Midwife question if you would be so kind? Sickle Cell.

[Alwaysilllll]

Do pregnant mothers get tested for sickle cell in pregnancy?

Im being investigated for Lupus but they’re now wondering if it’s sickle cell anaemia because of previous family history (grandmother passed from DVT in her 20s, DF, DB and me have pain crises, DF heart issues, we have recurrent infections etc), however, wondering (as I’ve had 3 children in the last 7 years) how it would be missed as I had so many blood tests (severely anaemic in every pregnancy)?

Thanks for your time.

To spot sickle cell, you need to do a blood smear, where the blood cells are examined under a microscope. This is not done on routine pregnancy blood tests for anaemia etc. so sickle cell could easily have been missed unless it was specifically asked for

We screen for sickle cell and thalassaemia at the booking appointment here.

PS It certainly sounds like it could be sickle cell from your family history - have you asked to be tested for it as well as lupus?

As above. Are you black or mixed race? Sickle cell would be very rare if not.

@Cileymyrus It's also found in people whose backgrounds are in India, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. I know someone from Sicily who has it.

Some trusts screen everyone, some only screen based on ethnicity or family history or medical indication, it really depends where you’re live whether or not you’ll have been tested.

Thank you for the replies-

Great Grandfather was Egyptian but that’s it, our ethnicity is white/British.

I also had intercranial hypertension in pregnancies so that’s flagging up more concern I think however midwives never expressed for more testing or connected the dots, just put my symptoms down to anaemia and the intercranial hypertension (high brain pressure almost causing permanent blindness).

I had ANA tests and they were borderline (for lupus) but that’s it.

I was definitely screened for this in all of my pregnancies.

The trusts around here screen black people for it at certain points. My husband has and once his consultant sniffed that we were dating, they offered me the full screening, so that I was informed before we had children. They also screen black children at birth.

I would have a discussion with a consultant/GP and ask if you have been previously been screened for sickle cell and/or thalassemia.

My husband had sickle cell*

I was screened at both pregnancies even though I don’t think you can develop it later in life?

I work in a south london trust, have done for 17yrs and have always tested for sickle cell and thalassaemia

I was tested for SC during both my first pregnancy and have been found to be a carrier. My dc is also a carrier. This was a huge surprise and both my parents tested privately, alas, dad is a carrier too. He is from Cyprus. Midwives were very surprised as I am very European in appearance but when I told them about my ancestry they said that SC is also prevalent in the Mediterranean.