blood clots in placenta anyone??

• By scottj
• Reply 49069
• March 6, 2008 at 8:59 am
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My story has some similarity. My son, Nate, was born at 25 weeks on April 8, 2005. I wan't pre-eclamptic but had placental problems including many clots in the placenta. I was tested for lots of things and found out to have MTHFR before trying to conceive again. I am now 38 weeks pregnant with my second child. I have been followed closely by high risk doctors and my reg OB and this pregnancy has gone extremely well. I am assuming that you would have been checked for clotting disorders during the tests but thought I'd share my story anyway. Good luck.

• By maripat
• Reply 49070 · In reply to 49069 by scottj
• March 6, 2008 at 2:13 pm
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I had multiple miscarriges and even with my one live birth of twin girls...on each occasion either by ultrasound or upon actual examination there were lots of clots on the plcenta ...my OB related to my MTFR factor (elevated homocystine /genetic issue)...were you tested for this? Good Luck. MAC

• By bdockum
• Reply 49071
• March 6, 2008 at 5:10 pm
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Your story sounds similar to my story with my little angel Ashley.
When I was pregnant with her I was put on high risk due to past problems.
I was seeing my OB and a high-risk specialist, who I was seeing 1's a month until I started having problems. When I was 24 weeks they noticed there was what they thought was a blood clot on the placenta. They monitored it and I was rechecked 3 weeks later and then they noticed she had stopped growing, actually lost weight. I was sent to the local hospital for a lot of blood tests. My results came back and found that I am a carrier of the blood clotting disorder (Factor 5 Leiden) The doctors indicated that this blood clot problem might be restricting the blood flow to the placenta and the cord. I was put onto blood thinners (lovenox) for 1 week before to try and prevent any further clots and to try and reduce the size of the current ones. Unfortunately we did not catch this soon enough. I have been told that if I get pregnant again I will need to go back onto the Lovenox as soon as I find out, to prevent the same problems.

Send me an email if you have any further questions/ comments sbdockum@msn.com

Good Luck!
Brenda

• By emorton91
• Reply 70854
• April 11, 2008 at 6:22 am
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I had my son ata 31 weeks, he was IUGR. The placenta had lots of blood clots and had stopped blood flow to him.

• By skkittlez
• Reply 70881
• April 11, 2008 at 8:35 am
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Sounds so familiar. I am actually hoping to learn if I have any blood clotting disorders or not. My daughter was IUGR from about 26 weeks on, I had her at 32 weeks and she was extremely small birth weight. At her birth she was a minimum of 4 weeks behind where she should of been in development. They told me her placenta looked like it had gone through a world war and that her umbilical cord wasn't even the size of a pencil. Everyone wonders how she made, I know god had plans for her to be in my life. I am currently 17 weeks along and have plenty of concerns myself. I would love an answer as to what happened with my first pregnancy, but I know that may not be possible. After some insistance I was transfered to a high risk clinic and I feel much better.

• By Jems416
• Reply 71057
• April 11, 2008 at 3:55 pm
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I can totally relate... I also had blood clots in my placenta. I gave birth at 31 weeks to a beautiful baby boy with IUGR, he measured in at 27 weeks, and other complications (PVL due to lack of oxygen/nutrients, thanks to the restrictions in the placenta). I was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome before they realized that the placenta was clotted. After giving birth, I was closely monitored by a hematologist to see what, if any, blood disorders were found. After 3 months of testing my blood, all tests came back negative. For this I am grateful and nervous, as I plan to have more children, but am scared this could happen again. Its very frustrating because there doesn't seem to be a definitive answer as to why or how this happened or how to prevent this next time. For now, I am going to be thankful for my little miracle, who is growing bigger and stronger everyday.

• By Alex2008
• Reply 73885
• April 21, 2008 at 8:16 pm
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I am dealing with this right now. I had an emerg c-sec on April 10th. Alex was 38 weeks, but he was not moving. When they got him out and the placenta they said it and the cord was realy small. Later I learned I had clots leading to the placenta cutting off the supply. I can only thank god that we caught it in time and my little man is sleeping safe and sound in his crib.

The docs began asking if I have a family history of blood clot and I don't that I am aware of. They took the first slew of blood today and I am being sent to a hematologist for more testing depending on how this blood work comes back.

This has been such a scary time and I commend those of you who have gone on to have another pregnancy. I am really not sure if I can mentally handle this again. I am in freak out mode as it is right now. Alex spent a week in the NICU and was small for his gestational age. He is home and is doing well.

I will update on what they find with me. Like one of the posters mentioned, she never was diagnosed with anything. Everything came back normal. I am afraid that will happen. Not having an answer is really scary.

• By Boston (Inactive)
• Reply 74020 · In reply to 73885 by Alex2008
• April 22, 2008 at 10:39 am
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Alex2008, WOW, quite a story! You continued to carry your baby much longer than I did! That is a miracle that your precious baby is OK and that you only spent one week in th NICU! Praise God! I would love to hear if they find any reason for your clotting. Keep us posted!

• By Boston (Inactive)
• Reply 74021 · In reply to 73885 by Alex2008
• April 22, 2008 at 10:39 am
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Alex2008, WOW, quite a story! You continued to carry your baby much longer than I did! That is a miracle that your precious baby is OK and that you only spent one week in th NICU! Praise God! I would love to hear if they find any reason for your clotting. Keep us posted!

• By aplus67
• Reply 77586
• May 3, 2008 at 9:07 am
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I had my daughter, Katelyn, at 25 weeks weighing only 15.5 oz. She is now 4 1/2 and doing well, but has developmental delays (www.katelynsjourney.com). I was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome and Katelyn was born only hours later. The OB found clots in my placenta when he delivered her. It turns out I have both Factor V Leiden and MTHFR, both single gene mutations. I had never had a clotting event before my pregnancy. My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for the last year and half. I was told that if we do get pregnant again I would have to go on blood thinners and that should solve the problem. I read an article in Redbook a few years ago that 1 in 5 women have a blood clotting disorder. It's a simple blood test to find out and I think it should be part of the screening process when you are thinking of getting pregnant. We need to get the word out!

Ashley

• By mmbuys
• Reply 82613 · In reply to 73885 by Alex2008
• May 19, 2008 at 10:55 pm
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I have the exact same case...my pregnancy was perfect up until 31 weeks. I was having contractions and between 31-35 weeks they had to stop my labor five times. I was also put on procardia to stop the contractions but it didn't work. I didnt have high blood pressure, diabetes, or smoke. At 35 weeks my placenta partially abrupted. They actually sent me home the next day cause they didnt find the abruption. The next day went into the doc office for a check and my fluid was low again and she found the abruption. They put me back into the hospital and decided to keep me for observation. the next day i had an ultrasound which showed that my cord was low but the specialist found that my placenta was extremely calficied. The doc and the specialist argued for five hours on what to do finally they decided that they would wait two days to evaluate. Friday april 4 they did another ultrasound showed that my fluid was low and the cord was still low and my placenta looked worse as well as the baby seemed to weigh less. The doc told me he was taking her. She was born at 35weeks 3days on 4-4-08. she was 6lbs and 7oz so she was a healthy weight. she was born with pneumonia and rapid breathing. She also developed jaundice and a possible stress ulcer. she was in the nicu for nine days and weighed 5lbs 14oz when we took her home. now she is six weeks old and doing fantastic. The docs didnt do any tests on me they just said that they don't know why it happened and they think that my body will know what to do next time. I don't know and i am terrified that its going to happen again but i am not sure. I am wondering if it could be a clotting disorder but i am not going to worry about it because i have my beautiful little girl.

• By Tiffanie
• Reply 89857
• June 8, 2008 at 9:44 pm
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hi had the same thing happen to my i went in for a scheduled ultrasound and my babys heartbeat was gone. The doctor couldn't give my and my boyfriend an explanation and the next day my labor was induced and i delivered my son marcus allen on may24 of this year at 1:04am and he weighed 1lb and 7oz 13 1/2 inches. on june 5 the doctor told me that the placenta results came back and the placenta and cord was full of blood clots and didn't know why and all my test came back negative and normal i was 28 wks at the time. did u ever get a real explanation?

• By elliesmom
• Reply 89966
• June 9, 2008 at 9:02 am
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My story is very similar as well. It is really quite encouraging to hear that others went through the same slew of emotions and uncertainty that we did.

Jim and I were married on April 14, 2007 and found out we were pregnant a month later. Honeymoon baby. We were thrilled!

On August 5, I started bleeding while on a trip to Seattle, WA. I was told to see the sites from the comfort and seated position of a car and to make an appointment with my OB as soon as I returned home. I never stopped bleeding. The doctor said he saw what looked to be a blood clot on my placenta, but the baby's heartbeat and growth for gestational age were normal.

Aug. 13 I went to my OB and nothing had changed, confirmed the blood clot and referred me to high risk for monitoring.

On Sept. 7 I started bleeding again and was put on bed rest until I was bleed-free for 48 hours.

On Sept. 23 I started again and was admitted to the hospital. Iwas there for three weeks on magnesium (the most awful experience of my life) to stop contractions and other anti contraction drugs.

Ellie was born emergency C section on October 10. She was 25 weeks to the day, 1 lb. 8.5 oz. and 12 3/4 inches long. She was in the NICU for 117 days. She is now 24 inches, 11 lbs. 6 oz. and free of all drugs, monitors and Oxygen. She had ROP laser surgery in both eyes at three months old, and her eyes are great now.

I am a carrier for Factor 5 and the hematologist was certain this was the reason for the clot. I will need to be on Lovenox shots if I get pregnant again and will also not be able to carry a baby to term due to the emergency c section. I cannot even think about another baby yet, this pregnancy was way too scary. Maybe in a few years. I agree with Ashley. All women should be tested for clotting disorders pre pregnancy, but I went into this pregnancy knowing I had factor 5 and they did nothing differently with me. (My sister had a blood clot in her leg and found she had factor 5 so I got tested.) We just thank God everyday for our little miracle and pray for her continued growth and development.

• By jeddalady
• Reply 90121
• June 9, 2008 at 2:42 pm
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I had a 24 weeker due to sudden onset pre-eclampsia due to blood clots like you are describing. I was tested by a hemotologist and found out I have a clotting disorer called Factor 8 (factor 5 is more common to interfere with pregnancy I hear). I will have to be on lovonox shots daily with any future pregnancy. I'm thankful that my Ava is doing great (now!). She was less than 1lbs and 112 days in the NICU. Scary! Considering another pregnancy but really nervous about it - I don't want to have another baby go through what Ava did.
Sarah

• By Tiffanie
• Reply 90247
• June 9, 2008 at 8:35 pm
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we were so excited about our little bundle of joy and was it such a terrible thing to lose him and now i am nervous when i get pregnant again is the same thing going to happen? i also got pregnant on the birth control pill does that make a difference in this? my mom said she got pregnant with my sister and she had alot of problems she had toxsemia and my sister was very small when she was born was anybody else on the pill when they got pregnant? I HAVE ALOT OF QUESTIONS?????

• By alli3915
• Reply 120959
• August 19, 2008 at 9:14 pm
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I just miscarried at 16 weeks. In meeting with the dr. this past week I was told that I have the genetic clotting disorder that everyone has mentioned. The unforunate part of this disorder is you can't check for it WHEN you ARe PREGNANT. The folic acid in your system as well as the Prenatal vitamins make the blood test impossible to record the disorder. The only way this is found is when they know to test for it (usually after a miscarriage, and analysis of the placenta). HOwever, if they test you and you have the disorder they are saying they can control it with blood thinners. Good luck all.

• By sayfish
• Reply 128259
• September 2, 2008 at 4:06 pm
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Hello -- I have had no luck getting information as to why we lost our baby. I was 36 weeks (9 months to the day!) when I was having labor pains. My husband and I went to the hospital to find out that our son had lost his heartbeat. He was born sleeping on June 11, 2008, 3 lbs. 12 oz. and was 17 1/2 inches long. I am a very healthy woman and had no complications during my pregnancy. We later found that the placenta was 65% infarcted which basically means it was cutting off blood supply to baby. I too, saw the hematologist and all my results came back negative. I was tested for all the tests mentioned above. Good for me, but still many many questions. We still do not know how this developed. I'm wondering if anyone found more information and also, have you had a subsequent pregnancy that was normal?

I totally believe that had I had a Leval II ultrasound this could have been prevented. Also, the hematologist said that when I do get pregnant again, I will continue to have all these tests. So why can't all women get tested during their pregnancy? If it can save at least one life, that's good enough for me.

• By Suppe
• Reply 138309
• September 24, 2008 at 1:46 am
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I lost 2 babies to IUGR. The first pregnancy had to be terminated at 26 weeks because the Doppler showed that the blood supply to the brain had been totally cut off. The second time happened last week. My placenta wasn't supplying the baby enough nutrients, the baby was lagging by about 3 weeks and the doctors decided to do am emergency c-sec. He weighed 660 gms (at 28 weeks) and developed lung problems after birth. He lived for 2 hrs. I want to know if its worth going through this again?Nobody can guarantee that it won't happen a third time right?

• By preemiema
• Reply 138772
• September 24, 2008 at 11:22 pm
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Hi. I have had three pregnancies. After my first was stillborn, the OBGYN had blood tests done to try to find a cause but everything came back negative. The placenta was small, had a small cord, and had clots and did not look like it should have for 36 weeks. I have had two babies since then. For both babies, my placenta stopped working around the same time and had short cords. My last one appears to have been worse than the second. I was told that it is possible to have a regular pregnancy but now it appears that my body will only carry a baby for 36 weeks or less.
I am fortunate to have a great OBGYN who monitors me closely and listens when I have a concern.
My first was 3lbs 2 ounces. I had a partial abruption and he was still born. My second 5 lbs 2 ounces and he came home with me. He is almost 3 now. My third was 4 lbs 2ounces and she spend 29 days in the NICU with several complications due to blood crossing the placenta and my blood attacking hers. She is 6 months old now and doing well. The message that they don't know is good and bad. It means that there is nothing that says it should happen again but then there is nothing saying they know why and can try to prevent it. I really tried hard to keep stress to a minimum because I did not want that to contribute to any problems. I was monitored closely and was persistent when I had a concern.
It is kind of nice to know that others have had similar experiences although I would not wish it on anyone. Sometimes you can't help but wonder what did I do and why is it this way.

• By Tiffanie
• Reply 145356
• October 8, 2008 at 9:23 pm
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i still have no explanations for the clots and the doctor told me the will monitor me more closely for the second pregnancy when it occurs. i hope there be some way the can help prevent this for other women because no one should have to lose a child it is the most horrifying experience of my life.