Tools for women who want to participate in their care.

The ability to find, understand, and use health information to make informed decisions about your care. Health literacy is not about intelligence — it is about access, language, and confidence in the medical setting. Low health literacy is associated with worse outcomes across conditions including VTE.

An evidence-based clinical discipline focused on the role of lifestyle behaviors — nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, social connection, and substance avoidance — in the prevention and management of chronic disease. Val is a member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM).

The degree to which a patient has the knowledge, skills, and confidence to manage their own health. A highly activated patient asks questions, understands their diagnosis, participates in treatment decisions, and takes consistent action outside of appointments. One of the strongest predictors of long-term health outcomes.

A conversation between patient and provider where both contribute to a treatment decision. The provider brings clinical knowledge. You bring personal values, life circumstances, and preferences. Shared decision-making is the standard of care in VTE management, but it requires you to be informed and willing to participate.

Beyond the formal definition of informed consent, informed participation is the ongoing practice of staying engaged, asking questions, and understanding the reasoning behind your care — not just signing a form. The difference between being a patient and being a participant in your own health.

The overall condition of your blood vessels — their flexibility, inflammation levels, and ability to regulate blood flow. Vascular health is shaped over years by lifestyle habits including diet, movement, sleep, and stress management. It is the broader context in which VTE risk lives.

Conditions related to the body’s metabolism — including obesity, insulin resistance, elevated triglycerides, and chronic inflammation — that influence vascular health and clotting risk. Not typically included in standard VTE provocation checklists, but research increasingly links them to unprovoked clotting events.

A persistent, low-grade inflammatory state associated with obesity, poor diet, chronic stress, and sleep disruption. Chronic inflammation affects the endothelium — the lining of blood vessels — and is increasingly recognized as a contributor to vascular and cardiovascular risk including VTE.

The thin layer of cells lining the inside of blood vessels. A healthy endothelium resists clotting and regulates blood flow. When damaged or inflamed — by conditions like obesity, smoking, chronic stress, or high blood pressure — the risk of clot formation increases.

A dietary approach focused on foods that reduce chronic inflammation — primarily whole plant foods, omega-3 rich sources, and minimally processed options — while limiting foods that promote inflammation such as refined carbohydrates, processed meats, and added sugars. Directly relevant to vascular health and post-clot recovery.

The three conditions that together create the environment for a blood clot: stasis (slowed blood flow), endothelial injury (damage to the vessel wall), and hypercoagulability (increased clotting tendency). The foundational framework for how clinicians think about clot risk, and one every survivor deserves to understand.

A clot that occurred without an obvious trigger like surgery, hospitalization, injury, or cancer. The label describes what wasn’t present, not what was. Many women with unprovoked clots have unaddressed lifestyle and metabolic risk factors that aren’t captured by standard checklists.

The likelihood of experiencing a second clot after a first event. Roughly 30% of survivors experience a recurrent event within five years, a figure most patients are never told. Risk varies based on whether the first clot was provoked or unprovoked, clot location, genetic factors, and ongoing lifestyle conditions.

A long-term condition where the veins in the legs have difficulty returning blood to the heart efficiently. A common after-effect of DVT, CVI causes swelling, heaviness, and discomfort. Not always discussed in post-clot follow-up, but a lasting marker that clots leave on the body.

A long-term complication of DVT where damaged vein valves cause chronic pain, swelling, and sometimes skin changes in the affected leg. PTS affects a significant portion of DVT survivors and is one of the most underrecognized post-clot conditions.