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Dr. Matava describes why a woman's risk for deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is increased with the use of birth control pills.
Dr. Matava:
Women who take birth control pills are felt to have a hypercoagulable state, meaning their blood clots quicker than those people who don’t have the similar medication in their system. That, combined with the trauma of the surgery, there’s often a tourniquet placed around the leg in order to control bleeding during the operation that causes the blood to become stagnant, so to speak, in the remainder of the leg. That, plus the chemical environment, can induce a blood clot.
About Dr. Matava, M.D.:
Dr. Matthew J. Matava, M.D., is an associate professor and orthopedic surgeon at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Specializing in sports medicine, his clinical areas of interest include ligament injuries of the knee, athletic injuries of the shoulder and elbow, and pediatric orthopedic knee disorders.
Visit Dr. Matava at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis