*Welcome to the OutUK series looking at gay men and their health brought to you in association with the NHS* website.**
	Each week we'll tackle a different topic in our A to Z of Gay Health. We'll have features and advice on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. You can follow any of links provided below for more information direct from the NHS website, or see this week's feature L: Laxatives.

Thrombophilia

Thrombophilia is a condition that increases your risk of blood clots. It's usually treated with anticoagulant medicines.

What is thrombophilia?

Your blood forms clots to help stop bleeding. If you have thrombophilia, it means your blood can form clots too easily. Blood clots can be very serious and need to be treated quickly.

Thrombophilia increases your risk of:

deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a blood clot in a vein, usually the leg
pulmonary embolism (PE), a blocked blood vessel in your lungs

Symptoms of thrombophilia

Thrombophilia does not have any symptoms.

You only tend to find out you have thrombophilia when you develop a blood clot.

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if:

You have:

throbbing or cramping pain in 1 leg (rarely both legs), usually in the calf or thigh
swelling in 1 leg (rarely both legs)
warm skin around the painful area
red or darkened skin around the painful area
swollen veins that are hard or sore when you touch them

These are symptoms of a DVT in your leg.

These symptoms may also happen in your arm or tummy if that's where the blood clot is.

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

you have severe difficulty breathing
your heart is beating very fast
someone has passed out

These could be signs of a pulmonary embolism or another serious condition.

Treatment for thrombophilia

You do not usually need treatment for thrombophilia. You usually only need treatment if you have a blood clot, such as DVT or PE.

Blood clots are usually treated in the same way, whether or not you have thrombophilia.

The main treatment for blood clots is anticoagulant medicine.

If you're at high risk of blood clots, you may need to take this medicine regularly for several months or years.

There's an increased risk of blood clots during pregnancy with some types of thrombophilia. Speak to your GP or midwife if you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant and you have thrombophilia.

There are things you can do to reduce your risk of blood clots such as being more active and not smoking. Find out how to prevent blood clots.

Types of thrombophilia

There are many types of thrombophilia. Some types run in families and others develop later on in life.

Common types of thrombophilia include:

factor V Leiden
protein C deficiency
protein S deficiency
antithrombin deficiency
antiphospholipid syndrome

OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health continues and you can read this week's feature L: Laxatives. We have covered many subjects in this series and you can catch up with all of our Previous A to Z Features. If you want to find out more about this particular topic you can visit the Original article on the NHS website. If you are worried by any aspect of your health make sure you go and see your doctor or book an appointment at your local clinic.
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