Conversation: The conversation between human and AI assistant.
[|Human|] i am 29 weeks pregnant and i have a low platelet count. It was 117 a month ago then it dropped to 100 two weeks ago and now it is 93. My Haemoglobin has also dropped to 10.8 and my iron is 16. Should i be worried and if so what could be the reason for these low counts.
[|AI|]  Hello, and I hope I can help you today. Low platelets during pregnancy the, called thrombocytopenia, is actually a relatively common diagnosis during pregnancy. Gestational thrombocytopenia is a condition where the platelet levels Chat Doctor.  It is caused by pregnancy itself and usually the levels return to normal after delivery. Platelets are cells within the body that are designed to help clot your blood. Normally, a low platelet count can sometimes increase bleeding time, however during pregnancy your own body produces additional clotting factors that help protect the mother from excessive bleeding during childbirth. If a mothers' platelet count is above 50,000, the chance of having bleeding related complications of delivery are extremely low. Your platelets will need to be continued to be monitored until you have the baby, because other diseases of pregnancy can also cause low platelets, and your prenatal care provider will need to watch out for those. In the meantime, your thrombocytopenia does not put your health or the babies risk. The only way a low platelet count might affect your labor and delivery experience, is regarding pain relief and labor. Epidural anesthesia is generally not recommended with a platelet count below 100,000. So depending upon your platelet count at delivery you may or may not be eligible for epidural anesthesia. Regarding the