O72: Postpartum haemorrhage

O72.3: Postpartum coagulation defects

When you bleed, after a while the blood usually clots by itself. But if there is a blood clotting disorder, the bleeding can be heavier and for longer than usual. When there is a blood clotting disorder, the blood may also clot more quickly or more easily than usual. Then lumps of clotted blood can form inside the blood vessels and block them.

Platelets and various clotting proteins in the blood are involved in blood clotting. The platelets can adhere to one another in such a way that they stop a bleed. The clotting proteins stabilize the platelets that have stuck together. This enables wounds to heal, for example.