Blood Thinners During Pregnancy

hello and congrats on the pregnancy! i am the mother of three as well as an ER nurse so i hope what i share can set your mind at ease. during both of my pregnancies (the second one was with twins) i had an arrythmia which i still have now. the reason behind the blood thinners (coumadin? heparin?) is because with an arrythmia, you have an increase in the possiblility of forming a blood clot. unfortunately, pregnancy in itself is also a risk factor for forming a blood clot, so the double risk is why your doctor wants you on blood thinners. where as the above may sound scary, it is quite common and the blood thinners are just a precaution. what you need to remember is to take care of yourself, follow your doctor's instructions and ENJOY this special time in your life. it will all be worth it! and as for being "high risk", i was with my second pregnancy and it actually was great because i had frequent ultrasounds and saw the doctor quite often (which is always reassuring). so again, take care and enjoy. holler back if you have any questions! good luck!

Hi R.,

I'll be 9 weeks tomorrow. I am also on Blood thinners due to a blood clotting disorder that was discovered after my first miscarriage. Not fun - I have to ingect myself daily for the durantion of my pregnancy and 6 weeks after birth. How long do you have to be on it? A little about me: I've been married for a little over a year and this is our first baby. we're vey excited. It's been a long stressful journey but we're here and very happy. This is my 3rd try with in-vetro fertilization and thank goodness it was successful. So far so good - I already saw the heartbeat - that's what make those shots bearable. Hang in there. This is my personal email incase you ever want to chat or just vent ____@____.com. Congrats on your pregnancy. L.

R., I don't have any advice for you, but just wanted to wish you Good Luck! I had my first, and only child, at your age - it's such a blessing!

My daughter in law took blood thinners --heparin shots during her pregancy and all worked out with carrying and delivering healthy babies. She also went to a high rish doctors. Arrythmias need coumadin or other blood thinner to make the heart resume a proper rhythm and prevent blood clots. You can find out more on the med help .org and most of all ask your doctor questions until he gives you and explains your medical condition. Write down your questions before you visit him so you can clarify things .

Hi! I do not know if this helps but I had a miscarriage before my first pregancy. Then my doctor tested me for cardio lipid protein antigen - the tendency for the blood to clot . He was very conserative and recommended I take an baby aspirin evry other day. My 3 pregancies went fine and I no longer have the antigen. Good luck!

I have a blood condition, Factor V Linden, which casued a miscarriage. So, I had to give myself blood thinner injections throughout my entire pregnancy. I was very nervous about having to give myself the injections everyday. But I can tell you I have a Beautiful and HEALTH 1o month old baby girl.

I am 36, this is my first child.

Dear R., I was with similar problem in my three gestations, and the arythmias are typical of this condition of blood thinner. Don,t fear, relax.The doctor will give, Iron to up the blood, because you are begginin your pregnancy, and you will need too, to eat food source of Iron like: beans, lentel, spinac, grape juice, prunes, etc, plus your medic. Be carefully yourself, think in you and your baby.God bless you. M..

Hi R.....I don't know if this will help, but my sister is attempting to get pregnant and while she does not have a heart arrythmia, she has suffered from blood clots 3x in her life (she is only 30). Therefore, her ob/gyn has told her for years that she would need to be placed on heprin which is a blood thinner and does not cross the placental barrier. It sounds as if your doctors are right on and while your pregnancy is considered high risk, it simply means they are right on top of things and there is no reason to believe that this pregnancy will not result in a healthy birth for you.
I can't imagine how it must have been for you in October, but I do believe in an awesome and faithful God who will see you through this one. Keep the faith and may God bless you in this most awesome time.
A little about me....I am almost 37 and just delievered a beautiful, healthy baby boy on Saturday, 2-23-08. I have an awesome 8 yr old as well and had an extremely high risk pregnancy with him. Good luck and let me know how things are going. God bless---T.