[Pregnancy-associated venous thromboembolic disease: prediction, prevention, and therapy]

Thromboembolic disease remains a leading cause of maternal mortality during pregnancy and the puerperium. Rational and risk-adapted administration of heparin prophylaxis depends on 1. the identification of those women who have an increased risk of thrombosis and 2. the accurate quantification of this risk. In women without prior thrombosis, the presence of a heterozygous factor V Leiden or heterozygous G20210A mutation in the prothrombin gene is associated with a pregnancy-associated thrombotic risk of approximately 1 in 400. Thus, in pregnant carriers of either one of these mutations the risk of venous thromboembolism is low. Therefore, no heparin prophylaxis is recommended. A combination of the two genetic risk factors can increase the risk to a modest level of 1 in 25. In women with a single episode of prior thrombosis associated with a transient risk factor, e.g. surgery or trauma, and no additional genetic risk factor, the probability of a pregnancy-associated thrombosis appears also to be low. However, data are sparse and conflicting. In contrast, in women with a prior idiopathic venous thrombosis who carry an additional hereditary risk factor or who have a positive family history of thrombosis, a high risk (>10%) can be expected supporting the indication for active antepartum and postpartum heparin prophylaxis. Despite the remarkable progress in risk stratification, the absolute magnitude of risk and the optimal management in many cases is an issue of ongoing debate.