3rd Trimester

Gestational Thrombocytopenia?

I usually only post on my month board, but I'm thinking this might not be a super common thing and thought I'd seek more opinions!

My doctor's office just called regarding my blood test from last week. I've been having upper-right side pain, so they tested to make sure it wasn't my liver or gall bladder. But, it came back that my platelet count was low and my lab report notes "probable Gestational Thrombocytopenia".  My count was 134.

They told me not to worry, and I've got an appointment for more testing on thursday. But, of course I googled and now I'm worried. I had a bout with low platelet count when I was little, and was diagnosed with Purpura (ITP), which seems like it may be related. It went away after a few weeks, but I had severe bruising and pain. I'm nervous that my history makes this more cause for concern.

Anyone else have familiarity or been diagnosed with Gestational Thrombocytopenia? TIA!
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Re: Gestational Thrombocytopenia?

  • I have not been diagnosed or experienced the disorder.

    However, a very good pregnant friend of mine has been diagnosed. The biggest threat that her doctor has discussed with her is intercranial hemmorage (bleeding inside the skull/brain) . That particular disorder is associated with a tendency to clot. Blood clots are always dangerous, but if I were you I would ban Dr. Google from your house until you've talked to your doctor. 

    Every situation is drastically different & you haven't been officially diagnosed yet. I hope that you are in the clear. Wishing you a safe remainder of pregnancy, and the best delivery experience possible. ((hugs))

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  • I have chronic ITP. I found out about it when I was 19 during a routine blood test for my annual check up.

    A count of 134 is really nothing to be too concerned about. It's not low enough where you'd be considered a bleeding risk, and if your count stays in that range, it won't really have any implications for your delivery. Doctors and anesthesiologists only start to get prickly about it if your count goes down below 100 because they won't give you an epidural or a spinal for a c-section.

    It is common/normal for a woman's platelet count to decrease during pregnancy. I'd just have your doctor keep an eye on it with bi-weekly blood tests (weekly as you get closer to delivery....I didn't look at your ticker if you have one). If it really starts to drop and goes below 100, you can always have a consult with a hematologist and an anesthesiologist. This is what my OB did when I was pregnant with DD. My counts are at 82 right now, so my OB is pushing steriods towards the end of my pregnancy to get my platelets back up. I'm not really a fan of that idea. I had a consult with a high-risk OB when I was pregnant with DD and he said they generally don't worry about bleeding risk unless your platelets get to be around 50-60. I would love to have a count of 134!

    I'd just be consistent with monitoring it and try not to worry about it. And step away from Google.

    Me: 35 I DH: 38
    *TW loss and children mentioned*
    DD:2006 | Dx: Unexplained Secondary Infertility | DS: 2011

    TFAS since 2012

    Oct 16: Spontaneous BFP | m/c @ 9w1d (massive SCH) | D&C
    Apr 17: IUI #1 = BFN
    May 17: IUI #2 = BFN
    Jun 17: IUI #3 = Late BFP (18 DPO) | NMC 17Jul17 @ ~6w
    Aug 17: IUI #4 = Cancelled due to premature ovulation | TI = BFN
    Sep 17: IUI #5 = Cancelled due to overstimulation (10+ follies)
    Nov 17: IVF #1 = Cancelled due to non-IF related health issue | TI = BFN
    Dec 17: IVF #1 = Puregon 200, Menopur 75, Orgalutran, Suprefact trigger due to OHSS risk | 22R, 18M, 16F, 10B frozen  
    Feb 18: FET #1 (medicated) = BFN
    Mar 18: FET #2 (natural cycle) = CP (beta 1: 54; beta 2: 0)
    Apr 18: FET #3 (natural cycle) = cancelled due to missed ovulation
    Apr 18: FET #3 (natural cycle) = BFP! Beta 1: 201  Beta 2: 585 Beta 3: 3254 Beta 4: 9715 U/S 19May - one bean measuring on track with a HB of 125!
    EDD: 07Jan2019 Team Green
    My Rainbow Baby Boy born 03Jan2019 <3 

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  • imageBettyBookworm:

    I have not been diagnosed or experienced the disorder.

    However, a very good pregnant friend of mine has been diagnosed. The biggest threat that her doctor has discussed with her is intercranial hemmorage (bleeding inside the skull/brain) . That particular disorder is associated with a tendency to clot. Blood clots are always dangerous, but if I were you I would ban Dr. Google from your house until you've talked to your doctor. 

    Every situation is drastically different & you haven't been officially diagnosed yet. I hope that you are in the clear. Wishing you a safe remainder of pregnancy, and the best delivery experience possible. ((hugs))

    I think you're talking about something different. There is a platelet disorder where not only are your platelets low, they are also sticky, hence the increased risk of blood clots. This is not what the OP is talking about.

    Gestational thrombocytopenia just means that you have a low platelet count while pregnant - your platelets do NOT become sticky. Having thin blood actually means you have less of a chance of developing blood clots. This is exactly what I was told by my hematologist.

    Me: 35 I DH: 38
    *TW loss and children mentioned*
    DD:2006 | Dx: Unexplained Secondary Infertility | DS: 2011

    TFAS since 2012

    Oct 16: Spontaneous BFP | m/c @ 9w1d (massive SCH) | D&C
    Apr 17: IUI #1 = BFN
    May 17: IUI #2 = BFN
    Jun 17: IUI #3 = Late BFP (18 DPO) | NMC 17Jul17 @ ~6w
    Aug 17: IUI #4 = Cancelled due to premature ovulation | TI = BFN
    Sep 17: IUI #5 = Cancelled due to overstimulation (10+ follies)
    Nov 17: IVF #1 = Cancelled due to non-IF related health issue | TI = BFN
    Dec 17: IVF #1 = Puregon 200, Menopur 75, Orgalutran, Suprefact trigger due to OHSS risk | 22R, 18M, 16F, 10B frozen  
    Feb 18: FET #1 (medicated) = BFN
    Mar 18: FET #2 (natural cycle) = CP (beta 1: 54; beta 2: 0)
    Apr 18: FET #3 (natural cycle) = cancelled due to missed ovulation
    Apr 18: FET #3 (natural cycle) = BFP! Beta 1: 201  Beta 2: 585 Beta 3: 3254 Beta 4: 9715 U/S 19May - one bean measuring on track with a HB of 125!
    EDD: 07Jan2019 Team Green
    My Rainbow Baby Boy born 03Jan2019 <3 

  • imagetosh24:
    imageBettyBookworm:

    I have not been diagnosed or experienced the disorder.

    However, a very good pregnant friend of mine has been diagnosed. The biggest threat that her doctor has discussed with her is intercranial hemmorage (bleeding inside the skull/brain) . That particular disorder is associated with a tendency to clot. Blood clots are always dangerous, but if I were you I would ban Dr. Google from your house until you've talked to your doctor. 

    Every situation is drastically different & you haven't been officially diagnosed yet. I hope that you are in the clear. Wishing you a safe remainder of pregnancy, and the best delivery experience possible. ((hugs))

    I think you're talking about something different. There is a platelet disorder where not only are your platelets low, they are also sticky, hence the increased risk of blood clots. This is not what the OP is talking about.

    Gestational thrombocytopenia just means that you have a low platelet count while pregnant - your platelets do NOT become sticky. Having thin blood actually means you have less of a chance of developing blood clots. This is exactly what I was told by my hematologist.

    No worries. I am ok with being wrong on that account. I'm sorry OP (and anyone else). I must have read the article wrong. I apologize. 

    image
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    image
  • imagetosh24:

    I have chronic ITP. I found out about it when I was 19 during a routine blood test for my annual check up.

    A count of 134 is really nothing to be too concerned about. It's not low enough where you'd be considered a bleeding risk, and if your count stays in that range, it won't really have any implications for your delivery. Doctors and anesthesiologists only start to get prickly about it if your count goes down below 100 because they won't give you an epidural or a spinal for a c-section.

    It is common/normal for a woman's platelet count to decrease during pregnancy. I'd just have your doctor keep an eye on it with bi-weekly blood tests (weekly as you get closer to delivery....I didn't look at your ticker if you have one). If it really starts to drop and goes below 100, you can always have a consult with a hematologist and an anesthesiologist. This is what my OB did when I was pregnant with DD. My counts are at 82 right now, so my OB is pushing steriods towards the end of my pregnancy to get my platelets back up. I'm not really a fan of that idea. I had a consult with a high-risk OB when I was pregnant with DD and he said they generally don't worry about bleeding risk unless your platelets get to be around 50-60. I would love to have a count of 134!

    I'd just be consistent with monitoring it and try not to worry about it. And step away from Google.

    Thank you for this! And, yes, I have stepped away from Google!! I started getting off on tangents about antibodies attacking the baby's blood, and I knew I was just doing myself no good.

    But, when I did google I saw that a lot of other people have experienced counts significantly lower than 134, so I was hoping to hear that as well. I am just shy of 35 weeks, so hopefully I don't have to worry about treatment. I know I will be retested on Thursday, so it does sound like my OB is prepared to monitor everything. I'll try not to stress! :)

    I am hoping to go natural, so the thought of not being able to have an epi doesn't completely terrify me. However, it would suck to have to be completely put out if I need a c-section. But, as long as baby is healthy and this condition doesn't affect him/her, that's my main concern!

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  • Lurking from the Toddler board....I had acute ITP when I was a kid too.  I've been tested over the years and my levels have always been normal.  When I was pg with my 2nd, they mentioned they were low again. Looking back, they determined that they were low (130's) for my first pg but apparently it was never an issue because I don't remember being told about it.  I was told the gestational thrombocytopenia was not related to my ITP....but who knows?  My OB told me that, not a blood specialist.

    The second time, my levels were hovering around 100.  It depends on the hospital and anesthesiologist but 100 is typically the threshold for epidurals. I took a round of steroids and my platelets went up but I then found out that platelet levels fluctuate throughout the day so it could have been a fluke.

    I ended up being induced and when they measured my levels in the hospital, they were 99.  My OB said if I wanted an epidural, I'd better get it early because once they start pumping me full of fluids, they'd go down and I might not be able to get an epi.  The anesthesiologist talked to me, said he was comfortable doing the epi at those levels and I ended up getting it before feeling any pain.  I also had no issues after birth and my platelets are normal - although for me, normal is always on the low end.

    Long story - sorry.  Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

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  • Thank you for the info! I am starting to feel less worried about this, after hearing it's not completely uncommon. It's also good to know that having ITP as a kid isn't necessarily correlated...although, that's a weird coincidence to me!

    Hopefully my OB will set me even more at ease on Thursday, but if I come up with any other questions I'll message ya! Thanks again!!

     

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  • Hello!

    Its good to know that there are people out there just like me! I have been diagnosed with gestational thrombocytopenia since about 20 weeks.  My levels have hung around 120-130 but my most recent test was 112. I'm 33 weeks now and my OB doesn't seem too concerned. I already met with a hematologist and i have an appt with an anesthesiologist on Monday. my GT has been asymptomatic... thankfully. this is my second pregnancy and i didn't have any problems with my first. I was also diagnosed with purpura when i was a kid! i had it twice- i was probably 6 and 7 maybe... that was a miserable time! I never had any follow up afterward- at least that i know of (like routine blood tests, etc.) My hematologist said if my levels stay above 100 they are basically not concerned. I'm pretty sure I can't get an epidural- but I am aok with that! Are you getting weekly blood tests? I had my first on Monday and i'll go every week until baby  boy # 2 is born. its a really simple test- just a finger prick :) I've had enough of being poked and prodded! :-P I hope all goes well for you! Oh! i was also told there is little-no risk for baby so that was definitely reassuring. Good luck! when are you due?

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