Usenet Writings

Low Platelets During Pregnancy

©1992 Beth Weiss, Posted to misc.kids Usenet newsgroup, February 19, 1992

During my pregnancy, it was found I had ITP (idiopathic, thrombocytopenia purpura).  I later discovered that I have ITP all the time, not just induced by pregnancy.  I was 18 weeks pregnant when I was diagnosed.

A complete blood count does show the platelet count, which means that it's a routine test at least once, and probably twice during pregnancy.

My initial count was 135K, which is a bit, but not dangerously on the low side.  However, it was low enough to retest, at which point they had dropped to 129K.  By a month later, they had dropped to 94K, which my doctor felt was serious enough to send me to see a hematologist.

This is what I learned at yesterdays' appointment:  I am, for unknown reasons, creating antibodies which are destroying my platelets.  Some women react that way to being pregnant--keep in mind that half of the
baby is not of my genes, which is what they guess is the cause.

Treatment: weekly monitoring of my platelet count.  If it drops below 50,000 they'll have to take some action--probably steroids.  If it stays where it is, then no drugs will be required.

The biggest risk to both me and the baby is at delivery.  Because the baby has low platelets (since it gets its blood from me), there's real risk of internal hemorrhaging at delivery as the head is forced down the birth canal.  Therefore, I will have to have a Caesarean to avoid that trauma to the baby's head.

Later, I found out that ITP didn't have to mean a planned C-section; that was new research that was published during my pregnancy.  So, I didn't end up having a C-section, but quite a while, I thought I would.