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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

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Original poster

28 week blood tests - what are they?

69 replies

GeorginaA · 02/03/2004 09:51

It's rather ironic that I'm starting loads of pregnancy threads just at the time I'm actually feeling the healthiest I've felt in ages.

I've been phoned up today to be told that they want to do further blood tests on me after my 28 week blood tests yesterday. I have to go into the hospital this afternoon for them.

I know I had an extra one for potential liver problems due to itchy skin yesterday but have forgotten what the others are supposed to be. Any ideas what might be the issue? What were the other tests for?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Linnet · 12/03/2004 21:40

Georgina, glad to hear that you've had good news. Hope all goes well at your scan.

Original poster

GeorginaA · 12/03/2004 21:47

Of course, I'm now completely paranoid about any slight tickle.... sigh

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Original poster

GeorginaA · 22/03/2004 19:38

Oh ARSE

Bile acids back up to 26... back to the bi-weekly visits...

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Original poster

GeorginaA · 22/03/2004 19:39

um twice weekly...

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prufrock · 22/03/2004 21:47

Oh arse indeed. I'm so sorry it's gone wrong again. Are you going to try the drugs yet? (Apparently they've just completed a 1,000 patient trial in Italy where doses of up to 20mg per kilo were given with no adverse affect on the baby and a positive effct on bringing down the bile acids. It's not published yet but my consultant has put me up to 1200mg per day and it is keeping my bloods stable) It shouldn't mean that you have to have an induction - in fact it might mean you can last a bit longer before that becomes advisable.
Do give the helpline a call - Jenny is so lovely and reassuring and really does know what you are going through and can give you help with how to speak to the doctors so you get listened to.

Original poster

GeorginaA · 22/03/2004 21:57

I've got my next monitoring appointment on Thursday morning so I'm going to go armed with a list of discussion topics I want to ask about the drugs and vitamin K supplements in particular.

On the bright side, I got the "time off" hospital visits while it was snowy!! And now I've sussed that the best appointment time is 8am (so dh can look after ds and it doesn't impose too much on my day - get to keep my "rest" time while ds is at nursery instead of being constantly at the hospital) and that I can avoid the hospital antenatal clinic I'm actually feeling a bit more laid back about it this time around.

I had an ultrasound today and it looks like baby is growing very well which is a nice reassurance (plus if he does need to come out early, hopefully that extra weight will serve him well!!).

Ugh. Bleugh. Oh well.

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twiglett · 22/03/2004 22:08

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prufrock · 22/03/2004 22:11

Vitamin K is a bit more cut and dried. The only thing it does is stop the clotting, so they can measure your platelet count and clotting factors right before you give birth and administer it via an injection if they think you might have problems with bleeding.

twiglett · 22/03/2004 22:16

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Original poster

GeorginaA · 23/03/2004 08:09

Well drugs, I just really wanted to discuss the options... last time they didn't seem that keen because they wanted to see if the bile acids came down by themselves (which they did, but they went up again) - I want to know if that changes my "status" as such or if they only give it to women who are really suffering from the itching or if blood flow from the placenta needs an extra helping hand. At the moment, they're extremely happy with how well baby is growing, so they may not consider that I need the drugs yet and will review after next scan, I don't know.

One of the midwives mentioned Vitamin K in the form of a tablet supplement I could take. Wanted to find out a) if it's on prescription b) whether it's "better" in tablet or injection form c) from what week I should be taking it from. I bled quite heavily after ds (although not quite enough to qualify as "haemorage" apparently) so I think I'd like to have this as "routine" regardless of whether they think I might need it or not. After all, why not just cover all my bases?

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mears · 23/03/2004 09:27

Vitamin K would only be of benefit if you had a deficiency. It will not help if the cause for bleeding is something other than a clotting deficiency, such as a relaxed uterus.

prufrock · 23/03/2004 13:13

The urso isn't to do with how the baby is growing. It is a synthetic version of bile, which is what your liver isn't producing - hence the raised bile acids. It will help to reduce these. Whether that is necessary or not they don't really know for sure as there's not a huge amount of research that has been done on the actual causes of stillbirths in women with OC. Best guess is that high levels of bile acids can cross the placenta, and lead to the baby having a heart attack (but this is very very rare under 37 weeks so don't panic) They haven't been able to estimate what level your bile acids need to get to cause them to get to the baby though, it seems it differs from case to case.
My consultant is very enthusiastic about the scans as a predictive tool - he thinks that if the babies bile acid levels are getting high it leads to noticeable abnormal blood flow in the placenta and the babies heart way before any problems occur. And he's never lost a baby to OC yet. The major piece of research on this is here if you want to read it

The vitamin k would be on prescription. As mears said they'd only give it if you had a deficiency, but that can happen because you can't absorb fat soluble vitamins as well at the moment. The bloods will show categorically whether you need it. Last time I had mine as tablets as I was deficient from early on, but this time I'm not deficient yet so they aren't giving it, but can give it as an injection if it's an emergency (I think it works quicker when injected)

twiglett · 23/03/2004 13:19

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prufrock · 23/03/2004 13:38

Well sort of.
Below 37 weeks incidence of stillbirth is around 2% (this is including both managed cases and cases that are diagnosed post delivery). After 37 weeks incidence goes up to 10-15% (Hence my insistence on c-section at 37 weeks). But the studies that those figures come from have all been quite small and the 37 weeks is a bit of an arbitary figure based on when the majority of babies have reached lung maturity and so are safe to deliver. (In USA current advice is to deliver at 36 weeks)
What I want is a nice graph that shows risk of stillbirth on one line, and risk of complications from early delivery on another, so that I can see where they cross and deliver at that exact time. When I asked for that my consultant just laughed and told me he wished obstetrics was such an exact science.

Original poster

GeorginaA · 23/03/2004 13:52

Well here in Worcester they were talking about induction at 38 weeks...

... hell, if I get induced at 36 weeks then that's before ds's birthday party! (even 37 weeks is before his birthday)

suddenly feels an urgency to finish the nursery - I'm 31 weeks already - felt like ages away before!!

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prufrock · 23/03/2004 14:29

Told you it was an arbitary figure!

Original poster

GeorginaA · 23/03/2004 15:09

laugh

You've got me worried about the 36 week figure now though I really need to get my arse in gear and finish the nursery, write my birth plan, wash the baby clothes, clean down the pram/cot/etc, order the mattress (PLEASE tell me mattresses don't take longer than 4 weeks to deliver!!!!)....

How did I manage to get from "newly pregnant" to "almost at due date" over night like this?!

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twiglett · 23/03/2004 15:11

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Original poster

GeorginaA · 23/03/2004 15:14

I'm at 31 weeks twiglett - yes, we may well be both May 4th mummies

I'd just got used to the idea that it was still a couple of months away yet... a potential 5 weeks away feels awfully close!!!!

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