Blood Disorders & Pregnancy

Prenatal Hematology Care

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) provides comprehensive prenatal care for pregnant women and their babies. Our maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) team provides care for high-risk pregnancies, including for those with blood (hematologic) disorders.

How Pregnancy Can Affect Blood Disorders

If you have a blood disorder, you can face unique challenges during pregnancy and delivery. Pregnancy increases the risk of clotting in those with blood disorders. What’s more, delivery can increase risks of hemorrhage. During pregnancy, your iron and folate needs change. These fluctuations can complicate anemia and other blood disorders.

Blood Conditions We Treat

We care for blood disorders that are inherited (passed down in families) and acquired (developed over time).

• Alloimmunization 
  • Fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT)
• Anemia 
  • Bone marrow disorders, including aplastic anemia
  • Hemoglobinopathies like sickle cell disease or thalassemia
  • Iron deficiency anemia
• Bleeding and coagulation disorders 
  • Hemophilia A, B and C
  • Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP)
  • Von Willebrand disease
  • Other factor deficiencies and platelet disorders
• Clotting disorder
  • Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome
  • Antithrombin III deficiency
  • Factor V Leiden
  • Protein C and S deficiencies
  • Prothrombin gene mutation

Our Services

Our multidisciplinary team of MFM specialists, hematologists, anesthesiologists, nurses and social workers offer these and other services:

• Preconception consultations
• Advanced prenatal care
• Support during labor and delivery
• Customized postpartum care

We coordinate with your primary obstetrician to provide the highest level of care for you and your baby.

Preconception Consultation

Whenever possible, we encourage you to begin planning with your medical team before you conceive. This way, your MFM care team can put steps in place to ensure a healthy pregnancy.

Our team of experts collaborate with other specialists to carefully evaluate and treat the needs of you and your baby.