Haematologica Reports 2005; 1(issue 10): 1-5[prev][index][next]

Hemostatic changes in normal pregnancy
Domenico Prisco, Gabriele Ciuti, Michela Falciani
Dipartimento di Area Critica Medico-chirurgica, University of Florence, Italy

Normal pregnancy is accompanied by changes in the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems. These include a decrease in platelet count, increases in a number of clotting factors, a decrease in protein S levels, a significant fall in the activity of activated protein C and inhibition of fibrinolysis. These changes may be important for reducing intrapartum blood loss, but they determine an increased risk of thromboembolism during pregnancy and puerperium. [>Read full article in PDF]