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Hi, I've been remission for six years since having a splenectomy. I'm four months pregnant now with my first, and platelets seem to still be normal, so I'm just wondering if there's anyone out there who's been in my situation and if their platelets were okay throughout the pregnancy or if their ITP came back at all? I'm considered high-risk because of my history with ITP, and my OB is assuming that I won't carry to term because of it. Does anyone agree with that? I'm just kind of uneasy about his assumption that the longer I go in the pregnancy, the more likely it is that things will start going wrong. Maybe he's preparing me just in case, I don't know but I'd like to get some insight into this. Appreciate any advice!

Hi there!!! First of all, CONGRATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, so I am not quite in your situation, as I still have my spleen... my ITP has always been "under control", counts of 50k-110k for the most part. As a young adult, it stabled at the lower 100's, and I stopped thinking about it. Got pregnant, and was quickly reminded I have ITP. Platelets plumitted (to 26k at the lowest). That said - I have NEVER heard of not carrying to term because of ITP. And from my undersetanding of ITP, that makes little to no sense. Why would low platelets affect a baby growing comfortably in your belly? I may be wrong, but I doubt it. That said - the issue will be in your third trimester - as platelets will continue to drop, and your Dr. will become increasingly concerned with blood loss at delivery (yours, not baby's) - There are MANY great treatments. I have had two boys, going through all the platelet scares and transfusion treatments, and all - and I am very strongly considering going for a third. My Sons were both born perfectly healthy. My ITP crossed the placenta on my first, and attacked his platelets, but only slightly (he was born with a count of 111k) - my second wasn't affected at all. Try to enjoy being pregnant. It is such a blessing.

Thanks so much for the response. That's very reassuring It's funny because my hematologist recommended this ob, however he told me at my initial visit that he hasn't had a patient with ITP in a while. That may be because it's so rare, I'm not sure. I'll definitely discuss what you said with him and will ask him to elaborate more on his concerns about my ITP. Thanks again!

Wendi - I think your OB is totally off the mark. Unless you have other health issues, ITP that is in remission will not affect your ability to carry the baby to full term. Even if counts drop, there are ways to manage it that will most likely result in a healthy, full term baby. I can't believe how many doctors are misinformed about ITP. As long as you monitor your counts and treat if counts drop, all should be fine.

Thanks, Sandi. Once again, a reassuring post, and I appreciate it. My doc has also mentioned HELLP Syndrome: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001892/ It's extremely rare, but I suppose he mentioned it because of my history with ITP, and one of the symptoms of it is low platelets. He didn't say I was going to get it, but I think he told me about it so he could tell me how they would handle more of an extreme situation. Normally, I like to know everything I can (just as when I researched a lot after being diagnosed with ITP) but it felt like a little too much information for me at that point and freaked me out a little bit.

I don't think having had ITP is a precurser to HELLP. In all of my years here (since 1998), I only remember one woman who had HELLP. I'm glad he is covering all bases, but you need some optimism too!

I just got back from seeing the doctor, and I let him know that he's made me feel nervous about not carrying to term. He apologized and said that he was just making me aware of possible problems in the future so I'm not totally caught off guard if anything happens. He told me that he wouldn't bring any of that stuff up anymore He thinks I'll carry to term (37 weeks or later), just probably not to full term, and part of the reason is because I'm a smaller person. But all in all, he thinks I'll be fine.

That's great news! Good luck!

I had just gone into remission when I found out I was pregnant. I stayed in remission until my last trimester. The Dr put me on prednisone & I did fine. It was hard on my daughters teeth, the emamel didn't form well and don't breast feed, it was hard on her tummy. She had severe colic for several months even without breastfeeding. Other than that she's a healthy 15 year old today! Good Luck!

Thanks for the response. I'm glad that you did okay! And thank you for the info about Prednisone, that's good to know. Just went to the doctor yesterday, and I'm measuring 37 weeks even though I'm only at 34 weeks. Baby seems to be doing okay, though. Had another glucose test for gestational diabetes because the doc was concerned, but I passed it. I'm a little person, but maybe I'm just genetically prone to having larger babies. Last platelet check about a month ago was 181k (went down from the usual 200k), and I have my next check in a couple of weeks. So far so good!