low platelets count

parneetkur

Hey everyone. So I am 31 weeks as of today and had my OB appointment 2 days ago where she discussed my blood test results done when I was 29 weeks. So my platelet count has dropped to 120. Normal range is 150 to 400. My doctor just said that they will do another one in few weeks and if it goes below 100  I have to see a hematologist. I am trying not to think touch of ot as my doctor wasn't that concerned but would still like to know if anyone else has gone through the same and how did everything go from them.    Thanks.

ballofmeat

I don't have personal experience with my platelet count being low as a patient, but I do work as a hematology technician. We do see pregnant women from time to time especially in the third trimester have lower platelet counts. This could be a multitude of things. More than likely it is because your blood volume has increased and is more dilute to accommodate for baby. It could also be a complication of pre-eclampsia (if below 100) or a few other REALLY rare reasons a pathologist specializing in hematology would diagnose. 

It it is great that your doctor is monitoring it and they seem to be on top of it. I wouldn't worry about it at all unless your next blood draw is significantly below 100. Your Doctor would only refer you to a hematologist if it is below that to help pinpoint what it could be and monitor you for the rest of the pregnancy. 

120s for a platelet count is still really good. 

ThursdayMorning

In in the same boat. My count is at 115. I've always had low platelets so it isn't related to pregnancy for me.  I have a blood draw at 36 weeks. If it's under 100 then I'll go on prednisone to encourage platelet production. The hope is to keep platelets above 100 so I can have an epidural. 

runsoncoffee

Mine was opposite.. I had high platelet counts (before pregnancy and in the first trimester). I also went to a hematologist. I fortunately did not have anything that they could find, although I know low platelets are more serious. Good luck to you!!!

parneetkur

Thanks for you replies ladies.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that it stays put on this level or hopefully just goes up..here's wishing a healthy pregnancy and big healthy babies to all of you...

SkiChic626

I'm glad to see your doc is on top of this!  A friend of mine had low platelets but had no clue until it was almost too late.  She went to the ER several times with other pre-eclampsia symptoms, the main one being pain in her upper abdomen, and was continually sent home.  Finally, she went again and was about to be yet again released and they decided to run one more test....low and behold, low platelets, so bad that they did an emergency c-section right then and there.  There's more, but it's not a fun story.....







***TRIGGER WARNING***
Her numbers were so low that the docs basically told her to say goodbye to her husband as they weren't expecting her to survive the surgery.  I don't know what her numbers were, but they were low enough that they were convinced she was going to bleed out despite their best efforts.  She miraculously made it through and was a tough cookie, but her recovery was brutal - she was on leave for 8 months due to all of this.  It's a shame because she had SO many pre-e signs aside from the pain that she went to the ER for, and they were all ignored.

ballofmeat

@SkiChic626 This infuriates me beyond belief. It's pretty standard for all ER's to draw a blood count and complete metabolic panel. How the heck did her OB miss a low platelet to begin with? My guess is there was more to the story than the low platelets.

OP just so you are aware no one bleeds out from low platelets alone. There must have been other factors in above patients coagulation system causing the emergent c-section. (I.E. Low fibrinogen, high protime or PTT. Aka probably disseminated intravasular coagulation. A critical platelet of less than 30, which you are nowhere near). This is so so so so rare. That is why I didn't go into the millions of other reasons you could have low platelets because it is so uncommon. Please do not be scared from the above story. This is why googling is also a crap idea.

I stand by my original response, 120s is good, your doctor is doing a great job of monitoring you! 

SkiChic626

@midwestbaby There definitely might be, but she was under the impression that she had an otherwise healthy pregnancy until all this unfolded.  She was led to believe that it was due to the pre-eclampsia.  I really want to ask her about it, but I feel so weird even bringing it up.  She did say that it's extremely rare, so yeah, but still knowing this story I'm so glad to see doctors on top of this!

Nikkoli98

Edited because my very long post just got deleted!  Grrr.

Nikkoli98

@midwestbaby, I agree, low platelets are not going to be the sole source of bleeding unless the counts are very very low, possibly as low as 10 or 20!!

@SkiChic626, it sounds as though your friend may have had Hellp Syndrome (a very rare and serious form of preeclampsia).  The cause is unknown, but part of the pathology is that the red blood cells break apart (hemolytic anemia) and cause the other clotting factors to be used up (a consumptive coagulopathy - like DIC) which can lead to serious bleeding.  The low platelets are not the underlying cause of the bleeding, but often are one of the telltale findings, probably because platelets are routinely measured on a CBC and things like fibrinogen, LDH, haptoglobin and compliment levels, etc are not routine tests.  In other words, the low platelets do not cause the problem but may be one of the first signs identified.  Again, the bleeding comes from the fact that the ENTIRE clotting cascade is not behaving correctly, not just because the platelets are too low.

I think all pregnant women should educate themselves on the signs of pre-eclampsia and Hellp Syndrome (ex. headaches/vision changes, sudden swelling/weight gain, elevated blood pressure, right upper quadrant pain, etc) and notify their doctor ASAP if they think they are experiencing these symptoms.

Hellp Syndrome (again, rare) is a complex problem far beyond isolated low platelets (other features include: hemolytic anemia, elevated liver enzymes, protein in the urine, elevated blood pressure, edema, etc).  It is one of the very serious complications in pregnancy, and yet with early recognition and treatment, it still usually has a good outcome this late in pregnancy!!

@parneetkur, it sounds like your doctor is all over your problem and monitoring you closely.  I would just also let your doctor know right away if you have any unusual bleeding/bruising.  I hope your counts hold and you don't have to think about this problem any further! :-)

SkiChic626

Nikkoli98 Yeah, like I said, I really don't know all the details, nor am I any kind of nurse or doctor, but I know that the low platelet count is what made them go "oh sh*t" maybe this is something more serious.  Good info!