Venous thromboembolism in pregnant obese Individuals

Venous thrombosis and thromboembolism (VTE) remain the leading cause of direct maternal deaths, occurring within 42 days of the end of pregnancy in the UK. Pregnancy is associated with an overall 10-fold higher incidence of VTE than in the non-pregnant state and has been reported to reach up to 30-fold higher in the puerperium. This increased risk is further exacerbated by maternal obesity in a relationship that appears to be proportional with increasing Body Mass Index (BMI).

Maternal obesity is the most common health problem in women of reproductive age with clinically significant health risks to women during pregnancy and after delivery. It is associated with poor perinatal and maternal outcomes, The incidence of maternal obesity has increased significantly worldwide over the last few decades and increasingly, pregnancy is being complicated by extreme or morbid obesity.

In this review we discuss the challenges associated with the diagnosis and management of VTE in obese pregnant women and provide a review of the available current evidence.