Haemostatic trends in normal pregnancy in Chinese women

Abstract

SummaryHaemostatic trends during the course of normal pregnancy were studied in 256 Chinese women at the University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kandang Kerbau Hospital in Singapore, using 282 nonpregnant women for comparison. Fibrinogen, factor VHIC, VIHR:Ag, factor X and α -antitrypsin all rose above the mean non-pregnant levels throughout pregnancy; factor II did not show a marked deviation whereas factor V rose in the first and second trimesters and fell to a non-pregnant level in the third trimester. Antithrombin III antigen was reduced throughout pregnancy, especially near term. Platelet count was reduced throughout pregnancy with no appreciable change in adhesiveness and a slightly more sensitive aggregation in vitro to adenosine diphosphate was observed from the second trimester. Fibrin-fibrinogen degradation products were increased from 21 weeks pregnant.The findings suggest a low level of intravascular coagulation starting in early pregnancy. The hypercoagulable state during the las...