Pregnancy is a waiting period the happy one to welcome the arrival of the baby, but at the same time thrilling. There is a number of gpossible health problems happened during pregnancy.SOne of them is blood viscosity disorders.
In medical terms, thick blood is referred to as thrombophilia or hypercoagulation, which means blood cells have a tendency to clot and clump together, causing blockages in the blood vessels.
During pregnancy, blood viscosity can increase and the blood clotting process is easier to occur. Most people with thick blood have no typical symptoms. In some people, this disorder does not even cause complaints at all. Complaints due to thick blood only appear when a blood clot forms and clogs the blood vessels.
Why Blood Can Coagulate When Hamyl?
Increased blood viscosity is a mechanism to protect the body of pregnant women against the risk of bleeding, for example during a miscarriage or after giving birth. That is why, when pregnant, a woman becomes 4-5 times more at risk for thick or hypercoagulable blood.
Thick blood is estimated to occur in 1 in 1000 pregnancies. The following factors can increase the risk of blood clots, as well as the occurrence of complications due to this condition:
- Having a family member who suffers from thick blood
- Over 35 years old
- Pregnant with twins
- Being overweight or obese
- Lack of physical activity
- Smoke
Suffering from certain diseases, such as lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome, can also increase a person's risk of developing thick blood.
In addition, the enlarged uterus during pregnancy can put pressure on the blood vessels in the abdominal area. This can cause impaired blood flow, especially in the legs, and exacerbate the condition of thick blood.
Types of Blood Viscosity Diseases and Symptoms
Some of the following blood viscosity diseases can cause the blood to become thick:
1. Disadvantagesprotein C, protein S, and antithrombin
These three proteins play a role in preventing the formation of blood clots, or in other words, function as natural blood thinners. If the levels of all three are low, blood clots will be easier to occur. This type of blood viscosity disorder is often caused by a genetic disorder.
2. Syndrome aantiphospholipid (aantiphospholipid syndrome/APS)
The diagnosis of this disease in pregnancy can be confirmed if a woman has three consecutive miscarriages or at least one fetal death at an advanced gestational age.
In people with APS, the body produces antibodies that prevent phospholipids from fighting blood clots. As a result, the risk of blockage due to blood clots will increase.
Women with antiphospholipid syndrome are at higher risk for pregnancy disorders, such as miscarriage, fetal death, preeclampsia, and low birth weight babies.
3. Factor V Leiden
Factor V Leiden is a type of blood viscosity disease caused by a genetic disorder. Patients with this type of blood viscosity disorder can experience spontaneous blood clots in the absence of precipitating factors.
Symptoms of thick blood during pregnancy
Thick blood usually only causes complaints after a blood clot clogs a blood vessel. Some of the symptoms are:
- Pain, swelling, and redness in the area of the blockage (usually in the leg or foot).
- Cramps in the legs, especially in the third trimester.
- Warm palpable skin in the area of the blood clot.
- Abdominal pain, if the blockage occurs in the abdominal veins.
- Cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath, if the blockage affects the blood vessels of the lungs.
If left untreated, thick blood can increase the risk of pregnant women developing preeclampsia. In addition, blood viscosity disorders are also at risk of causing complications such as:
- Miscarriage in early pregnancy or fetal death after 14 weeks
- Placental disorders
- Impaired fetal growth and development
- Premature birth
- Low birth weight baby
How to treat blood viscosity disorders during pregnancy
Given that thick blood during pregnancy has the potential to endanger the health of pregnant women and fetuses, the symptoms that lead to this disease need to be checked by a doctor immediately. Screening is also highly recommended for women who have had repeated miscarriages.
If you are diagnosed with thick blood during pregnancy, it is highly recommended to immediately consult a hematologist to get the right treatment according to the cause.
Your doctor may give you blood-thinning medication to prevent the blood from clotting or clotting. In addition to preventing complications in pregnant women, giving these drugs can also increase the life expectancy of the unborn baby, and reduce the risk of miscarriage.
However, taking blood thinners is not without risks. This medicine may cause bleeding, which is characterized by nosebleeds or easy bruising. Therefore, the use of blood-thinning drugs needs to be stopped when pregnant women are about to give birth, in order to prevent postpartum bleeding.
Although thick blood during pregnancy is quite rare, screening and early detection of this condition is important, especially in women with a history of high blood pressure and repeated miscarriages. Correct diagnosis and early treatment can increase the chances for the fetus to grow and be born healthy.
Written by:
dr. Riana Nirmala Wijaya
