provoking factor. (However, a pregnant woman with a history of unprovoked thrombosis does not need testing as she needs anticoagulants anyway in pregnancy). If you have a family history of venous thrombosis in at least two relatives. If you have certain blood test results: an unexplained prolonged activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) - an abnormal result on a certain type of blood clotting test. Some people with other medical conditions: recurrent miscarriage or fetal death, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) - a condition affecting blood platelets, or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), also referred to as lupus - because these can sometimes be linked to thrombophilia. Even if there is a known thrombophilia in the family, you may not be tested for it if it is mild and you have not had a blood clot yourself. This is because you are asymptomatic (you have no symptoms) and knowing if you have this inherited defect will not change how you are treated - you probably won't need anticoagulants because it is not known how much your risk of abnormal blood clotting is increased. Use of anticoagulant medication has to be carefully assessed as there are also certain risks, such as bleeding, with its use. What is the treatment for thrombophilia? The first step is for you and your doctor to consider how much risk there is of you getting a blood clot. This risk depends on a combination of things, such as: What type of thrombophilia you have (some are more high-risk for