A latest study suggests that women's stroke risk increases by 10.8 times in the first six weeks post-delivery.
According to the study, risk of a blood clot is higher than usual for at least 12 weeks after a delivery. The risk is twice longer than researchers and doctors had previously believed.
For the study, the researchers examined data of 1,687,930 pregnant women who gave birth at a California hospital from 2005 to 2010.
The researchers stated that 1,015 women suffered from a blood-clot during the follow-up time span of 1.5 years. These women suffered from clots that led to stroke, heart attack, pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis.
The study, American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2014, shows that the stroke risk was 2.2 times higher than normal from seven to 12 weeks. From 13 to 18 weeks, stroke risk was 1.4 times higher than normal.
"While rare, blood clots are a serious cause of disability and death in pregnant and post-partum women, and many members of our research team have cared for young women with these complications," said Hooman Kamel, M.D., lead researcher and assistant professor in the Department of Neurology and the Brain and Mind Research Institute of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.
"If you have recently delivered a baby, seek medical attention if you develop symptoms such as: chest pain or pressure; difficulty breathing; swelling or pain in one leg; sudden severe headache; or sudden loss of speech, vision, balance, or strength on one side of your body."
Kamel stated that the study findings are important and will be helpful in finding better ways to help patients with post-partum depression. "Clinicians should consider our results when caring for high-risk postpartum patients, such as those with previous clots, or postpartum patients with symptoms concerning for thrombosis," he added.
