? about Factor V Leiden

[ktsl123]

I have a hetero gene for factor V Leiden and my Dr doesn't think that lovenox or heprin will help prevent preeclampsia. I am a little nervous that he doesn't think I should take one of those. Most ladies that have the hetero gene take lovenox right????

[kim688]

I'm in the same boat with you! I'm also hetero factor v. I went to a very respected high risk ob to consult as I am considering having another baby. He said that the research shows that people with hereditary blood clotting disorders with no immediate family history of clots do not need blood thinners. Acquired blood disorders are different and do need them. He told me I could take aspirin if it made me feel better but no lovenox until after delivery. I've also been concerned about that info as a lot of people on this board are on lovenox. But I've had a perfectly normal pregnancy with no intervention and one with preeclampsia. Who knows why??

[caryn]

Just having these polymorphisms doesn't always count as having a medical need for a blood thinner in pregnancy. I suspect women with prior early losses, with pregnancy bloodwork that looks ominous for systemic clotting, are given anticoagulants routinely (and screened for SLE/APS) but at this point hardly anyone else is going to get them *routinely*.

From what the docs said at the CME last week, there is really no good data supporting Lovenox/heparin in other cases. Some of the MFMs were questioning why we screened women for these things in the first place just because they had rough pregnancies, absent symptoms that suggest clotting issues - because a history of PE isn't considered a symptom. (Despite my case of severe PE at 34 weeks I have no underlying thrombophilias!)