Everyone has different reasons for considering genetic testing for thombophilia (blood clotting disorders). They may be medical, lifestyle oriented, or family related.

A family history of blood clots in the veins

• As many as 63% of families with blood clots in more than one family member have an inherited thrombophilia.

A known inherited thrombophilia mutation in your family

• If your parent, sibling, or child has an inherited thrombophilia, you have a 50% (1 in 2) chance of having the same genetic risk.
  
• If your uncle, aunt, grandparent, niece, or nephew has an inherited thrombophilia, you have a 25% (1 in 4) chance of having the same genetic risk.
  
• The more distant the family member is, the more your risk decreases.

Pregnancy complications (such as multiple miscarriages, preeclampsia, placental abruption, stillbirth, or intrauterine growth retardation)

• Women who have an inherited thrombophilia are at increased risk for miscarriage, stillbirth, and these pregnancy-related complications.

An active cancer or malignancy

• Everyone who has an active cancer has a 1 in 25 risk of having a blood clot. This risk increases when a person has an inherited thrombophilia.

Birth control pills

• All women have a risk of having a blood clot while taking the pill. For a woman with one factor V Leiden mutation, this risk increases 30 to 35 times. For women with more than one mutation, the risk is 100 times higher.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

• All women have a risk of having a blood clot while taking HRT. For a woman with one factor V Leiden mutation, the risk increases 13 to 15 times. For women with two mutations, the risk is even higher.

Pregnancy

• Blood clots are the major cause of maternal death during pregnancy.
• All pregnant women have a risk of having a blood clot. For a woman with one factor V Leiden mutation, this risk increases 7 to 16 times. For women with two mutations, the risk is 40 times higher.

Surgery

• There is always a risk of having a blood clot during surgery or recovery. For a person with a factor V Leiden mutation the risk increases about 20 times.

Long flights or car trips

• A person with an inherited thrombophilia has a greater risk of developing a blood clot during long distance travel (3 hours or more), but the exact amount of risk is unclear.

Lifestyle risk factors: immobility, obesity, smoking

• Living a sedentary lifestyle, being obese, and smoking all contribute to the risk of developing cardiovascular disease including having a blood clot. It is not clear how much these risk factors increase the risk of blood clots.

Age

• For the average person under 40 years old, the risk of having a blood clot is 1 in 10,000. For a person under 40 who has an inherited thrombophilia, the risk increases to 1 in 1750.
• For the average person age 70 to 80 years old, the risk of having a blood clot is 1 in 625. For a person with a factor V Leiden mutation, the risk increases to 1 in 120.

Only you can make the ultimate decision about whether or not to test for inherited blood clotting disorders, but DNA Direct can help you determine whether genetic testing would be of medical benefit for you.