Low platelets?

[Givinguph0pe]

My platelets were low at 29 weeks and I had to have a repeat blood test last week. Just had a call from the surgery to say the Dr will phone me this afternoon.
Am really worried as I need to have a c section as they wont give an epidural if platelets fall below a certain point.

There's nothing I can do about platelets is there? I'm anaemic as well but I don't think that's anything to do with the platelets. Presumably if they can't give epidural but I require a c section they will just knock me out?

Depends how low they are tbh. Sometimes you get a result which is reported as low just because the platelets are all clumping together. If there are concerns they'll normally do a blood film where they'll get a better idea as to what the platelet count is.

Generally they're not keen to do Caesareans under GA as the anaesthetic agent can cross the placenta and make the baby drowsy, they really only do that (in my experience) if it's absolutely necessary (e.g. in an 'crash' or emergency situation where they have to get the baby out PDQ and there's not time to site the epidural).

I would wait and see what the doc has to say and try not to worry in the meantime (easier said than done I know!)

I had low platelets a few weeks ago (due to medication that I am on), but when they repeated the bloods a month later, they were back to normal levels.
Platelets can vary quite a lot in pregnancy, and you have plenty of time for them to recover, so I wouldn't worry just yet.

Platelets renew every 2 weeks or so, I had low platelets in three of my four pregnancies and they had recovered enough for surgery, all four dc have been sections. Also if it helps I have worked for an anesthetist and a surgeon they tell me that platelets only start getting interesting when they drop below 50, and they would quite happily perform a section under epidural if platelets were above 75 :)

I had low platelets due to preeclampsia. They were waiting for as long as possible to do a cesarean to give the baby as much time inside as possible, so when they decided it was time for the c section I was given a platelet infusion into my arm via a drip.

It was dealt with as routine by the doctors ( ie not unusual or dangerous) and it was fine; I suffered no ill effects and the cesarean went ahead as usual no more than half an hour afterwards.

So there is always this option, not to worry!

As everyone has said, your platelets may rally before delivery!

Apparently they can do a spinal (what they use for epidurals) when your platelets are lower than 100 - they don't like doing epidurals below 100 (I had one with platelets below that though - blood results didn't come back till too late!) but there's more leeway for a spinal.

I think there's not a huuuuuge amount they can do about platelets but if they're worryingly low I would a) push for the more accurate screening test mentioned above and b) request a referral to the haematologist - I think I found a thread on here where someone had successfully worked with a haematologist to get their platelets up (they will probably already give you a referral to an obstetrician to discuss the delivery anyway).

I found some good stuff on here by searching for threads about gestational
Thrombocytopenia as well as for low platelets.

I had low platelets and was told that if they dropped below a certain figure, which I'm afraid I don't remember, I would have to be under GA if I needed a section. My platelet levels did increase by themselves. My midwife told me to eat beetroot and blackstrap molasses to increase my platelet count!

Here's the most useful thread I found www.mumsnet.com/Talk/childbirth/2047236-Low-platelets-gestational-thrombocytopenia (try not to panic about the post where the newborn had low platelets, it sounds like the mother had a pre-existing condition).