Factor V Leiden is a disorder that causes hypercoagulability, and a member of thrombophilia. Thrombophilia is a word that stands for a host of genetic conditions which make the tendency of blood to clot increasingly more prevalent. When the blood clots at a high frequency, this can lead to life threatening and serious complications for the person with the clot. Obviously, it also depends on where the blood clot is located in the body as to the severity of the problem.

Deep vein thrombosis is a clot in the extremities such as the legs. These can cause pain to the host and is called superficial thrombophlebitis or otherwise known as deep vein thrombosis. Clots that are in other parts of the body can be life threatening. These are clots found in the veins of the person’s major organs. These organs include the liver, lungs and brain. When a person has a clot in these areas it is called thrombophilia and can cause a life threatening situation as well as clots in the arteries can cause heart attack or stroke in the patient.

There is a variety of tests that can be performed so that persons with thrombophilia wishing to become pregnant can avoid such problems and complications as preclampsia, eclampsia and stillbirth. There are also medical treatments that can be utilized to help deter complications from thrombophilia.

In a person with Factor V Leiden, these clots are located in the veins only in most cases. When the clots are located in the veins, they can break off and cause a pulmonary embolism once they travel to the heart or lungs. However, it is rare for people with this disorder to have a blood clot in the arteries, which can cause strokes. Women with the disorder have a high risk of still birth and miscarriage.