Just found out I'm pregnant while on Warfarin, anyone else?

[Bunny_Boo]

My LO is only 5 months and when he was three weeks old I got a blood clot in my lung and was put on warfarin for 6 months and I have just found out I'm pregnant!

I have stopped the warfarin and have been put on twice daily injections of Clexane which I'll probably be on til 6 weeks after baby is born.

Anyone else have an experience like this? Worried I have done damage to the baby with the warfarin. And worried about being pregnant after a blood clot. Thanks!

 

[PeaceLoveBaby]

I wasn't on Warfarin anymore when I got pregnant..but I'm on the injections as well. I clicked your thread because I was going to tell you to request a change to the injections but I see they already did that I honestly think you are just fine (and baby). Remember there is that week or 2 of a cushion where baby doesn't get anything thats in our system....kind of helps our generations to be safe due to not knowing they were pregnant!

All the best. Looking fwd to following your journey too! xx

 

[Bunny_Boo]

Thank you for replying! Nice to know someone else is on the same boat as me with the injections, doing it myself for the first time tonight. Good luck with your pregnancy, will be following!

 

[ChocLover]

I'm taking clexane too .. Don't worry about it - just get an OBGYN with experience with someone in your situation (and preferably experience operating on someone on blood thinners just in case you deliver before they switch you to the reversible blood thinners). It is a bit scary but we will be ok - they know how to manage and minimise our risk.

 

[brunettebimbo]

I'm on Clexane too Was scary to begin with but now I don't even think about it! Hope your first one went ok

 

[Stacey_Ann]

I was actively TTC whilst on warfarin for this pregnancy, this was under instruction from the obstetric consultant. I did query this but he said as long as I switched to clexane as soon as I got my BFP then the risk was basically negligible.

This is because the warfarin doesn't cross through the placenta until approx 6 weeks so was instructed to do a test every 4 weeks of my cycle. Thankfully this little one was conceived first try!

I've been on 1 a day since 4+3, and 2 a day since 20 weeks. My poor tummy lol xx

 

[Stacey_Ann]

I was actively TTC whilst on warfarin for this pregnancy, this was under instruction from the obstetric consultant. I did query this but he said as long as I switched to clexane as soon as I got my BFP then the risk was basically negligible.

This is because the warfarin doesn't cross through the placenta until approx 6 weeks so was instructed to do a test every 4 weeks of my cycle. Thankfully this little one was conceived first try!

I've been on 1 a day since 4+3, and 2 a day since 20 weeks. My poor tummy lol xx

 

[lauraemily17]

I'm on blood thinners too. We are given Fragmin on the UK.

I'm sure as it's early it'll be fine. I'm surprised you were still in warfarin. I also had a pulmonary emboli but was only kept on warfarin for 3 months. Now I'm used to the injections they're prob less painful than that horrible finger prick they'd do to check blood thinning levels on warfarin!!

A tip when doing the injections is to do it very slowly, makes a huge difference!

 

[Bunny_Boo]

Thanks everyone! Feeling a wee bit better. My first attempt was awful lol! So OH is doing it from now on, thank god!

Does anyone know what delivery options you have? I know it's far off yet but just curious.

Lauraemily17 - I'm in scotland so don't know if it's different here but it's usually clexane or sometimes fragmin and you need to be on warfarin for 6 months following a PE or 3 months if it's a DVT. Was so close to finishing my warfarin lol! Thanks for the tip!

 

[brunettebimbo]

I'm in the UK and I'm on Clexane.

We haven't got as far as birth discussions with consultant yet. I know I have to take the injections for 6 weeks afterwards though.

Where are you injecting?

 

[lauraemily17]

I guess different nhs trusts have different treatment plans! I did think 3 months wasn't very long but they said that was because it was caused by the pregnancy if it wasn't it would be longer! I did need fragmin injections though for long haul flights a year later. Doing them on a plane is not fun!

I've not had any detailed discussion about delivery yet but from what Ive read they won't let you go overdue and as long as it's 24 hours since your last injection you're good to have an epi if you want one. I was told to do my injections in the morning as it's most common for labour to start overnight or induction to be started in the morning.

 

[Bunny_Boo]

I'm in the UK and I'm on Clexane.

We haven't got as far as birth discussions with consultant yet. I know I have to take the injections for 6 weeks afterwards though.

Where are you injecting?

In my tummy it's sore already! I'll be on them for 6 weeks afterwards too

 

[Bunny_Boo]

I guess different nhs trusts have different treatment plans! I did think 3 months wasn't very long but they said that was because it was caused by the pregnancy if it wasn't it would be longer! I did need fragmin injections though for long haul flights a year later. Doing them on a plane is not fun!

I've not had any detailed discussion about delivery yet but from what Ive read they won't let you go overdue and as long as it's 24 hours since your last injection you're good to have an epi if you want one. I was told to do my injections in the morning as it's most common for labour to start overnight or induction to be started in the morning.

I was on fragmin after labour as a precaution but it didn't work lol!

I don't mind about an epi because they're not even offered here but I have to inject twice a day so wouldn't even be able to go 24 hours! Do you know what happens in the case of a section? Sorry for the questions!

 

[lauraemily17]

I had fragmin for 5 days after too! They recon I already had the clots though in my pelvis as I had hugely swollen legs while pregnant, starting fairly early too.

For scheduled c sections they'll just tell you to stop taking them before hand. Fragmin lasts 24 hours but clexane I presume just 12 if you're doing 2 injections a day. That's the time I most anxious about, coming off them for possibly a few days if this labour is like my first. A dvt would have been scary but a pe is kindof life or death. There's some nasty statistics about untreated pe's. At the time I was extremely embarrassed when an ambulance was sent within minutes if calling nhs dircect for what I though was a pulled shoulder! How glad am I now that they did!!

 

[brunettebimbo]

Clexane is one every 24 hours for me. I take it between 5 and 6pm each night.

Try your legs. So much easier!

 

[ChocLover]

How are you injecting? You need to pinch the fat while injecting into it and inject slowly.. Here they will take me off clexane and put me on a reversible blood thinner about two weeks before I'm due so they can reverse the thinning effect during pregnancy.

When I was on warfarin I was only on it for 4 mths because they thought it was probably caused by birth control pills. But even when cause is known doctors range from leaning you on it for 4-9 months here. Because the risk of having another is a fair bit higher than it otherwise would be in the year following the first clot.

 

[ChocLover]

You aren't supposed to have a scheduled section because having an operation on top if delivering and the hormones etc seriously compounds your risk for another clot.
If you have to have an emergency section - here like I said they switch me to a reversible blood thinner a couple weeks before delivery in case an emergency section is needed (I can't have the reversible the whole time because it causes permanent bone damage if taken too long but a couple weeks is fine) .. If I deliver premature on clexane and need emergency section my ONGYN said he had had experience operating on people on clexane before. Your dose will decrease to half what you are taking now once your clot goes and you are out if danger (ie they shift you to a preventative dose rather than a treatment dose) and my OB said operating on a preventative dose is way less problematic than a treatment dose so it will be ok.

The main thing is after the section the risk will be quite high. My OB said we will manage that with stockings that pump the blood for me, an IV hydrating me if need be and by forcing me to walk around a lot. Seriously get yourself a good OB who knows what they are doing in these situations and takes it seriously.

 

[brunettebimbo]

I'm on Clexane for a different reason. I have antiphospholipid syndrome so not sure what their plan is with me yet.

I noticed yesterday that I've started getting small varicose veins on my legs, is this normal?

 

[ChocLover]

I'm on Clexane for a different reason. I have antiphospholipid syndrome so not sure what their plan is with me yet.

I noticed yesterday that I've started getting small varicose veins on my legs, is this normal?

I don't think that is a side effect of clexane.. may just be abnormal pregnancy side effect though.

 

[Bunny_Boo]

I had fragmin for 5 days after too! They recon I already had the clots though in my pelvis as I had hugely swollen legs while pregnant, starting fairly early too.

For scheduled c sections they'll just tell you to stop taking them before hand. Fragmin lasts 24 hours but clexane I presume just 12 if you're doing 2 injections a day. That's the time I most anxious about, coming off them for possibly a few days if this labour is like my first. A dvt would have been scary but a pe is kindof life or death. There's some nasty statistics about untreated pe's. At the time I was extremely embarrassed when an ambulance was sent within minutes if calling nhs dircect for what I though was a pulled shoulder! How glad am I now that they did!!

My clot was from my pelvis too I was embarrassed too with my PE, so much so that I left mine untreated for a week thinking it was nothing even though I could barely breathe! Phoned NHS24 because I refused to turn up at A&E and be laughed at they told me to go and the first doctor I seen tried to tell me I had pulled a muscle from lifting my three week old too much Petrifed of getting another one now.