When is antenatal care package recommended for deep vein thrombosis in pregnancy?

Deep vein thrombosis is a clot in a deep vein, often in one leg. Warning features can include one-sided swelling, warmth, redness, tenderness, or aching, although symptoms can vary. Pregnancy care must account for the clot, the pregnancy stage, delivery planning, and any anticoagulant treatment. Antenatal clinicians may coordinate with a specialist, review symptoms and medication, and plan how treatment will be handled around labour and after birth.

Do not wait for a routine appointment if you develop new one-sided leg swelling or pain. Contact your maternity service or urgent care team the same day for instructions. If DVT has been diagnosed, take anticoagulant medicine exactly as prescribed and tell every clinician involved in your care. Keep a current medication list, attend planned monitoring, and ask before stopping treatment, travelling, or changing activity.

Call emergency services immediately for sudden breathlessness, chest pain, coughing blood, fainting, severe dizziness, or a racing heartbeat with breathing difficulty. These may signal that a clot has travelled to the lungs. A painful, swollen leg also needs urgent assessment, particularly when symptoms are new or getting worse; do not massage the area while waiting for advice.

Ask which service should assess a new leg symptom, how long treatment is expected to continue, and how medication affects scans, birth planning, and anaesthesia. Ask what to do if labour starts, if you miss a dose, or if bleeding occurs.