Introduction: Venous thromboembolism is one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity in the Western world. Pulmonary embolism caused 14% of maternal morbidity in developed countries. The risk of developing venous thrombembolism is five times higher compared to women who are not pregnant. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to present the risk factors for deep vein thrombosis in women during pregnancy and the postpartum period. We will present interventions to prevent and reduce the incidence of deep vein thrombosis in pregnant and postpartum women. Methods: We used a descriptive method with a review of scientific and professional literature. Literature searches were conducted in Slovenian and English on the topic of venous thromboembolism in pregnancy and the postpartum period through the databases PubMed, Cinahl, and Tripdatabase. Results: The risk of thromboembolic complications increases with the age of the woman. Risk factors for venous thrombembolism, such as preeclampsia and hypertension, predispose women to vascular diseases later in life. The frequency of pregnancy-related venous thrombembolism is higher in the postpartum period. Contributing factors include thrombophilia, cesarean delivery, multiple pregnancies, varicose veins, and heart disease. Racial differences and ethnic background influence the incidence of venous thrombembolism during pregnancy and the postpartum period. Discussion and conclusion: The hypercoagulable state, venous blood stasis, and vascular wall injury are the three factors that cause the development of deep vein thrombosis. The potential occurrence of pulmonary embolism poses a life-threatening risk to pregnant women. Early risk assessment for vein thrombosis and the implementation of interventions to reduce and prevent it are necessary. Nurses are part of a multidisciplinary team, where they inform the pregnant woman about the signs and symptoms of deep vein thrombosis and venous thrombembolism. They provide the pregnant woman with educational materials on the prevention of deep vein thrombosis and venous thrombembolism. Nurses play a crucial role in preventing deep vein thrombosis by assessing the risk of deep vein thrombosis and implementing appropriate nursing interventions.
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