"Why Serena Williams Was Bedridden After Giving Birth" - Kimberly Truong
Serena Williams, who has previously suffered from blood clots, realized something was wrong when she suddenly felt short of breath while recovering from her C-section in the hospital the day after she gave birth. Given her health history, she had a gut instinct that she was suffering a pulmonary embolism, a condition that develops when a blood clot in another part of your body breaks off and travels along the blood stream and into your lungs, blocking the pumping of your heart, and preventing your heart from taking in oxygen. Louis DePalo, MD, professor of medicine, pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said that pregnant women are particularly at risk for blood clots. In addition to hormonal changes that make blood clots more likely, "As the baby grows in the uterus, it can compress the veins in the pelvis, and cause slower blood flow," he said, which in turn can contribute to blood clots.
- Louis DePalo, MD, Professor, Medicine, Pulmonary, Critical Care, Sleep Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai