Vaginal Blood Clots

Courtney Lewis

Rita Kinniry

April 10, 2011

Eng 111 10C

Research paper

A blood clot inside a coronary artery can trigger a heart attack; one inside an artery feeding the brain can set off a stroke. Inside a leg vein, a blood clot can cause deep-vein thrombosis; but regular vaginal blood clots are usually driven out of the vagina during the menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle occurs monthly for the woman's body to expel old clumps of uterine tissue and bodily waste and toxins so it appears that vaginal blood clots are for the most part normal.

However, a vaginal blood clot can be hazardous for a woman if the clots are thick, abnormally large, and if they experience these clots before or after their menstrual and if they expel from the body often. These are abnormal vaginal blood clots.

Women who suffer from vaginal blood clotting are women whose eliminative channels are usually blocked or impaired, mainly the colon. Busy women who are always on the go usually use tampons, which make it easier for them to move around, and that tampon clogs the vagina causing it to not successfully release the bodily waste and toxins effectively. Depending on the woman's intake, the birth control pill could lead to many other disease and conditions aside from blood clots. An excess of female hormones means there's more waste to be expelled, which causes abnormal vaginal blood clots. The risk of developing blood clots is greater for women who have one or several of these risk factors:

* Pregnancy: a woman's risk of developing blood clots is six times greater when she is pregnant. During pregnancy estrogens are elevated in the blood and studies have shown that estrogen increases blood clotting.

* Birth control pill: oral contraceptives that contain progesterone are associated with increased risk. Women who had progesterone skin implants also carry a risk of DVT and PE.

* Hormone replacement therapy: any HRT that contains the hormone estrogen (also known as estrogen replacement therapy) or progesterone may increase the risk of blood clots.

* Varicose veins: these veins in the leg are distended, lengthened and twisted, making blood flow slower than normal.

* Prolonged immobility: people who are immobile for a long period of time, such as bedridden patients or those on long plane flights, are particularly at risk for developing blood clots since the blood circulation is slower than normal.

While effects of abnormal vaginal blood clots can be detrimental to a woman's health, treating this condition is fairly easy. As Ramona Kelley expressed in the interview, the hospital administered blood-thinning drugs, Heparin, and make sure to elevate the affected leg. However, it is the hospital's job to make sure that the blood isn't made too thin because that can cause more dangerous diseases and conditions.

Vaginal blood clots are often looked past in women's health. Ramona Kelley gladly shared some information of this condition and her experience with vaginal blood clots.

Q: When were you diagnosed with the condition?

A: I think in August 2005, I was 33 years old.

Q: What were the symptoms?

A: All I can remember is a throbbing pain in my leg whenever I bent it and my ankles were swollen after a couple months, maybe 2. It was then were I recognized I was walking with an uncontrollable limp.

Q: How long did you have the symptoms before you sought treatment?

A: About a month later after I noticed my limp, I took the time out to give myself a few self-examinations. I knew that I was bleeding entirely too much in contrast to my normal cycle, but I wasn't quite sure if this was a bad thing.

Q: Is this condition hereditary?

A: My doctor told me that abnormal vaginal blood clots were not hereditary.

Q: What were the treatments?

A: I had to take all kinds of drugs, Culloden and Heparin to get my blood at a certain level. I had to take PTT test everyday, which stands for Partial Thromboplastin Time. Getting my blood to not be too thick or thin was a huge effort for the doctors. There was a time actually where I took too much Culloden, which caused me to receive two blood transfusions and later on a green fill. The green fill is known as a Stent, which was inserted into my groin area to catch any blood clot in the venacava passage. Things could've been worse, I chose these methods of treatment; otherwise I would've had to undergo full-blown surgery. I didn't want to do that because I also had some kind of thyroid that messed with my menstrual a great deal.

Q: Are you still going through treatment?

A: I am no longer receiving treatment; the doctors said I didn't really need to take anymore pills or drugs.

Q: Are you cured