Which client is least likely to be at risk for postpartum thrombophlebitis?

• A. A 35-year-old client who reports that she smokes
• B. A 26-year-old client with a family history of thrombophlebitis
• C. A 37-year-old client in her fourth pregnancy who is overweight
• D. A 22-year-old client in her first pregnancy who states that oral contraceptives taken in the past have caused thrombophlebitis

Answer: (B)

Postpartum thrombophlebitis risk rises when factors promote blood clotting or venous stagnation, on top of the pregnancy’s natural hypercoagulable state. Direct, current risk factors include smoking, obesity, advanced age, and multiparity, all of which increase venous pressure or clotting tendency during the postpartum period. A history of thrombophlebitis related to oral contraceptives signals a predisposition to thrombosis, which heightens risk. A person who has a family history of thrombophlebitis may carry a genetic tendency, but without a personal thrombotic history or a known thrombophilia, this alone is not as strong a predictor as the explicit modifiable or pregnancy-related risks described. Therefore, the client described as having a family history is least likely to be at risk for postpartum thrombophlebitis among these scenarios.