Should non-hemophilic women with a factor VII deficiency have children?

May 18, 2009 9:01 AM

Should non-hemophilic women with a mild factor VII deficiency have children? Are the risks too serious to chance child birth?
posted by brokekid to health & fitness (7 comments total)

I'm sure there will be people here with some useful input, but really - isn't this a question for, y'know, a qualified medical professional? Your doctor (well, the woman's doctor, since your profile indicates you're not the woman in question) should be able to give you the chances and statistics, enabling semi-informed decision making.
posted by Tomorrowful at 9:03 AM on May 18

I really really think you need to speak to a doctor or a genetic counselor.
posted by ORthey at 9:06 AM on May 18

I have Von Willebrands, which I think is a factor VIII deficiency, which was only discovered after I had an emergency C-section that bled me to the brink of death, requiring an emergency hysterectomy 2 hours later to save my life. If the family history of bleeding had been disclosed to ME prior to childbirth, I would have disclosed it to my OB who, I presume, would have done some things differently - including not giving me post-surgical pain medicine that increased bleeding problems.

So, I don't know what you want to hear in an answer other than anectodal evidence, but my suggestion is that you meet both with a hematologist and an obstetrician, and have them consult. I would think your other risk factors associated with pregnancy should be considered, too.
posted by bunnycup at 9:06 AM on May 18

People have children at this hospital with much more risky medical conditions. Have her talk to her gyn and see what the doctor suggests in her case. Around here that would mean at least a meeting with a genetic counsellor and she'd be seen in the High Risk Obstetrics center.

But please, if this is something she told you, as a male (per your profile), please take her desires into account. It's one thing if she's wondering if she should and wants to, it's another if she doesn't want to or is scared to.
posted by cobaltnine at 9:14 AM on May 18

This study followed 14 pregnancies in 7 women. Two early pregnancies were lost due to hemorrhage. One hemorrhage occurred during delivery. If the diagnosis happened before delivery, they were treated with some kind of therapy during labor and delivery. Pregnancy seems to go along with an increase of FVII so the risk of bleeding seems to be more at the beginning of pregnancy - not delivery. If you can understand the risks of miscarrying early, that study seems to suggest childbirth itself isn't overly dangerous. Discuss the study and your own numbers with a very good obstetrician - I don't know the degree of deficiency in those women but it's probably in the actual study.
posted by barnone at 9:14 AM on May 18

I realize that this is a question for a physician but I'm trying to gather source information for an in-depth conversation with a doctor.
posted by brokekid at 9:17 AM on May 18

I have mild factor VIII and factor XI deficiency. I was told by my hemotologist that my risk in pregnancy and delivery was probably mild, but that (if I ever were to get pregnant) they would proceed as if my risk was moderate (this is also in part because I have a few other conditions that they would have to account for). The way they'd do this would be to monitor my clotting levels via blood work throughout the pregnancy (every 4 weeks or so), and would have clotting agents and frozen plasma on-hand during delivery (whether I did a c-section or natural childbirth).
posted by scody at 12:03 PM on May 18