Pregnancy planning with ITP and unstable platelets: others' experiences?

[JustAnotherMom95]

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the long post.

I was diagnosed with ITP last year; unsure what caused it at first they thought it was a virus but then ruled it out. It's been a rollercoaster so far, a lot of hospital visits, platelets fluctuating a lot. Only last month I started treatment though because platelets dropped to 10k so I was given steroids which helped. A month later after tapering, platelets dropped again from 158k to 25k. I was then given IVIG which worked and my platelets went back up significantly. The hematologist has advised I should be monitored closely for now but any long term medication will be prescribed if platelets count drops below 30 which to me sounds ridiculous because why should we wait until they drop again? Anyways doctor's orders! I have also mentioned I would like to plan a second pregnancy (I did not have ITP in my first) but she advised against it for now until my platelets are stable. I just wanted to know if anyone has had a similar experience and how has it been managing the condition? In regards to the pregnancy, how was the experience? Was it safe? Any complications? Thank you!

I had low platelets that developed in the last week of pregnancy so can answer from a delivery perspective only. I was told that I wouldn't have been able to have an epidural and that I was at an increased risk of hemorrhage so I had a cannula inserted part way through my labour so that they could give any treatments necessary quickly. It was part of a symptoms profile that meant I was induced and they tested my platelets regularly throughout the induction and the consultants on duty kept an eye on the results. I had intrahepatic Cholestasis in pregnancy and was developing HELLP syndrome.