Women's issues in venous thromboembolism.
Women and men experience venous thromboembolism (VTE) at similar rates, but there are several issues unique to women regarding this condition. For example, hormonal contraceptives and pregnancy increase the risk of VTE for women in their childbearing years, whereas hormone replacement therapy increases the risk for postmenopausal women. A woman's thrombotic risk must be considered when prescribing therapy for breast cancer because some treatments are associated with a higher incidence of VTE than others. In this paper, we review VTE in women, using cases from our clinical practice to illustrate some of the unique aspects of caring for this population.
Ornstein
Deborah L
DL
Department of Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine/Fletcher Allen Health Care, University Health Center Campus, 1 South Prospect Street, Burlington, VT 05401, USA. deborah.ornstein@vtmednet.org
Cushman
Mary
M
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017698:Postmenopause; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000453:epidemiology; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016387:Women's Health