INPUT ARTICLE: Article: A blood clot can happen without any underlying cause. However, pregnancy increases your risk of getting blood clots, you are predisposed until 6 weeks after delivery. There are three major reasons for this increased risk:  Increased clotting. During pregnancy, your blood is more likely to clot. this is a survival mechanism that prevents your body from losing too much blood during labor and birth. Slower blood flow. The blood flow in your veins becomes slower which leads to higher probability of blood clotting. This is caused by the hormones in your pregnancy. Vein damage. During delivery, the baby presses on the veins in the pelvis, minor damage can occur in these veins leading to an increased risk of having a clot for up to six weeks after delivery. The likelihood of developing clots during gestation or pregnancy can be further elevated by certain risk factors. Knowing these risk factors can ensure that you stay on guard. The following preexisting conditions can greatly increase your chances of clotting. If you suffer from one or more of the following, discuss specific preventative measures with your doctor:  Hypertension, diabetes, cardiac diseases, or vascular diseases. A damaged heart cannot pump blood as effectively as normal one, increasing the chance that blood pools and clots. Thrombophilia. Some people are born with a tendency higher risk of blood clots. Cesarean delivery. This doubles the risk of clots in comparison to vaginal delivery. A personal or family history of clots. If you've had blood clots before, you're more likely to have blood clots in pregnancy. This risk also increases if you have had an immediate family member with an elevated blood clot risk Previous use of oral contraceptives. Oral contraceptives increases your blood’s ability to clot. These characteristics can continue after oral contraceptive use has ended. Multiple births. Being pregnant with twins (or more) puts more pressure on your pelvis and legs, increasing the risk of DVTs. Dehydration. Dehydration increases the viscosity of the blood, which can contribute to the formation of blood clots. Age. Pregnant women over the age of 35 are at increased risk of blood clots. Obesity is one of the major risk factors for DVTs during pregnancy or after delivery, which means that it is important that you maintain optimal weight. If you are planning to have a baby, you should try to reduce you weight so that your BMI is below 30.  Minimize the amount of salt in your diet. Salt leads to retention of fluids in your body which cause swelling. Eat a healthy, balanced diet. This is especially important if you are overweight, as it will help ensure that you do not take on any more unhealthy weight during the pregnancy. Drink plenty of water. This will help you avoid dehydration. Immobility is another factor that increases your likelihood of getting DVTS. You should motivate yourself to do light exercise, such as walking and swimming. Most normal pregnancies allow for moderate exercise such as walking and swimming until full term. However, you should consult your doctor before you plan daily exercise, just to be sure. Smoking has been linked to DVTs, especially during pregnancy. Therefore, once you find out you are pregnant, you should quit smoking. Compression stockings are must-have for all women who are at risk of getting blood clots during and after their pregnancy. They are specifically effective for those who are faced with immobility for reasons such as travel or bed rest. If you have a history of blood clots or have a genetic predisposition to blood clots, inform your obstetrician or midwife. Your obstetrician may prescribe you injectable anticoagulants, a drug that prevents your blood from clotting.

SUMMARY: Be aware of the risk. Know if you are at risk. Eat healthily and maintain optimal weight. Stay Mobile. Quit smoking. Wear compression stockings. Contact a doctor.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you don't have a grill or don't want to deal with the hassle of using one, fear not — brisket can also be cooked in the oven as long as you use the same long, slow style of cooking. One important change that you'll want to make, however, is to use a cut of brisket that has had most or all of the fat cut from it. Brisket is often sold with a fairly thick natural fat cap. On the grill, this fat isn't as big of a problem because it can run off of the meat as it cooks. When you're cooking brisket in a pan in the oven, however, this fat will collect in the pan, leaving you with an oily mess as your final dish. If you're not confident in your fat-trimming ability, try asking your butcher to trim the fat from your meat for you before packing it up for you. In this recipe, we'll use a liquid marinade (rather than a dry rub) to flavor our meat. A marinade is simply a liquid mixture of ingredients that the meat is soaked in before cooking to give it extra flavor. You can mix ingredients in the recipe listed above if you'd like or make your own. If you do make your own, as a general rule, you'll usually want to use liquid bases that include a fat or oil and an acid. For instance, while we've used olive oil and apple cider vinegar above, you could also use lemon juice, red wine vinegar, and so on as your acid to modify the flavor of your marinade. For most brisket, you'll want to let your meat marinate for about a day. Thick, tough, heavy pieces of meat like brisket need time to fully absorb the flavor of the marinade. After your brisket has marinated, put it in an oven-safe pan and pop it in the oven. Cover the pan with foil so the meat retains its moisture. As with grilling, you'll want to use slow, low heat here. Many oven-grilling recipes use a heat of around 275o F — lower or higher is also possible, but will lead to longer or shorter cooking times, respectively. Be patient as you cook your brisket. For moderate-to-large pieces of meat, expect at least a six-to-eight hour cooking time. As your brisket cooks, check on it occasionally to monitor its progress and ensure that it's cooking at a good pace. After about three or four hours, check on your brisket. It should be browning nicely and should have produced a sort of natural liquid "gravy" in the pan. Carefully pull the pan out of the oven and turn the brisket over, then put it back in the oven. Though it's not necessarily necessary to do this to have the meat cook thoroughly, this will help ensure that the entire exterior of the piece of meat gets a satisfying "bark" or crust. Depending on your cooking temperature and the size of your meat, after about six to eight hours (or longer), your brisket should have a dark brown-to-black exterior and should be quite tender all the way through.Carefully remove the brisket from the oven, remove from its pan, and set it on a cutting board for about 10 to 15 minutes. After this, simply use a knife or a set of forks to slice or pull the meat apart and serve! Try using a spoon or ladle to pour some of the liquid from the cooking pan on the meat as a sauce or gravy. This makes an especially great addition to sandwiches.

SUMMARY:
Trim excess fat from your brisket. Season your meat with a marinade. Cook at low heat. Turn the meat halfway through cooking. When done, remove and serve.