Prevention of recurrence of deep vein thrombosis in pregnant and post-partum women.

Deep Vein Thrombosis is a relatively common complication of pregnancy and the post partum period. Women who have once suffered a deep vein thrombosis have an increased risk of recurrence with or without the possibility of pulmonary embolism during future pregnancies. Each year in the Rotunda Hospital Dublin about twenty such patients are seen out of a total of 6,000 pregnant women. Prophylactic treatment with low dose subcutaneous self-administered heparin is the regimen used. Patients for the past three years are surveyed--in all cases except one the pregnancy and post partum period was uneventful. In one case a late post partum non-fatal pulmonary embolus occurred.