Blood Thinners & Induction: Understanding Risks During Pregnancy

Question
I have a client on a blood thinner for a leg clot that occured in the 9th week. she is now 34 weeks and the Dr. wants her to deliver @ 37 weeks by induction. What is the concern with alowing her to go into labor on her own?
thanks,
Machelle

Answer
The use of blood thinners in pregnancy, typically lovenox or heparin, is fairly common amongst pregnancies when a DVT is present or is likely to form. While it is fairly safe to deliver with the modification of blood thinners before delivery, there may be a multitude of reasons as to why her OB may choose to induce her. Unfortunately it is hard for me to determine the possible reasons for an induction without more information. I will say that 37 weeks does seem to be a little early, as most doctors prefer to wait until 38 weeks, to induce labor. Doctors typically choose to induce labor so they may taper the blood thinners to avoid excessive bleeding during delivery. Do you know if this is her first pregnancy? Does she have a high risk of having a larger baby upon delivery? Are there any significant complications like diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm labor or anything else that may cause alarm for her physician? These are all things that may factor in to his decision to induce at 37 weeks. If you would like to follow up, please feel free to do so. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask. God Bless.

Sincerely,
Cheryl Hetherington