Venous thromboembolism in women: new challenges for an old disease

In countries that have controlled classic causes of maternal death, such as eclampsia and hemorrhage, venous thromboembolism (VTE) has become the major concern. Prevention of VTE during pregnancy and postpartum by applying guidelines and implementing pharmacoprophylaxis is still the best strategy to reduce occurrence of this complication. Hormonal contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy also increase the risk of VTE, but women cannot be deprived of their benefits, which increase their freedom at childbearing age and reduce their symptoms at menopause. Both indiscriminate use and unmotivated prohibition are inappropriate. Contraceptive and hormone replacement methods should be chosen with care, evaluating the patients’ contraindications, eligibility criteria, and autonomy. This article presents a nonsystematic review of recent literature with the aim of evaluating and summarizing the associations between VTE and clinical situations peculiar to women.