https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 13 May 2026 07:59:49 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781836 Tue, 24 Oct 2017 22:37:01 +0000 periwinklebee 2781836@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Revel: Thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781824 Tue, 24 Oct 2017 19:26:22 +0000 Revel 2781824@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had low platelets with both pregnancies. First one they were borderline low at 28 weeks and at 90 when I arrived for my induction on my due date. I was ineligible for an epidural because my hospital's cutoff was 100, and I delivered unmedicated.</p> <p>Second I was again borderline low at 28 weeks and was retested a few times but they never dropped below the 120s. Delivered unmedicated at 39 weeks.</p> <p>Only difference that may have had an impact was I took a prenatal with iron in second/third tri with my second, and I don't think my prenatal had iron in my first.</p> <p>Otherwise I recall my midwives said 50 was the threshold for needing more monitoring or treatment, not sure which of those. </p> <p>Good luck and I hope everything turns out ok! For me it was not a big deal either time but I'd suggest being prepared that an epidural could be off the table. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781756 Tue, 24 Oct 2017 13:34:26 +0000 periwinklebee 2781756@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@DesertDreams88: Thank you, it's really useful to have a sense for cutoff ranges!</p> <p>@bees_knees: I had no idea how transfusions actually worked - thank you, this is good to know!</p> <p>@Adira: Thank you, it's super helpful to hear about your experience! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781674 Tue, 24 Oct 2017 09:53:54 +0000 DesertDreams88 2781674@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bees_knees: ah, very interesting! thanks for the info! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781663 Tue, 24 Oct 2017 09:15:58 +0000 bees_knees 2781663@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@DesertDreams88: There are platelets within whole blood, but only blood components are transfused. So when you get a “blood transfusion”, you are getting red blood cells only; there are also platelet transfusions, fresh frozen plasma transfusions, and cryoprecipitate. This minimizes complications and helps give you only what your body is lacking :happy: </p> <p>One unit of platelets transfused will raise the patient’s platelet count by about 30-40,000. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781651 Tue, 24 Oct 2017 08:35:33 +0000 DesertDreams88 2781651@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bees_knees: yes, I was low in everything and slightly high in white blood cells (leukocytes???) So they were worried about infection too. So yes, the purpose was not just platelets.... but I was given the impression that it would help overall, since there are also platelets within the whole blood. I wonder how many platelets are in one blood transfusion typically? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781640 Tue, 24 Oct 2017 08:00:38 +0000 bees_knees 2781640@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@DesertDreams88: sorry , I didn’t read your entire story. Were you anemic (low red blood cell count/hemoglobin/hematocrit) as well as thrombocytopenic? A blood transfusion will NOT help your platelet count...only a platelet transfusion will. Platelet transfusions are typically only performed when platelet counts are extremely low (like, &lt;10k) along with clinical presentation of symptoms such as pupura. (They are also SUPER expensive, but that’s beside the point :silly: ) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781628 Tue, 24 Oct 2017 06:22:48 +0000 Adira 2781628@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), which is low platelets in general. My normal is around 70k. During my first pregnancy, they dropped to around 30k before they were caught (I wasn't being monitored as closely as I should've been) and put on prednisone (a steroid) around 37 weeks. By the time I went into labor, my platelets were back up to 50k. It meant I couldn't have an epidural, but otherwise didn't affect me. After birth, my platelets rebounded back to normal and I weaned off the prednisone.</p> <p>For my second pregnancy, I made sure that I saw my hematologist monthly and got my platelets checked monthly. When they started to dip, I went on prednisone (around 32 weeks). Again my platelets were around 50-60k when I went into labor, so no epidural, but otherwise I was fine.</p> <p>I had two vaginal deliveries, including an episiotomy without excessive bleeding or any issues.</p> <p>My hematologist said they like your platelets to be above 100k for an epidural and above 50k for a c-section. If yours get too low, they'll put you on a steroid to help increase them. They can also give you a platelet infusion if necessary, but I doubt it will come to that.</p> <p>Good luck! &lt;3 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781613 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 22:51:35 +0000 DesertDreams88 2781613@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>FWIW my hospital's cut off for an epidural is 80k and my OB likes to see above 100K. Like a previous poster said, you'll find that there is a range of what hospitals are comfortable with. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781612 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 22:49:58 +0000 DesertDreams88 2781612@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: it was definitely scary to find out miidway through delivery, but it's great to know beforehand. I wouldn't be super worried about it because there's definitely treatments.</p> <p>I WOULD, however, definitely sign up for some natural birthing classes or do some reading if possible, if you have to go that route. Push for a postpartum blood transfusion if possible... obviously the hospital &amp; OB have guidelines when that is necessary, but if you're borderline or feeling like absolute crap, I would definitely bring it up. Lastly I would start taking iron with vitamin C either now or definitely postpartum ( the vitamin C helps your body absorb it, do not take your iron with your prenatal, they'll just interfere with each other.) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781590 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 20:45:43 +0000 periwinklebee 2781590@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bees_knees: @Shantuck: Thank you, this is super helpful! I had no idea how the test actually worked. </p> <p>@Boopers: @JMOM: @Alba4: Thank you, it's really useful to hear about these experiences and that everything turned out well. </p> <p>@DesertDreams88: wow, that sounds like a really scary experience after all but I'm glad that they did the transfusions and that it helped with recovery and breastfeeding. Good to know about the limits on painkillers in the event of a c-section as well. I started taking iron a couple of weeks ago to deal with mild anemia and was wondering if getting my RBC count back to normal could help at all, though obviously it's not a direct treatment for low platelets. I hope it works for you!</p> <p>@mrsjd: Thank you, it's super helpful to hear about your experience. It definitely seems that for most people here platelets fell further during third tri and L&amp;D, so I'll be prepared for that. I'm sorry that recovery was so rough - I've been super anemic in the past and can only imagine how hard it would be to combine that with caring for a newborn (and a third degree tear). So glad though that your daughter was healthy! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781567 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 19:15:53 +0000 mrsjd 2781567@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I also had gestational thrombocytopenia. Mine was diagnosed early (around 16 weeks I think) but was only 130k then. Mine runs low even outside of pregnancy. I was monitored with monthly blood tests that then became every 2 weeks. I saw a hematologist that said that there is a dilution effect of pregnancy because you have more blood while pregnant so that's something to consider. </p> <p> Mine then stayed around that range until 36 weeks when it dropped to 92k. At that point my OB consulted with MFM and I did a week of the steroid prednisone. It raised it back to 120k or so. I then went off it for a week but my platelets dropped again. We decided at that point to induce at 39 weeks. </p> <p>The night before my scheduled induction I went in to get checked because I had some blood and fluid so I thought my water had broken. It hadnt but they checked my platelets and they were 78k so I was admited at 1 am. I'll spare you all the details (wall me if you want them) but I delivered vaginally after an epidural at 10:30 am. It was a near thing. I got the epidural at 9am and my platelets were 57k. The cutoff depends on your hospital but I wouldn't have been able to get an epidural lower than 50k. Otherwise yes, I would have had to have a C section under general anesthesia. I did ask for the epidural around 8:15 (water broke on its own at 7) but they had to redo the bloodwork and it just took a bit. I wasn't even really hurting when I asked for the epidural but my contractions got fast really quick. </p> <p>I lost a lot of blood. I didn't have to have a transfusion but I wish I had. Recovery was hard due to low iron and low platelets. I have never felt so tired. But I had a very healthy 8lb 1 oz daughter and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The worst part was actually that I had a (unrelated) third degree tear. </p> <p>Let me know if you have any questions and I'm happy to answer them. It's such a weird thing! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781555 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 18:14:24 +0000 DesertDreams88 2781555@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had gestational thrombocytopenia,which wasn't discovered until I was 5cm and asking for an epidural. My plates were 77K then 70K (redraw) and right after delivery they were 50K (that was a gap of about 18 hours?). They should have caught it when my platelets were 120K at 28 weeks.</p> <p>They do not let me get an epidural, which I have been totally planning on, and if I had had to have a C-section it would have had to be under general anesthesia. Furthermore, if I had had the C-section, I would have been very restricted as to what pain medication I could take after word based on this platelet issue and my OB warned me that I would be in a lot of pain because he couldn't use the heavy duty pain meds they typically prescribe. Very thankfully and somewhat miraculously, we escaped a C-section by about 30 minutes and I delivered my son naturally and vaginally. I did use some IV meds between 5-8cm ( wasn't allowed to continue after 8 centimeters because of the effects on the baby) and then they use a lot of topical numbing agents during stitches. About 20 hours after delivery I had to have two blood transfusions, which I'm very glad that they did because I think it really helped my recovery time and breastfeeding.</p> <p>I also passed a huge, baseball-sized clot 3 days postpartum, I don't know if that had anything to do with platelets but it was pretty crazy. I went straight to the ER, but the ER doctors were not concerned and nor was my OB. They ran another blood panel on saw that all my stats were getting better, so they sent me home after like 2 hours.</p> <p>My platelets were back to normal 6 weeks after delivery, though they're always on the low end of normal.</p> <p>My platelets are low with this pregnancy and they are monitoring it doing monthly blood work, and will probably increase to weekly during my third trimester, because platelets time to drop off pretty quickly and dramatically then. Both my old OB and my new OB recommend steroids as the first line of treatment. </p> <p>Currently I am also taking iron with vitamin C to help my anemia, which also bumped up my platelet count for the first time ever. I don't know if it was a fluke or not, normally iron does not help your platelet clown, but I'm actually getting a blood draw in a couple of minutes to see if the effect has continued. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781521 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 16:45:35 +0000 JMOM 2781521@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had low platelets for both my pregnancies. I was monitored by a hematologist monthly. I don't remember him saying that I couldn't have an epidural, but it has been been over 5 years ago since my last pregnancy. They did say that if they went too low I would have to be put under for my 2nd c-section, which didn't happen. The first pregnancy I had an epidural and then a c-section. I had to see the hematologist for a couple months after birth until the numbers raised back up into normal range. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781518 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 16:32:17 +0000 bees_knees 2781518@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: ex-Clinical Laboratory Scientist here 🙋🏻 (The people who run your blood tests) Lab error can definitely happen! Having your OB order a manual differential will ensure your smear gets physically looked at under the microscope. (As a side note, that may have already happened, since many times low platelets will flag the tech to manually review a specimen. If it was manually viewed, this will be noted in the results that your OB gets).</p> <p>ETA: is is rare that the automated machine will give an incorrect low platelet reading that isn’t caught and resolved by the lab tech. That being said, it is still worth investigating if your dr thinks it should be reran. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781516 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 16:24:59 +0000 Alba4 2781516@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My sister in law had very low platelets for both her pregnancies. She was monitored very closely. She had 2 c-sections. Her first was breech and she opted for another c-section for #2. Both my nephews were healthy. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781513 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 16:16:03 +0000 Boopers 2781513@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had low platelets with both of my labors. I just checked my paperwork from my 2nd labor which was 4 weeks ago. When I was admitted to the hospital my platlets were 93 and I was still able to get an epidural and had an uncomplicated delivery with a normal amount of bleeding. They continuously checked my platelets while I was in the hospital after I had the baby. At one point they went down to 69, but my ob said that it correlated with blood loss during labor. They slowly started going back up and I was discharged with platelets somewhere in the 80s. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781507 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 15:57:05 +0000 Shantuck 2781507@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@periwinklebee: The lab may have capabilities to do both or may be able to send it elsewhere. I would think that a hematologist would have better resources than an OB office. Good luck! Hope it was just an error or something that corrects itself quickly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781503 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 15:51:43 +0000 periwinklebee 2781503@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@raspberries: good to know about the Zantac, I'm not taking it currently, but will definitely try to avoid now. I'm really glad things ended up being uncomplicated for you. </p> <p>@Shantuck: good point, my ob practice is at a major hospital, and I think a specialist would likely be at the same facility and hence use the same lab, but I'm sure lab errors are not uncommon. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781499 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 15:46:04 +0000 Shantuck 2781499@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I've never had an issue specifically with my platelets but while not pregnant I had repeated readings of low lymphocytes and neutrophils during a routine blood test administered by my internist. I was referred to a hematologist and they re-ran the results and found that it was lab error. Apparently, some labs use machines to do blood counts and it was causing errors. The lab used by the hematologist had a lab tech that hand counted under a microscope. My internist told me years later that I was the sole reason that the entire huge practice voted to switch labs. Anyway, my point is that you might ask about how the lab counts your platelets just to confirm that this isn't lab error and you may also consider getting a referral to a hematologist if the problem remains when you get re-tested. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781495 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 15:35:58 +0000 raspberries 2781495@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had low platelets with both of my pregnancies - I ended up being induced for other reasons, but they were in the mid 90s by the time I gave birth the first time. The second time around, my hematologist said there was new research that linked Zantac (which I was taking for heartburn) with low platelets, so I stopped the Zantac and my platelets rebounded. Both times though, I had uncomplicated vaginal deliveries, despite being induced at 38+1 and 39 weeks - no complications or excess bleeding from the platelet issues. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/low-platelets#post-2781492 Mon, 23 Oct 2017 15:20:20 +0000 periwinklebee 2781492@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm currently 28 weeks, and my blood work came back showing low platelets. They weren't super low (around 130, the cutoff for normal is 150), and I don't have any other health conditions that would cause this. I learned from doctor google that typically with low platelets you can't have an epidural and it can increase the risk of hemorrhaging, especially with a c section. The doctor I saw today just said I should retest at some later point in third tri (she had to check when), and we could discuss what this implies if it's still low then. </p> <p>I'm just curious if anyone else has had experience with this, whether it resolved and if not how it affected delivery? </p>