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Blood clot risk in pregnancy and after delivery | CION Cancer Clinics
A blood clot in pregnancy is uncommon, but the chance is several times higher than usual, and highest in the weeks just after delivery. A past clot, a caesarean and long bed rest raise it most. Sudden breathlessness or chest pain means going to the nearest emergency department or calling 108 now. This page explains what raises your risk, what the warning signs look like, and how the risk is lowered. At CION Cancer Clinics, our haematologist cares for anaemia, bleeding, clotting and inherited blood disorders, with ArogyaSri, CGHS and cashless insurance accepted.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Basudev PokhrelConsultant Haematologist · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- How likely is a blood clot in pregnancy or after delivery?
- What makes a clot more likely for you?
- When is the risk highest, from early pregnancy to after the birth?
- What do families believe about rest and clots, and what is true?
- What do the words on your discharge sheet mean?
- How is the risk lowered, and what can this page not tell you?
- Common questions about clots in pregnancy and after birth
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Signs of a clot that cannot wait until morning
Go to the nearest emergency department now, or call 108, if you are pregnant or have recently given birth and you have sudden breathlessness, chest pain that is worse when you breathe in, coughing up blood, or a racing heart with faintness. These can mean a clot has reached the lung. Pain, warmth and swelling in one calf or thigh needs a doctor the same day. Do not wait to see whether it settles.
The short answer
How likely is a blood clot in pregnancy or after delivery?
A clot is still uncommon, and most women never have one. But the chance is several times higher than when you are not pregnant, and it stays raised for several weeks after the birth. The weeks just after delivery carry more risk, day for day, than pregnancy itself.
Why pregnancy makes blood clot more easily
Your body is preparing for the bleeding that comes with birth. The blood thickens slightly so that it can seal the place where the afterbirth came away. The growing womb also presses on the large veins in the pelvis, so blood moves more slowly out of the legs. Slow blood and sticky blood together are what make a clot more likely.
Where these clots usually form
Most start in a deep vein of the leg, often the left, or in the pelvis. This is a deep vein thrombosis. The danger is a piece breaking off and travelling to the lung, called a pulmonary embolism. That is uncommon, but it is why doctors take a sore swollen leg seriously.
This page describes risk in general. It cannot tell you your own risk. Only your obstetrician or haematologist can weigh that from your history.Not sure whether this applies to you?
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What makes a clot more likely for you?
Your doctor adds these up at booking, again if you are admitted, and again after the birth. One factor alone is often not enough to change the plan.
Your history
A clot in the past is the strongest single warning. A close relative who had one young matters too, as does an inherited clotting tendency found on a blood test.
Tell your doctor about
- Any earlier clot, even one years ago
- A parent, brother or sister with a clot
- Lupus or antiphospholipid syndrome
How the birth goes
A caesarean, especially an emergency one, raises the risk more than a normal delivery. So do a very long labour, heavy bleeding after the birth, and a delivery with forceps or vacuum.
Your body in this pregnancy
Being older, carrying a lot of extra weight, carrying twins, having had several babies before, or conceiving through IVF all add a little. Smoking adds more.
Being unwell or still
Severe vomiting that leaves you dry, an infection, a hospital stay, or long hours sitting on a bus or train all slow the blood. Staying in bed for days after delivery does the same.
Across the months
When is the risk highest, from early pregnancy to after the birth?
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Early pregnancy
The risk begins to rise from the first trimester, not only at the end. This matters if you are admitted with severe vomiting or have had a clot before. Your team may start preventive steps early for you.
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Middle and late pregnancy
As the womb grows, pressure on the pelvic veins builds. Leg swelling on both sides is common and usually harmless. Swelling, pain or warmth on one side only is the change that needs checking.
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Labour and delivery
A long labour, a caesarean or heavy bleeding each add to the risk. Your team reassesses you on the ward and decides whether you need stockings, injections or both.
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The first days and weeks at home
This is the peak. You are tired, sore and often told to rest in bed by well-meaning family. Gentle walking and enough water help. Sudden breathlessness in this period is never something to sleep on.
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Once the early weeks have passed
The risk falls back towards your usual level. If you were given injections to take home, the length of that course is set by your doctor, not by the calendar on this page.
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Commonly believed
What do families believe about rest and clots, and what is true?
"After delivery she must lie in bed and not move."
Long bed rest is one of the things that makes a clot more likely. Rest is important, but getting up to walk gently around the house, as soon as your doctor allows, keeps the blood in the legs moving.
"Leg pain in pregnancy is always normal."
Aching and swelling in both legs is very common. Pain, heat, redness or swelling in one leg only is different and needs a doctor to examine it the same day. A simple scan of the leg veins can usually answer the question.
"She should not drink much water, or the swelling will get worse."
Drinking too little makes the blood thicker and the risk higher. Swelling in pregnancy is not caused by drinking water. Keep drinking steadily, especially in the hot months and while breastfeeding.
"The injections will harm the baby, so we will skip them."
The heparin injections used in pregnancy do not cross to the baby. Never stop them on your own. The treating team decides when they start and when they end.
On your papers
What do the words on your discharge sheet mean?
- DVT (deep vein thrombosis)
- A clot in a deep vein, usually in the leg or pelvis.
- PE (pulmonary embolism)
- A clot that has travelled to the lung. This is the emergency.
- VTE
- Short for venous thromboembolism. It is the umbrella word for both DVT and PE.
- Thrombophilia
- An inherited or acquired tendency for the blood to clot more easily, found on specific blood tests.
- LMWH (low molecular weight heparin)
- The blood-thinning injection most often used in pregnancy and after birth. It does not reach the baby.
- Compression stockings
- Tight, fitted stockings that help blood move out of the legs. They must be the right size to work.
What can be done
How is the risk lowered, and what can this page not tell you?
Most women need nothing more than moving about and drinking enough. Women with higher risk are offered heparin injections, stockings, or both, for a period your doctor sets. A few with a past clot start injections early in pregnancy.
Who the injections do not suit
Injections are not given to women who are bleeding, who have a very low platelet count, or who are about to have an epidural or spinal injection until the team has timed it safely. Stockings do not suit women with poor circulation in the legs or broken skin. These are decisions for your team, not for you to make at home.
What this page cannot tell you
It cannot tell you whether your leg pain is a clot. It cannot set your risk score, and it cannot say whether you need injections or for how long. A blood test called D-dimer is often raised in normal pregnancy, so a high result does not prove a clot, and a scan is usually needed.
Where a haematologist helps
If you have had a clot before, have a family history, or have been told you have a clotting disorder, ask for a haematology opinion early in pregnancy. At CION, Dr. Basudev Pokhrel reviews these histories and works with your obstetrician on a plan for pregnancy and the weeks after delivery.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about clots in pregnancy and after birth
How do I tell normal pregnancy swelling from a clot?
Normal swelling affects both ankles and feet, gets worse through the day and eases after a night's sleep. A clot usually affects one leg, often with pain in the calf or thigh, warmth, redness or a tight heavy feeling. If one leg is clearly different from the other, see a doctor the same day.
I had a caesarean. Am I at higher risk?
Yes, a caesarean raises the risk compared with a normal delivery, and an emergency caesarean raises it more. Many women are given injections, stockings or both after the operation. Getting up and walking as soon as your team allows is one of the most useful things you can do yourself.
My mother had a clot. Should I be tested?
Tell your obstetrician at booking. Whether a blood test for an inherited clotting tendency is useful depends on who had the clot, at what age, and what caused it. Testing is not right for everyone, and a normal result does not remove the risk. A haematologist can advise on your own family history.
Can I breastfeed while on heparin injections?
Yes. Heparin does not pass into breast milk in any amount that affects the baby, so feeding can carry on as normal. If you are switched to a different blood thinner after delivery, ask your doctor whether that one is suitable while you are feeding, as some are not.
Is it safe to travel home to the village after delivery?
Short journeys are usually fine. On a long bus, car or train journey, stop or stand up and walk regularly, flex your ankles while seated, and keep drinking water. If your doctor has advised injections or stockings, carry them with you and keep to the plan while you travel.
Does a high D-dimer mean I have a clot?
Not in pregnancy. D-dimer rises naturally as pregnancy goes on and after birth, so a high result is common and does not prove a clot. Reference ranges also differ between laboratories. If a clot is suspected, doctors usually rely on a leg scan or a lung scan rather than this test alone.
Will a scan for a lung clot harm my baby?
The scans used to look for a clot in the lung give the baby a very small amount of radiation. Doctors consider a missed clot far more dangerous for mother and baby than the scan. Ask the team which scan they are choosing and why.
Can I get a clot again in my next pregnancy?
A past clot is the strongest reason for extra care next time. Before or early in your next pregnancy, ask for a plan from your obstetrician and a haematologist. Many women with a past clot go on to have safe pregnancies with the right preventive care in place.
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Sources
- NHS — Deep vein thrombosis (DVT)
- NHS — Pulmonary embolism
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute — Venous Thromboembolism
- American Society of Hematology — Blood Clots
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
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