The analysis on platelets for the whole pregnancy woman gives several times. Platelets are red blood cells that carry the function of rapid blood clotting. They affect the liquid state of the blood, as well as the integrity of the walls of the vessels. If the vessel is damaged, the number of platelets in the blood increases, and they are sent to the damaged area to fill it and stop the bleeding.
These are the smallest cells of blood, having the form of plates. The size of the cells is from one and a half to two and a half microns. They are formed in the bone marrow, and their life span lasts about ten days. The number of platelets is determined by conducting a general blood test, which is passed on an empty stomach.
Decrease of platelets during pregnancy: causes and symptoms
Normally, the platelet count in the absence of pregnancy is 150-400 thousand / μL. Their level during the day can fluctuate within ten percent, and this depends on the individual characteristics of the organism. With a normal course of pregnancy, the number of platelets decreases slightly. Relatively low platelets in pregnancy are not pathologies. Causes of reduced platelets during pregnancy can be poor nutrition, glitches in the immune system, chronic bleeding. This provokes a reduction in the life span of blood plates. Also during pregnancy, the amount of liquid blood increases, and the relative number of platelets also decreases.
A low level of platelets in pregnancy is called thrombocytopenia. Symptoms of the fact that there is little platelet in the blood during pregnancy is the easy appearance of bruises that go away for a long time, the appearance of bleeding.
Consequences and treatment of thrombocytopenia
The main danger of thrombocytopenia is the risk of bleeding during labor.
There are several folk ways how to raise platelets during pregnancy: eat many foods in which there is a lot of ascorbic acid (black currant, Bulgarian pepper) and use vasoconstrictive products, for example, rose hips or nettle.
There is a limited number of drugs that treat low platelets during pregnancy. Therefore, it is better to examine blood on platelets during pregnancy planning to prevent the development of the disease after conception.