Blood Clotting Disorders Pregnancy and Blood Clots
During pregnancy, more blood pumps through your body to meet the needs of your developing baby. More blood flowing through the body means added pressure on your blood vessels, which can cause them to narrow. This, along with hormonal changes, can make you five times more likely to have a blood clot during pregnancy or right after delivery than someone who is not pregnant.
Some blood clotting disorders, such as antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), can raise this risk of blood clots during pregnancy even more, which can cause pregnancy-related problems like miscarriage or preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy). This is especially true if you have a history of blood clots.
Talk with your doctor if you have APS and are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. People who have APS can have successful pregnancies. Your doctor may suggest medicines to prevent blood clotting as well as scheduling more tests such as sonograms to check the baby’s growth.
Blood clotting disorders and pregnancy prevention
If you are trying to prevent pregnancy, talk to your doctor about birth control. Birth control with estrogen can raise your risk of blood clots. Some examples of contraception without estrogen include:
- Intrauterine devices (including those with progestin)
- Progestin-only pills or implants
- The barrier method