All women lose a small amount of blood during delivery.
Although this is usually not a problem, even a small blood loss can be harmful to women with anemia. A health care provider may want to know the level of hemoglobin of a pregnant woman s blood prior to delivery to assess the possible impact of the expected blood loss. Platelets are cells found in blood that help form clots to stop bleeding. Follow-up testing may be needed to help determine treatment options if a platelet problem is detected.