Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Blood is Thicker than Water

...and in my case, it's very thick. Literally. What I have is a blood disorder and it is called Factor V Lieden aka Factor 5. It is a hereditary hypercoagulability disorder...it means my chances of developing a blood clot is much higher than the average person. Studies show that about 5% of Caucasians in North America have Factor V. Within my family alone, my father, younger sister, uncle, aunt, and cousin have it.
The excessive clotting that can occur with this disorder is a concern for women that want children as it increases the risk for miscarriage and stillbirth. My doctors have created a plan for me for when I do get pregnant I will be self-administering daily shots of some type of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), such as Lovenox or Fragmin in my abdomen. But I will learn more of that in detail when I actually to get pregnant.
Many women with Factor V have given birth to healthy babies and I find that to be comforting that it is possible. The more I learn about the disorder the better off I will be. Knowledge and awareness is my best defense.

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