Clotting disorders can be linked to recurrent miscarriages, causing fertility problems for women. It is possible, however, for women with clotting disorders to get pregnant and give birth to healthy babies.
Still, pregnancy can be a sensitive time for women with clotting disorders. Estrogen levels rise during pregnancy, increasing your risk for blood clots for up to six weeks after childbirth.
Understanding clotting disorders
To understand clotting disorders and how they might cause fertility problems, it is helpful to understand how blood clots.
- Proteins in your body form a clot when a blood vessel is cut.
- Sometimes blood vessels clot too much when these protein levels are too high.
- This can cause blockages that may lead to stroke, heart attack, pulmonary embolism, infertility issues, and, in rare cases, death.
If you have a known family history of thrombophilia, or are experiencing recurrent miscarriages, ask your doctor about testing and treatment for clotting disorders during pregnancy. Your doctor may also want to test for thrombophilia if you have had past problems with preeclampsia, stillbirth, or other pregnancy complications. If you haven’t seen a fertility specialist, now might be the time.