Anti-coagulants are required to take by pregnant woman if she has a history of blood clots or has started developing the same. Such anti-coagulants should be taken as per the advice of the doctor. Read on to know about the effects of aspirin and the role of anti-coagulants during pregnancy.Anti-coagulation medications are sometimes offered to prevent blood clotting that develops in blood vessels. The medicine helps to heal conditions when the blood becomes too thick.
Clotting of blood is supported by combination of cells and protein. Thinning of blood prevents protein from doing their work. Injections or medications known as Warfarin, Fragmin or Clexane helps in blood clotting. However, such medicines may affect the foetus during pregnancy. Therefore, it is necessary to follow the advice of doctor strictly.
What are the Effects of Aspirin?
Aspirin affects one’s blood’s clotting action. Animal studies have shown that aspirin can cause birth defects in numerous species. There is no conclusive evidence that aspirin causes malformations in humans. When taken at term, they prolong labour. There is evidence that this also applies to humans. Intake of aspirin increases the bleeding tendency both in the newborn child and in the mother. Therefore, products containing aspirin should be avoided late in pregnancy.
| Products: | Aspirin |
| For Children: | Safety and efficacy not established |
| For Pregnant Women: | Safety not established |
| For Breastfeeding Mothers: | Use only if clearly indicated |
| Contra-indications*: | In cases of ulcer |
| Caution: | Hepatic and liver dysfunction |
Note* Pregnant women should not take any medicine without the prescription of doctor.
Importance of Thin Blood in Pregnancy
There are plenty of reasons why blood thinning shall become necessary when you are pregnant. Here are stated some of them:
Abnormal blood clotting becomes a common phenomenon among many in pregnancy. Blood thinning becomes essential to stop blood clots. While carrying a baby, the blood tends to get thicker in some mothers.
Women with artificial or abnormal heart valves require blood thinning to reduce chances of blood clots in pregnancy.
Blood Clotting and Pregnancy
Blood thinning is generally safe in pregnancy, but you need to take certain precautionary measures. Warfarin sometimes used for blood thinning may result in some complication in babies. Thus, it is better to stop taking the medicine before you get pregnant or as soon as you know about your pregnancy.
Warfarin is known to interfere with normal bone growth among unborn babies. There have been reports of anomalies such as choanal stenosis, stippled epiphysis and nasal hypoplasia as a result of intake of Warfain in the 1st trimester of pregnancy. Use of this medicine beyond the 1st trimester is also associated with other risk factors. Studies have suggested mothers, who took the drug had reports of their babies born with immature liver or low levels of vitamin K.
Heparin injections on the other hand are considered a much safer option, as it does not cross placenta into the circulation of your baby. You must follow your doctor’s advice on how these injections should be taken.
It is important that you monitor the injections to ensure your blood thinning is in the right level in pregnancy. With proper regulation, you need not worry about your blood getting too thin that can result in clots or bleeding. Also you need not be concerned about the injections in your abdomen, as they are really small and do not reach beyond the fatty tissue layer under your skin.
You must keep a watch on your
weight in pregnancy. Make sure you maintain a healthy weight all through your pregnancy. Healthy weight gain shall help reduce chances of blood clots.
Preventive Measures
When you are pregnant, you need to be more careful about prevention and proper treatment for blood clots. While pregnancy does not cause blood clots, the chances increase by 4 to 5 times. The clot is a way of responding to protect a woman from challenges of childbirth like
miscarriage. Here are some of the considerations you must be aware of:
- In case you had a previous history of blood clot or if you were on anti-coagulation, you need to notify it to your doctor so that he or she can suggest appropriate medicines.
- If you had history of blood clots but were not taking any anti-coagulation medicines, you should bring it to the notice of your doctor so that he or she can prescribe right medicines.
- If you start developing clots in pregnancy, you may have to take the medicines according to your doctor’s advice.
It is thus better to rely on your doctor for all medications that you might need. Discuss with him or her about your family history and overall health. He or she shall be the right person to diagnose your health and offer the right solutions.
What are anti-coagulants? How to prevent blood clots during pregnancy? What are the effects of blood clotting during pregnancy? Discuss here. 
