# Pregnancy with thin or thick blood?



## Dixielane (Mar 11, 2009)

Hi all,

I found out by a test that I have a blood clotting disorder, But I havent gone to a specialist yet to see which kind. I think they told me it is where I have thicker blood....

My family on my moms side, the females are usually carriers of thin blood, and the males are more effected as bleeders.

On my dads side, it is thicker blood disorders.

My sister during pregnancy has to take blood thinners, or baby aspirin. So it is manageable.

Just wanted to hear from others who either had a thin or thick blood disorder, and see how it is managed during pregnancy.

Thanks!


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## mbravebird (May 9, 2005)

If you can tell me your diagnosis, I can maybe be more helpful. "Thin" or "thick" blood could mean anything. Do you have Von Willenbrand's Disease? Thrombocytopenia? One deals with clotting proteins, the other with platelets, so the treatment and management during pregnancy would be very different.

What do you mean by the boys is your family being "bleeders"? Do you mean hemophilia? I am a carrier of hemophilia, so if that's in your family I can help you understand that, and share what resources I have about pregnancy.


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## Dixielane (Mar 11, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mbravebird* 
If you can tell me your diagnosis, I can maybe be more helpful. "Thin" or "thick" blood could mean anything. Do you have Von Willenbrand's Disease? Thrombocytopenia? One deals with clotting proteins, the other with platelets, so the treatment and management during pregnancy would be very different.

What do you mean by the boys is your family being "bleeders"? Do you mean hemophilia? I am a carrier of hemophilia, so if that's in your family I can help you understand that, and share what resources I have about pregnancy.

Im sorry I only have a vague idea of whats going on until I see a specialist, when I miscarried thursday I asked them to test me for a clotting disorder, since my sister just found out thru testing she has thick blood, so needs baby aspirin during pregnancy. They said sometimes blood clotting is associated with miscarriages.

My moms side of the family, my grandma was tested for being a carrier of hemophelia, and her son was mostly affected, it caused him to bleed more than he should. My grandma said I could be a carrier for that.

My dads side of the family has the opposite, thick blood. My sister tested for having thick blood, whatever the medical term is for it.

When I was in the ER, my husband was under the impression they thought my blood was thicker, not thinner.. ER doctor listened to me about my sister, and he said i need to see a specialist to narrow down what type I have. And he said what I have, usually affects males more than females.

So, with both sides of the family, one having thick blood disorders, the other having thin blood.. I don't quite know which one affects me, so until I see a specialist I am wondering for either one, what a person does/can do during pregnancy. My sister for instance with her thicker blood, so takes heparin, and baby aspirins. Before they knew she had this, she had a few miscarriages that may have been linked.

Maybe I shouldn't worry with this yet till I see a specialist. I just wondered since I never knew I had this.


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## snowmom5 (May 8, 2008)

It sounds like you'll have to wait until you're tested. You could have both, like one of my kids (who has heterozygous FVL like me and a mysterious thrombocytopenia - bleeding issue - that we haven't quite gotten to the bottom of yet).

Clotting disorders are usually treated with anticoagulants like heparin or lovenox (low molecular weight heparin), sometimes with the addition of low-dose aspirin.

I have no idea how a bleeding disorder would be treated in pregnancy.

Keep in mind that clotting disorders, paradoxically, can cause bleeding in the uterus, along the lines of a subchorionic hemorrage. Other risks of clotting disorders are placental abruption, IUGR and stillbirth. While the clotting disorder can affect the pregnancy at any point (there seems to be controversy with some docs over just when, but that's another story), the danger seems to rise the closer you get to term. Docs usually prefer that you don't go past 40w.

Usually there would be some tracking of growth by ultrasound later on in pregnancy. My perinatologist does monthly ultrasounds to check growth.

It sounds like you need a very thorough evaluation. Good luck!


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## mbravebird (May 9, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dixielane* 
My moms side of the family, my grandma was tested for being a carrier of hemophelia, and her son was mostly affected, it caused him to bleed more than he should. My grandma said I could be a carrier for that.

When I was in the ER, my husband was under the impression they thought my blood was thicker, not thinner.. ER doctor listened to me about my sister, and he said i need to see a specialist to narrow down what type I have. And he said what I have, usually affects males more than females.

I'm so sorry to hear about your miscarriage.









You do need to see a specialist, that's for certain -- in fact, you may want to go ahead and just make an appointment with your closest hemophilia treatment centerr (HTC). HTC's have experience diagnosing all bleeding and clotting disorders, not just hemophilia, and they usually have more knowledge about bleeding/clotting disorders than specialists in private practice. Here's a link to help you find the HTC closest to you:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hbd/htc_list.htm

If your grandmother was a carrier and your uncle had hemophilia, then you could certainly be a carrier. You would need to find out what kind of hemophilia is carried in your family - the most common are A and B. Each acts differently during pregnancy; some clotting factors rise during pregnancy, and some do not. Every carrier is different, too, because every carrier has different levels of the missing clotting protein in her blood to begin with. So if you turn out to be a carrier, you'll need to ask for your specific percentage number of clotting factor 8 or clotting factor 9, depending on what type you're low in.

The good news is that hemophilia carriers usually have very normal pregnancies and deliveries; you just need to know your numbers in case of surgery and keep an eye on bleeding issues if your baby is a boy.

I dont' know much about clotting disorders (that's what you're calling "thick blood"), but the HTC does. An ER doc really would not know much about this -- I've spent many, many hours in the ER with my son, and I have to explain the basics to almost all the docs, unless for some reason they've encountered it before. Nothing against them, it's just the way it is. So really, don't rely on what the ER doc said. Get to an HTC and get full testing!

Good luck to you. I'm sure you can get the guidance you need!


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## Hanli (Jun 9, 2009)

I am 13 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child. I didn't have this issue with any of the other pregnancies and I don't know if it is all in my head.

A month or so ago I cut mysef while I was shaving my legs. It bleed quite a lot, but I didn't think much of it as these cuts do tend to bleed a bit. I had a plaster on for a whole day. When I decided to take it off at work the next day at around 5pm (because surely it would have stopped by then!) it started bleeding quite heavily like it had just been cut. This did raise an eyebrow with me, but I didn't know what to make of it.

There has been another similar incident...

I had a blood test today. When the nurse was done she held some cotton wool while applying pressure on the area and then gave me a plaster. I walked away, but I only gave about 5 steps when I looked at my arms and saw blood everywhere even though there was a plaster. I had to go back to the nurse to get it sorted out and the bleeding did stop eventually with some pressure.

Are these occurances quite normal or should I see my GP?

Thank you all for reading


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## AllyRae (Dec 10, 2003)

I have essential thrombocythemia--my platelets are always over a million (normal is under 400,000). It's a chronic bone marrow neoplasm. During my latest pregnancy, I had to have baby aspirin every day, see a perinatologist and an oncologist, have growth ultrasounds at least once a month (along with ultrasounds on my uterine arteries), nonstress tests, and then a c-section a month early (I had a stillbirth at 41 weeks previously, non-related to the disorder, and a miscarriage). After the c-section, I had to have daily lovenox shots for a week, and now I'm back on the baby aspirin.


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## bethanyclaire (Dec 17, 2004)

I have Von Willibrands disease, which would be "thinner" blood by your description. It isn't truly thinner blood, but instead, a lack of a single clotting factor. I have some of that factor, just far less of it than normal. My father had almost none and suffered severely from the disease. It is quite manageable and I have had 2 healthy pregnancies (and one miscarriage unrelated to the disease). In fact, pregnancy hormones increase the clotting factor in the blood to nearly normal. If I were tested right now my levels would be close to someone without the disease. Birth control pills are a common therapy used to help decrease bleeding times.

If you would like more information once you are tested please don't hesitate to let me know. I have a long family history of Von Willibrands disease (and, while I am not affected, other forms of hemophilia as well). I'm sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Good luck at your appt. with the specialist, I'm sure they will help you get some answers.


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## Dixielane (Mar 11, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mbravebird* 
I'm so sorry to hear about your miscarriage.









You do need to see a specialist, that's for certain -- in fact, you may want to go ahead and just make an appointment with your closest hemophilia treatment centerr (HTC). HTC's have experience diagnosing all bleeding and clotting disorders, not just hemophilia, and they usually have more knowledge about bleeding/clotting disorders than specialists in private practice. Here's a link to help you find the HTC closest to you:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hbd/htc_list.htm

If your grandmother was a carrier and your uncle had hemophilia, then you could certainly be a carrier. You would need to find out what kind of hemophilia is carried in your family - the most common are A and B. Each acts differently during pregnancy; some clotting factors rise during pregnancy, and some do not. Every carrier is different, too, because every carrier has different levels of the missing clotting protein in her blood to begin with. So if you turn out to be a carrier, you'll need to ask for your specific percentage number of clotting factor 8 or clotting factor 9, depending on what type you're low in.

The good news is that hemophilia carriers usually have very normal pregnancies and deliveries; you just need to know your numbers in case of surgery and keep an eye on bleeding issues if your baby is a boy.

I dont' know much about clotting disorders (that's what you're calling "thick blood"), but the HTC does. An ER doc really would not know much about this -- I've spent many, many hours in the ER with my son, and I have to explain the basics to almost all the docs, unless for some reason they've encountered it before. Nothing against them, it's just the way it is. So really, don't rely on what the ER doc said. Get to an HTC and get full testing!

Good luck to you. I'm sure you can get the guidance you need!

Thank you, thats what I was hoping to hear, that either way it is managable. I don't know anything else yet, but when they first told me, I instantly thought first: Am I gonna die? lol They said no.. so then I thought "Will it hurt future pregnancies?"

And going through the mc, made me suspicious, and wondered if that had anything to do with the MC. ER doc said it CAN, if the placenta peels away.

I will def. see a specialist soon, before TTC for sure..Just wanted to hear some "positive" stories and not have to think I may have big problems over this.


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## Dixielane (Mar 11, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Hanli* 
I am 13 weeks pregnant with my 3rd child. I didn't have this issue with any of the other pregnancies and I don't know if it is all in my head.

A month or so ago I cut mysef while I was shaving my legs. It bleed quite a lot, but I didn't think much of it as these cuts do tend to bleed a bit. I had a plaster on for a whole day. When I decided to take it off at work the next day at around 5pm (because surely it would have stopped by then!) it started bleeding quite heavily like it had just been cut. This did raise an eyebrow with me, but I didn't know what to make of it.

There has been another similar incident...

I had a blood test today. When the nurse was done she held some cotton wool while applying pressure on the area and then gave me a plaster. I walked away, but I only gave about 5 steps when I looked at my arms and saw blood everywhere even though there was a plaster. I had to go back to the nurse to get it sorted out and the bleeding did stop eventually with some pressure.

Are these occurances quite normal or should I see my GP?

Thank you all for reading










My aunt who is a nurse, said diagnosing a blood disorder based on how much you bleed, is not the right way to do it and could be super misleading, for example if you are getting your blood draw, the nurse can knick a vein wrong and cause more bleeding. And, this may be weird, but I bleed ALOT more on my right arm vein, than the left. Right arm gushes blood anytime I have a blood draw







:


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## Dixielane (Mar 11, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bethanyclaire* 
I have Von Willibrands disease, which would be "thinner" blood by your description. It isn't truly thinner blood, but instead, a lack of a single clotting factor. I have some of that factor, just far less of it than normal. My father had almost none and suffered severely from the disease. It is quite manageable and I have had 2 healthy pregnancies (and one miscarriage unrelated to the disease). In fact, pregnancy hormones increase the clotting factor in the blood to nearly normal. If I were tested right now my levels would be close to someone without the disease. Birth control pills are a common therapy used to help decrease bleeding times.

If you would like more information once you are tested please don't hesitate to let me know. I have a long family history of Von Willibrands disease (and, while I am not affected, other forms of hemophilia as well). I'm sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Good luck at your appt. with the specialist, I'm sure they will help you get some answers.

Thanks! All of that is comforting, I just didnt want the burden of thinking this would come in the way of a pregnancy. I will keep everyone informed, once I get in and see more about the disorder. I will try relaxing about it now







It kind of had me worried, but seems like it is managable, if not hardly noticeable in some cases.


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## Dixielane (Mar 11, 2009)

Has anyone heard of it being necessary to wait 8 wks after a MC, to test for a blood disorder????

This kind of shoots all hope I have out of the water, on trying for a baby in August. The one little exciting hope I had after our loss









My GP said to come in anyways... I am scheduled Friday..

I truly hope I won't have to wait 8 wks before being tested, and I know with the tests it takes a couple weeks for the results to even come back. I kind of feel like now, because of the prospect of figuring out this blood disorder it is going to take a really long time for us to TTC.

Has anyone heard this, or can shed some light on this?

(by the way, I did find out my sisters blood issue, they called it anaphosfoloid antibodies, which cause her to clot. She inherited that from my fathers side, while my mothers side is hemophelia)


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## snowmom5 (May 8, 2008)

Pregnancy will only affect certain tests - protein S is the only one I can think of. I would not let the m/c stop you from testing right now, not at all.

The others are all genetic tests, so it doesn't matter when you test. Some labs/tests take quite a while for the results to come back, like two weeks.

I assume you mean antiphospholipid antibodies (APAs). I have had elevated APAs in the past though I've never been diagnosed with the syndrome (which requires a clotting event, which usually includes m/c, depends on the doc). APA Syndrome is an acquired thrombophilia, it's not inherited (though who knows whether there is some as-yet-undetermined genetic predisposition for it). Here is an example of the full list of the APA panel - not many labs do this many, but it may catch things that a simple ACA (anticardiolipin antibodies) or LA (lupus anticoagulant) test might not catch. http://www.millenova.com/tests/apa.cfm People who have elevated APAs tend to have random ones spike at random times. Poke around on that site - there's also some discussion of pregnancy loss panels and inherited thrombophilia panels.

i probably have more to add but i gotta run...


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## mbravebird (May 9, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dixielane* 
Has anyone heard of it being necessary to wait 8 wks after a MC, to test for a blood disorder????

This kind of shoots all hope I have out of the water, on trying for a baby in August. The one little exciting hope I had after our loss









My GP said to come in anyways... I am scheduled Friday..

I truly hope I won't have to wait 8 wks before being tested, and I know with the tests it takes a couple weeks for the results to even come back. I kind of feel like now, because of the prospect of figuring out this blood disorder it is going to take a really long time for us to TTC.

Has anyone heard this, or can shed some light on this?

(by the way, I did find out my sisters blood issue, they called it anaphosfoloid antibodies, which cause her to clot. She inherited that from my fathers side, while my mothers side is hemophelia)

What they might be talking about is that the factor 8 clotting protein, which you're low in if you're a carrier of Hemophilia A, rises during pregnancy, so your levels might still be higher than normal after your miscarriage.

However, the definitive test to find out if you're a carrier is a genetic test, not a factor level test. You should still be able to do the genetic testing.

Also, if it was an early miscarriage, the factor levels might not have risen much, so you might not even have to wait 8 weeks for them to come down. Also, the only time that your factor levels really matter is right before delivery, because they'll need to know how much you have circulating in case you need factor replacement after the birth, or in case of surgery or epidural.

You really should not be relying on your GP's info for this, however. Really, nothing against him/her, but there's too much info they just can't know. You should be talking to a Hemophilia Treatment Center. Ask your GP for a referral at the appointment -- use the link I posted above to find the center closest to you.

At a hemophilia treatment center, the blood testing will not take several weeks to come back; you'll have the results within a day or two. They do the testing right on site there. And they're much more experienced with the test, so it's more likely to be accurate. And like I said before, they're familiar with all bleeding disorders as well as clotting disorders like APA's, not just hemophilia. You'll find the best specialists there.

Hope this helps!


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## neverdoingitagain (Mar 30, 2005)

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=351760

This thread has a ton of info in it about blood-clotting disorders. Many of the women in there(myself included) went on to have lovely natural, even home, births.
Good luck and congratulations on your pregnancy







:


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## amydiane (Feb 4, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dixielane* 
Has anyone heard of it being necessary to wait 8 wks after a MC, to test for a blood disorder????

My cousin has 3 clotting disorders and she was tested for them during her 2nd pregnancy, so I don't see why you couldn't be after a MC.







She did have a lot of complications during her first pregnancy, but I don't know how much of that was due to the clotting disorders. The 2nd time, she had to be on baby aspirin and heparin/lovenox, but she went to 37 weeks and then they decided to deliver because of her pre-eclampsia.


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## Dixielane (Mar 11, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mbravebird* 
What they might be talking about is that the factor 8 clotting protein, which you're low in if you're a carrier of Hemophilia A, rises during pregnancy, so your levels might still be higher than normal after your miscarriage.

However, the definitive test to find out if you're a carrier is a genetic test, not a factor level test. You should still be able to do the genetic testing.

Also, if it was an early miscarriage, the factor levels might not have risen much, so you might not even have to wait 8 weeks for them to come down. Also, the only time that your factor levels really matter is right before delivery, because they'll need to know how much you have circulating in case you need factor replacement after the birth, or in case of surgery or epidural.

You really should not be relying on your GP's info for this, however. Really, nothing against him/her, but there's too much info they just can't know. You should be talking to a Hemophilia Treatment Center. Ask your GP for a referral at the appointment -- use the link I posted above to find the center closest to you.

At a hemophilia treatment center, the blood testing will not take several weeks to come back; you'll have the results within a day or two. They do the testing right on site there. And they're much more experienced with the test, so it's more likely to be accurate. And like I said before, they're familiar with all bleeding disorders as well as clotting disorders like APA's, not just hemophilia. You'll find the best specialists there.

Hope this helps!

Thanks so much for the info. When I called the hemotology center, I was told I needed to go to my GP to confirm I have a blood disorder. *confused* they said they couldn't see me till it was confirmed.

I am glad to know it may not take 8wks, I really want to get the ball rolling in the right direction. I also have heard now that I have a blood clotting disorder of some type, I need to see a specialist, but then also an OB who can handle this type of issue. I guess I would be considered high risk if I have to take blood thinners or the like, and be watched more..


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## Dixielane (Mar 11, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *snowmom5* 
Pregnancy will only affect certain tests - protein S is the only one I can think of. I would not let the m/c stop you from testing right now, not at all.

The others are all genetic tests, so it doesn't matter when you test. Some labs/tests take quite a while for the results to come back, like two weeks.

I assume you mean antiphospholipid antibodies (APAs). I have had elevated APAs in the past though I've never been diagnosed with the syndrome (which requires a clotting event, which usually includes m/c, depends on the doc). APA Syndrome is an acquired thrombophilia, it's not inherited (though who knows whether there is some as-yet-undetermined genetic predisposition for it). Here is an example of the full list of the APA panel - not many labs do this many, but it may catch things that a simple ACA (anticardiolipin antibodies) or LA (lupus anticoagulant) test might not catch. http://www.millenova.com/tests/apa.cfm People who have elevated APAs tend to have random ones spike at random times. Poke around on that site - there's also some discussion of pregnancy loss panels and inherited thrombophilia panels.

i probably have more to add but i gotta run...

Thanks alot snowmom you've been very helpful in all of this.Iwill check that link out. I am glad to know I should be able to be tested now -- thats one less worry. Will my GP be able to test for everything? I thought if I can test with my GP, I'd seek the _treatment_ with a hematology center.. I just hate going for nothing and having the GP say they can't do anything.


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## snowmom5 (May 8, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dixielane* 
I also have heard now that I have a blood clotting disorder of some type, I need to see a specialist, but then also an OB who can handle this type of issue. I guess I would be considered high risk if I have to take blood thinners or the like, and be watched more..

You'd want to see a perinatologist (a.k.a. maternal-fetal medicine, or MFM, specialist) during your pregnancy.

As for whether the GP will test for "everything", I guess that may be a matter of opinion - I doubt it since a GP typically isn't an expert in this area, and there are a lot of new things to test for that couldn't be tested for even a few years ago. Get whatever tests the GP will do and take them to the peri.

(p.s. I don't even see a hematologist for my FVL; the first one I saw several years ago did not want to anticoagulate me during pregnancy - wrong answer, long story. My peri handles it all quite nicely - he's with a national group, www.obstetrix.com )


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## Dixielane (Mar 11, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *snowmom5* 
You'd want to see a perinatologist (a.k.a. maternal-fetal medicine, or MFM, specialist) during your pregnancy.

As for whether the GP will test for "everything", I guess that may be a matter of opinion - I doubt it since a GP typically isn't an expert in this area, and there are a lot of new things to test for that couldn't be tested for even a few years ago. Get whatever tests the GP will do and take them to the peri.

(p.s. I don't even see a hematologist for my FVL; the first one I saw several years ago did not want to anticoagulate me during pregnancy - wrong answer, long story. My peri handles it all quite nicely - he's with a national group, www.obstetrix.com )

What does a peri handle that others dont? High risk pregnancy issues?

I will know more I guess tomorrow with my GP. Praying that it goes well and he is atleast helpful, even if I do have to be referred.

edit: and would an endrinconologist (sp) be helpful?


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## snowmom5 (May 8, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Dixielane* 
What does a peri handle that others dont? High risk pregnancy issues?

I will know more I guess tomorrow with my GP. Praying that it goes well and he is atleast helpful, even if I do have to be referred.

Yes, a peri deals with high risk issues. My regular OB sent me to the peri specifically to handle the clotting issue. The peri manages my lovenox dose and does regular growth scans. My regular OB handles the routine prenatal stuff and delivery.

Good luck tomorrow! It'll probably be just the first step to finding answers.


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## Dixielane (Mar 11, 2009)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *snowmom5* 
Yes, a peri deals with high risk issues. My regular OB sent me to the peri specifically to handle the clotting issue. The peri manages my lovenox dose and does regular growth scans. My regular OB handles the routine prenatal stuff and delivery.

Good luck tomorrow! It'll probably be just the first step to finding answers.

I know, I am thinking this is going to be a very long and drawn out process before TTC so I am prepping myself for that









thank you for your help


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