolism? Does this explain the association between long term use of oral contraceptives and thrombosis, which could possibly lead to embolism? A: Yes and no. The hormones that are increased in pregnancy and contained in the contraceptive Pill aren’t the only risk factors for blot clots forming during pregnancy. What the Pill and pregnancy both have in common is that they both produce hormones that increase the bloods clotting ability. Oestrogen increases the risk of DVTs by increasing the production of certain chemicals necessary for the blood to clot. It also increases platelet numbers + stickiness of platelets, which increases clot formation (to prepare for blood loss during child birth). Progestogen in the Pill causes the blood vessels to relax and widen, allowing the blood to pool in the veins, increasing risk of clot formation. Blood clots in pregnancy are generally the result of increased venous stasis- blood poolin
