Safeguard High-Risk Pregnancy Outcomes Through Targeted Hemostasis Profiling
According to the CDC, around 900,000 Americans develop blood clots each year. They take up to 100,000 lives annually.
Pregnancy contributes to and makes them more likely. According to EBSCO, nearly one-third of women experience birth complications. Blood clots are also one of the main factors that can make a pregnancy high-risk.
A coagulation panel is only one of many tests an expectant mother may need, especially with a high-risk pregnancy, but its ability to prevent complications makes it an essential one.
What Qualifies You For a High-Risk Pregnancy?
Several factors could make your pregnancy be considered high-risk.
Age is a major one. This includes advanced maternal age of 35 or older or a low age of 17 or under.
Another factor is the existence of any pre-existing medical conditions that could affect the birth, such as:
- Diabetes
- Blood clotting disorders
- Thyroid disease
- Obesity
- Fibroids
- HIV
- PMOS
It’s also important to consider whether or not this is your first pregnancy. If you’ve had previous high-risk pregnancies or recurrent pregnancy loss in the past, your current pregnancy will be higher risk.
Multiples, such as twins or triplets, increase risk. So does smoking or drug use during the pregnancy.
Any complications for a high-risk pregnancy can affect the baby and the mother. They include:
- Preterm birth
- Preeclamplsia
- Gestational diabetes
- Excessive bleeding
- Low birth weight
- Birth defects
- Miscarriage or stillbirth
How Pregnancy Changes Coagulation
During pregnancy, your blood naturally shifts to a hypercoaguable state. Clotting factors increase, natural anticoagulants reduce, and clots don’t break down as quickly. This process is known as gestational hemostasis.
It can lead to blood clotting issues such as antiphospholipid syndrome and thrombophilia in pregnancy that make high-risk pregnancies more common.
Importance of Targeted Blood Tests During Pregnancy
Certain pregnancy care tests take blood or DNA from the mother to screen for problems. Cell-free fetal DNA (NIPT) is one such maternal blood test. It’s used to check for birth abnormalities.
Noninvasive prenatal testing is another maternal blood test with a similar purpose. It’s a highly accurate way to screen for conditions such as Down syndrome. It can even help indicate the baby’s sex.
High-risk pregnancies may require more testing than others. They can rule out risk factors that aren’t present in other cases.
It’s important to establish a regular schedule so nothing is missed as the pregnancy progresses. Your clotting factors are significantly different in trimester one than trimester three. Not repeating a coagulation panel could lead to missing potential clotting issues that develop.
All blood tests during pregnancy need to be targeted in this way. They need to be customized to the pregnancy’s risk factors and timeline.
What’s In a Coagulation Panel?
A coagulation panel is one of the most essential maternal pregnancy tests. It can check for several bleeding disorders and monitor blood-thinning medicines. Its components can also help monitor the progression of a pregnancy to prevent the risk of bleeding and blood clots that could lead to birth complications.
Prothrombin Time (PT) and INR
These measure how fast plasma clots. They also standardize results for blood-thinner medications.
Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPPT)
This measure is especially important for antiphospholipid syndrome testing. It measures the intrinsic and extrinsic pathway your blood takes. It also measures your overall clotting time.
Fibrinogen
Fibrinogen is the primary structural protein used for blood clotting. It’s made in the liver. In pregnant women, it rises in the third trimester, showing the importance of repeating this component of the panel.
Platelet Count
Platelets are small cell fragments that trigger clotting. Making sure you have enough but not too many helps indicate that you won’t develop a dangerous clot.
D-Dimer
A d-dimer may also be included in a coagulation panel. You may see a d-dimer in pregnancy monitoring or in attempts to treat other conditions.
It’s meant to spot unwanted blood clot breakdown. This can help doctors rule out issues such as a pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis.
Thrombin Time (TT)
This is another optional measure. It tracks how quickly active fibrinogen forms active fibrin strands.
What Does It Mean If Your Coagulation Is High?
If your coagulation is high, this means your blood clots too easily. This is a state known as hypercoagulation.
It can be caused by medical conditions such as:
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Pulmonary embolism
- Heart attacks
- Stroke
- Immune disorders
- Severe infections
Coagulation changes with age. It’s influenced by lifestyle factors, such as obesity and smoking. Pregnancy also makes coagulation high.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Common Are High-Risk Pregnancies?
According to USCF Health, only around six to 8 perent of pregnancies are considered high risk.
However, this isn’t the number of pregnancies that need regular monitoring to avoid issues such as bleeding disorders.
Consider the number of risk factors you have, such as your age or a history of pregnancy loss. Talk to your doctor to see what tests you need and when.
What Not To Do With a High-Risk Pregnancy?
Remain active but choose light exercise.
Avoid drugs and alcohol. You should also limit caffeine.
Your diet will need to change when you’re pregnant. Avoid unsafe foods such as undercooked meat or unpasteurized cheese. They present a risk of infection.
Be careful not to overheat because if you’re too hot, so is your baby. Get in the shade and find water on hot days.
Don’t skip any of your prescribed medications that your doctor says to keep taking. Managing any existing conditions helps you stay healthy and reduces the risk of complications during pregnancy.
Get a Coagulation Panel Today
Testing is essential for any pregnancy, especially ones labeled high-risk. Women may not consider a coagulation panel as part of this testing regimen, but it’s an important way to prevent complications from excessive clotting.
Precision Labs is a molecular and blood testing facility. We work with anyone who needs our help, from assisted living facilities to traveling phlebotomists.
We provide fast and accurate results. Our high-sensitivity testing can catch hard-to-miss pathogens that others miss. We’ll handle samples with care and treat patients with courtesy.
Find out more about who we serve and how we could help you today.