Home » Genetic Blood Clotting Disorder Increases the Risk for Recurrent Miscarriages
Genetic Blood Clotting Disorder Increases the Risk for Recurrent Miscarriages
If you’ve heard the term blood thinner before, it typically refers to medications preventing blood clots. But what exactly are these clots, and what do they have to do with recurrent miscarriages? Knowing the answers to these questions is essential if you are a woman with this condition, because blood clotting disorders often cause recurrent miscarriages.
The standard process of blood clotting involves the formation of clots that seal off an injury and prevent excessive bleeding. But what are these clots that form? They are called thrombocytes or platelets, ready-made clotting agents in the body. However, these little guys don’t last long; the body produces new ones to avoid excessive bleeding.
Blood Clots
If you’ve ever bumped your knee or cut your finger, you have a baseline understanding of how blood clots prevent excessive bleeding. A clot is formed to cover the wound as soon as you bump up against something. Blood clots are a life-saving mechanism when it’s time to seal off an injury. The clotting agents in the thrombocytes form a mesh-like structure that acts as a barrier, keeping blood from flowing out while the injury heals.
What Is a Clotting Disorder?
A clotting disorder is a condition in which there are problems with the formation of blood clots, preventing these important agents from sealing off an injury and excessive bleeding. But sometimes, the body makes too many or not enough blood clots, and when these clots don’t work correctly, a blood clotting disorder emerges.
What Is Recurrent Miscarriage?
Recurrent miscarriage is the occurrence of three or more consecutive spontaneous abortions before the 20th week of pregnancy. The leading cause of recurrent miscarriages is genetics. It is a condition where the fetus experiences an abnormal rate of spontaneous breakdown and disappearance, or thrombocyte exposure to tissue factor, the trigger that initiates blood clotting.
What Causes Recurrent Miscarriages?
The standard blood clotting process involves forming blood clots that seal off an injury and prevent excessive bleeding. Blood clotting disorders can be inherited or occur due to how your body processes clotting factors in the blood. If you have a fever while pregnant, it can trigger your body to make more blood clots than usual. These clots may travel to your uterus, causing a miscarriage by tearing the placenta and causing excessive bleeding. This is called antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, or APS.
This condition is caused by the presence of an additional gene that increases the risk of clotting. People with this clotting disorder tend to form clots in their veins and arteries. Both of these tissues are responsible for sending oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.
According to the Mayo Clinic, women with this condition are at higher risk of developing blood clots during pregnancy.
This inherited disorder can lead to blood clots and recurrent miscarriages. This one is caused by the lack of a blood protein that prevents the formation of a dangerous clot. Antithrombin III deficiency leads to an increased tendency to form clots because your body doesn’t have the protection it needs from these potentially dangerous blood clots. And if you have this condition and experience a miscarriage, there is a significantly higher chance of having another one.
This genetic condition can lead to blood clots and recurrent miscarriages. It is caused by the inherited deficiency of a factor that helps the blood form clots to seal off an injury and prevent excessive bleeding. However, let it be known that if you have this condition and have a miscarriage, there is a significantly higher chance of having another because your body isn’t able to protect against blood clots as effectively.
Protein deficiencies also cause blood clots to form. This causes an inherited lack of a protein that helps give your body the protection it needs from these potentially dangerous blood clots. People who suffer from this deficiency tend to form clots in their veins and arteries, causing them to be significantly more susceptible to blood clots than other people, especially pregnant women.
Managing Blood Clot Disorders to Avoid Recurrent Miscarriages
The best way to treat this is to talk to your doctor. This condition is challenging to diagnose and treat, so they may order a genetic panel test or suggest an ultrasound to check for thickening of the placenta. In addition to managing clots, your doctor can help you manage the other risk factors associated with this condition.
Anticoagulant medication heparin is a standard course of treatment for patients with thrombophilia conditions and recurrent miscarriages. Heparin injections thin the blood, decreasing the tendency to form clots and allowing the body to maintain its ability to form normal, healthy blood clots. This medication needs to be monitored regularly.
You can also strengthen your immune system by consuming a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. This will help you avoid clots and ensure that your body has as many of the nutrients as it needs to maintain a healthy pregnancy.
