Over the next 5 days, the patient was hospitalized and treated with the intravenous anticoagulants heparin sodium and coumadin. Her OCs were discontinued. She was asymptomatic at the time of discharge. The role of oral contraceptives. In active patients who have PE, the usual cause is a hypercoagulable state, which can be the result of a heritable defect, a disease, or an acquired risk factor.
Some progestins impart a higher risk of associated thromboembolism.
Because of the increased risk of DVT and PE with third-generation progestins, OCs containing other progestins should be primarily prescribed. Genetic risk factors. In the last 5 years, remarkable advances have occurred in the use of DNA-based technology to identify genetic mutations that are risk factors for thromboembolic events. Men and women who have unexplained DVT or PE should undergo a laboratory workup. Further, women who have DVT or PE and have no known risk factor other than OC use should undergo a workup.