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Topic: Lovenox and pregnancy (Read 101656 times) |
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CandyLou
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Hello all. I felt so lucky when I found this site. I had 2 m/cs 3yrs. ago and am finally pregnant again I am very scared of another but i have tons of faith, that being said I am 5wks 1dy, I started Lovenox 30mg and 1 baby asprin 8 days ago, I havent ad my first ultrasound yet I cant wait it will be had to sit there and wait to see if theres going to be a heartbeat. To Chi I wish you the best and will be praying for everyone, till next time. Candice
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bdantonio
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watergazer I know what you mean I am 5'2" and when i gave birth to angelina i was 198 however she will be 4mths on the 8th of june and i am down to 145 and still going. Also the heprin question pull the syring out to the amount you need clean the veil with an alcohoil swab turn the veil upside down puch the air into the bottle pull the needle into the liquid and fill it to the amount you need, remove the syringe and get as much air out as you can.
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vicks0410
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Hi, my name is Vicki and I am new to this site. I am currently 7 weeks pregnant after having 4 miscarriages over the past 3 1/2 years. This is the first time we've made it to seeing a heartbeat and I think it's all thanks to Lovenox. So, I'm very thankful for it, but if it's what is making me soooooo tired, I want to curse it at the same time. I'm very glad I found this site b/c I was really starting to wonder if something was wrong with me. it is literally a struggle all day to keep my eyes open at work and I'd give anything to just go to sleep. it's nice to know there are others out there. Also, I think that the progesterone 3xs a day is also adding to the fatigue. What do you guys do to get through the day? I'd love any suggestions!
Looking forward to speaking with you guys! 
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lyly14
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Hi everyone- I have been posting on some of the other boards on this website, but I will be starting lovenox in about 2 weeks. So I figured all of you gals were the best to come to for questions. I am not pg yet but have had 3 m/c's over a year and a half span. I am homozygous MTHFR and have antiphospholipid syndrome. Until now my doctors didn't think I needed to be on it until I reach 6 weeks of pregnancy and a fetal pole was confirmed, but in the past 2 years since my last m/c we haven't been able to get pg again. Now my new doctor wants me on it as soon as I ovulate. I am no stranger to giving myself shots, so I am not worried about that. So here are my questions to any of you who would be nice enough to answer: Did any of you start the lovenox before you were pg? Do any of you get your blood monitored while you are on the lovenox? I know that the risk of bleeding is high, so do your doctors have you go for blood tests? and if yes how often? Thanks !
Lyly
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1st IVF
2/9/08 BFN 
3 frozen embies left
1st Natural FET June 12th
6/25/08 BFN
IVF #2
8/22 BFN:(
4 frozen embies left
Me 33, DH 30
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bbic
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Hi. It's me Kelly. I went to the dr's on the 23rd and it appears that the bleeding had stopped. I had been bleeding for three weeks before I found out that I was 9 1/2 weeks pregnant. Now I am 12 weeks 2 days. Since being taken off the coumadin and put on the lovenox everything has been better. I will still have to go see the high risk dr. Wish me luck! This site has been a godsend for me to vent too.
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PrincessB
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Lovenox requires monitoring. Ask your doctor what monitoring means? Enox test? AntiXa test? Ask your doctor what the standard of care is for monitoring with Lovenox? I would like to know.
Bruising = hemohorrage = bleeding.
Bad Bruising = evidence of more significant internal bleeds.
Science = Lovenox 2x more likely to cause "major" bleeds than Heparin with long term use. (Long term = greater than 2 weeks.)
Alternatives: Lumbrokinnease, Nattokinease, or 400 IUs - 600 IUs of Biologically Active Vitamin E. Incidentally, alternatives do not have the same risks or side effects.
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CandyLou
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I have a question for all the ladies, are any of you bruising? I used to bruise before but now they seem worse, darker. Does anyone know if the baby will have risk of bleeding after its born? Candice
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PrincessB
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CandyLou, Sorry to hear about the bruising. I bruised , my legs on both sides were blue, purple, green and yellow. I had to alternate legs and spaces because my thighs got bad. I also would bleed from my gums when I brushed my teeth and I would get bruises if I bumped into anything. I also got "knotting" which I've read alot about on here. To get to your question - ALL LOVENOX BABIES have a risk of bleeds and other complications, I would assert that you're likely to see a higher risk when you bruise, because the drug can cause hemhorrage at any site, therefore, if the baby kicks, and there is a small hemhorrage of the placenta, it can cross and can expose the baby. The science is questionable about their claims that it doesn't cross the placenta, that argument is not valid pharmacologically. The company has been found to fraudently have changed therapeutic ranges and falsely advertised safety and therapeutic information pertaining to this drug. Lovenox is an animal hormone, a heparin, porcine intestinal mucus hormone, and when you add hormones to a pregnancy that is also hormone-loaded, that's a volatile combination. It's a blood thinner. If your blood is thinned, your baby's blood can be thinned, placenta or not, because you are talking about systemic response and pregnancy is not isolated from that. Lovenox is twice as likely to cause a bleed in mother than heparin, any bruising is internal bleeding. If you find you are bruising, the question is - HOW BAD? are they bad or big or multicolored bruises, taking a long time to heal? That is an indicator of excessive anticoagulation and your dosage probably needs to be lowered. 80mg is even a high risk of excessive anticoagulation in pregnant women. 120mg per day is extremely high risk of major bleed. Brain bleeds and Heparin-Induced (lovenox induced) thrombocytopenia are both indicated in the drug warning labels and are pretty common. There is a support group online for Lovenox Babies with adverse events and there's some threads on this. Not trying to scare you but a small dose is liklier to be a good dose, and I would question any doctor who wants to pair it with aspirin because I've been told by a doctor that that is a really stupid practice and dangerous. Aspirin is generally contraindicted in pregnancy. If your bruises aren't too bad, just monitor them and make sure that you don't have other symptoms like lethargy, dizziness, etc. which are also signs of excessive anticoagulation. Ask your doctor what the standard of care is for monitoring you on Lovenox... you should be getting CBC to determine if an event is taking place in some scenarios, Enox and AntiXa to determine if the levels are therapeutic, too high or not high enough. If your doctor isn't actually testing to see if the levels are therapeutic - too high or too low, you are not getting proper care and you might want to find someone else. Again, not trying to scare you or be a downer, just want you to be informed and make informed decisions. Good luck and I hope all goes well for you!
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veroki
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Ophelia Monique 7/7/08
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i was wondering about you princess b. hows your daughter doing? i agree that doctors need to check your levels at least once a month. and of course the lower the dose of lovenox the better, but that all has to do with what type of clotting disorder we have, some are more severe than others. im intrested in hearing what you know about heaprin? im still on 40 mgs of lovenox and im 34 weeks pregnant, my doctor would like to switch me to heaprin provided i can get my hands ons some b/c its scarce due to the recall. but im hesitant b/c of the recall, scary. i wish none of us had to deal with any of this stuff and put ourselves and our children at risk by taking this drug while pregnant. BUT im glad it exsists and with proper medical care and attention we wll be able to have the children that so many of us have been waiting for.
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26 yrs old : 11/30/06 1st pregnancy ended in fetal demise in utero @ 15 weeks(boy). heterozygous PAI-1 5G/4G Allele.
7/7/08~ baby girl with help from lovenox
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PrincessB
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Thanks for asking! Mine was born with alot of the stuff that wasn't on the drug warning label at the time but is now on the newer drug warning labels. She will not have the quality of life that we had hoped for, and I assure anyone who reads this that if I knew then what I know now, life threatening condition or not, I would not have taken this drug because I now understand this drug can be harmful to a mother and unborn baby as quickly as the condition can when not managed properly and doctors do not really know and understand the definitions of monitoring and I have yet to hear an agreement on a standard of care testing protocol. I agree that there are various clotting conditions with degrees of complexity but they are all clotting factors and all risk factors, and I interpret from reading about this drug that it can cause a miscarriage (and maternal death) as much as not taking it if/ when used improperly. Doctors are so ignorant about this drug it's remarkable. It is not the prophalactic that it is sold to be after about 72 hours. It offers immediate benefit for up to 72 hours, so if you throw a clot and you need be on it for a while that is okay, or if you've delivered or had a surgery and needed for a short time that's okay... but it has the potential to be extremely dangerous for long term use and long term use translates into blocks of days or weeks, not trimesters and doctors don't do the reading to thoroughly grasp the implications of it. In all other ways Unfrationated Heparin is reportedly and proved to be superior, because from 72 hours to two weeks, the risk of bleed while taking Lnx significantly increases, major bleed that is, and the drug was not intended for long term use (beyond a week or two weeks depending on what you read in studies). There's alot more data and understanding of standards of care with Heparin. There are also a record number of allergic reactions to Lnx showing and some hematology clinics are getting away from using it in any patients. Regardless of which clotting factors we have, I advocate for pregnant women to be informed and to just understand that this drug is approved for NONE of them, and not for pregnancy, and so we have to understand that every woman who takes this drug is a) a brave pioneer and b) a committed and courageous woman who is committed to her baby or her goal of a baby, and c) a guinea pig. I hate to put it like that. I know alot of women think Lovenox is a saving grace but I think that's alot of rainbows and sunshine and there's too much "this drug is great "stuff out there and it seems unbalanced when you read about other drugs and there's alot more available about the pros and cons and more information that just doesn't seem to be out there about this drug, and why isn't that information out there readily for everyone to read? Last year it brought in $6 billion dollars, that's why, and several of those markets were associated with pregnant or trying-to-get pregnant women. I believe the drug has it's place... I want to coach and encourage women who accept a prescription of this drug by a doctor they trust to keep a close eye on alot of the symptoms the moms-to-be report in here, because many are signs of excessive anticoagulation and that can be very serious or even dangerous - if not fatal - to mother and child. Not trying to scare, just be informed... I want these ladies to look at the symptoms, know what the symptoms represent, and be an advocate for themselves and their unborn babies (that really aren't considered to be the patients of the hematologists or the internal medicine docs). The OBGYNs and fertility docs have no business prescribing and managing this drug because they aren't trained to do it. The ladies in here who make the choice that they want to go with Lovenox should have a very highly skilled hematologist or IM doctor as a CLOSE and communicative companion to the fertility or OBGYN, they should be getting tested for therapeutic levels routinely and that needs to include Anti-Xa (not all labs are set up for this) and if any mom-to-be in here sees the following: darker bruises slow-to-heal, pain at injectin site or burning that persists, swelling at the injection sites, other bleeding indicators - spotting, gum bleeding when brushing teeth, tint in urine, etc. or any combination of lethargy, dizziness, liver tenderness, easy bruising.. the first acton is to work with the doc to simply lower the dose and be very cautious and ensure that the problems resolve themselves. If they do, great! If the problems do not resolve on a lower does, ie... If it continues, I would encourage a discussion about a move to Heparin to keep the baby safe and the mom safer. Lovenox is just unfractionated heparin, meaning the company buys heparin (ie from China) and just fractionates it. Lovenox has been contaminated and recently was taken off shelves in several other countries within 2 weeks of the Heparin issue, but our local medias virtually didn't cover it. The media did a good job of reporting that virtually all heparin supply hails from China. Lovenox IS Heparin. So a doctor just giving Lnx in place of Heparin is not necessarily a good idea... It's not necessarily... a logical decision. it's like saying "I'll smoke crack instead of snorting cocaine" for the perceived benefit despite the risk, and thinking it's a safer form. So please don't think I'm bashing or trying to scare anyone, and if you do have a Lovenox baby with good health, which I hope that you do, I will be the first to YAY! If God Forbid, anybody's baby does have problems, and there is a growing community of us finding one another and learning and sharing more information, maybe these postings will help moms find us who need us. God bless and Happy Healthy Baby Dust on all of you!!!
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PrincessB
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Thanks for asking! Mine was born with alot of the stuff that wasn't on the drug warning label at the time but is now on the newer drug warning labels. She will not have the quality of life that we had hoped for, and I assure anyone who reads this that if I knew then what I know now, life threatening condition or not, I would not have taken this drug because I now understand this drug can be harmful to a mother and unborn baby as quickly as the condition can when not managed properly and doctors do not really know and understand the definitions of monitoring and I have yet to hear an agreement on a standard of care testing protocol. I agree that there are various clotting conditions with degrees of complexity but they are all clotting factors and all risk factors, and I interpret from reading about this drug that it can cause a miscarriage (and maternal death) as much as not taking it if/ when used improperly. Doctors are so ignorant about this drug it's remarkable. It is not the prophalactic that it is sold to be after about 72 hours. It offers immediate benefit for up to 72 hours, so if you throw a clot and you need be on it for a while that is okay, or if you've delivered or had a surgery and needed for a short time that's okay... but it has the potential to be extremely dangerous for long term use and long term use translates into blocks of days or weeks, not trimesters and doctors don't do the reading to thoroughly grasp the implications of it. In all other ways Unfrationated Heparin is reportedly and proved to be superior, because from 72 hours to two weeks, the risk of bleed while taking Lnx significantly increases, major bleed that is, and the drug was not intended for long term use (beyond a week or two weeks depending on what you read in studies). There's alot more data and understanding of standards of care with Heparin. There are also a record number of allergic reactions to Lnx showing and some hematology clinics are getting away from using it in any patients. Regardless of which clotting factors we have, I advocate for pregnant women to be informed and to just understand that this drug is approved for NONE of them, and not for pregnancy, and so we have to understand that every woman who takes this drug is a) a brave pioneer and b) a committed and courageous woman who is committed to her baby or her goal of a baby, and c) a guinea pig. I hate to put it like that. I know alot of women think Lovenox is a saving grace but I think that's alot of rainbows and sunshine and there's too much "this drug is great "stuff out there and it seems unbalanced when you read about other drugs and there's alot more available about the pros and cons and more information that just doesn't seem to be out there about this drug, and why isn't that information out there readily for everyone to read? Last year it brought in $6 billion dollars, that's why, and several of those markets were associated with pregnant or trying-to-get pregnant women. I believe the drug has it's place... I want to coach and encourage women who accept a prescription of this drug by a doctor they trust to keep a close eye on alot of the symptoms the moms-to-be report in here, because many are signs of excessive anticoagulation and that can be very serious or even dangerous - if not fatal - to mother and child. Not trying to scare, just be informed... I want these ladies to look at the symptoms, know what the symptoms represent, and be an advocate for themselves and their unborn babies (that really aren't considered to be the patients of the hematologists or the internal medicine docs). The OBGYNs and fertility docs have no business prescribing and managing this drug because they aren't trained to do it. The ladies in here who make the choice that they want to go with Lovenox should have a very highly skilled hematologist or IM doctor as a CLOSE and communicative companion to the fertility or OBGYN, they should be getting tested for therapeutic levels routinely and that needs to include Anti-Xa (not all labs are set up for this) and if any mom-to-be in here sees the following: darker bruises slow-to-heal, pain at injectin site or burning that persists, swelling at the injection sites, other bleeding indicators - spotting, gum bleeding when brushing teeth, tint in urine, etc. or any combination of lethargy, dizziness, liver tenderness, easy bruising.. the first acton is to work with the doc to simply lower the dose and be very cautious and ensure that the problems resolve themselves. If they do, great! If the problems do not resolve on a lower does, ie... If it continues, I would encourage a discussion about a move to Heparin to keep the baby safe and the mom safer. Lovenox is just unfractionated heparin, meaning the company buys heparin (ie from China) and just fractionates it. Lovenox has been contaminated and recently was taken off shelves in several other countries within 2 weeks of the Heparin issue, but our local medias virtually didn't cover it. The media did a good job of reporting that virtually all heparin supply hails from China. Lovenox IS Heparin. So a doctor just giving Lnx in place of Heparin is not necessarily a good idea... It's not necessarily... a logical decision. it's like saying "I'll smoke crack instead of snorting cocaine" for the perceived benefit despite the risk, and thinking it's a safer form. So please don't think I'm bashing or trying to scare anyone, and if you do have a Lovenox baby with good health, which I hope that you do, I will be the first to YAY! If God Forbid, anybody's baby does have problems, and there is a growing community of us finding one another and learning and sharing more information, maybe these postings will help moms find us who need us. God bless and Happy Healthy Baby Dust on all of you!!!
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veroki
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Ophelia Monique 7/7/08
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the way i look at it is, your damned if you do and you damned if ya dont. i am finding this to be true with childrens vaccinations research im doing, vaccines have been associated with the increase of adhd, asthma, autism, diabetes, and other auto immune disorders, yet they also prevent serious diseases, which is the lesser of two evils??? i got pregnant accidentally, and i was already familiar with your story so i was very scared of taking lovenox. but decided that b/c i knew so many women from this forum with success and healthy babies and because i was on a very low dosage that i would take the plunge and do this(rather than lose another child). from what i remember they had you on a high dosage and they were overdosing you, am i correct? you were prescribed lovenox b/c of a clot history? i wonder if you currently have a lawsuit in place with the pharmacutical company b/c of the adverse effects this drug had on your child?
i agree, look out for the symptoms and be educated and aware, question your doctors, make sure your levels are being checked (they give me the factor xa test, monthly). dont blindly trust your doctors if you feel off or your not certain about what you are taking. doctors are ignorant period. not just with this drug, that is the one thing ive learned over the years. there is so much not known about the drugs we take and adverse effects they may have years later, sometimes i think if i could live in a bubble, i would. but ce la vie, were all taking chances and risks with anything we do or dont do, heck if you eat a ham sandwhich while pregnant you chance harming the fetus!. for me it came down to, take nothing and have the chance of my child dieing ,which you never get over and it still kills me inside everyday, or give this drug a shot and see if it will work for me like it has worked for so many others. everyone needs to just make an educated decision about what they are willing to chance or not. princess b im glad your giving people the other side point of view, b/c there are two sides to every story and people can learn from your experience, i know i have.
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26 yrs old : 11/30/06 1st pregnancy ended in fetal demise in utero @ 15 weeks(boy). heterozygous PAI-1 5G/4G Allele.
7/7/08~ baby girl with help from lovenox
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hafletcher05
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Gracelyn is here!
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Princessb~ I was wondering what sort of problems you and your baby had. I just had a baby and I was on lovenox and everything seems fine with me and my child but I often wonder what the risks were of me being on the drug, I also plan on having another child in a few years and I know I will have to be on lovenox again if I want another baby. I have asked my doctors and they acted like I benefits out way the risks. and that I shouldn't worry about anything. but i know there is more to it.
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-Heather
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PrincessB
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Quick reply to both ladies: Mine had brain bleeds, body bleeds, thrombocytopenia, etc. - now has disabilities like cerebral palsy and other issues. Has been medically attributed to Lovenox. Was excessively anticoagulated. That is why I harp on ladies to know the standards of care and to lessen dosages when they see onset of symptoms I have described because those are not "side effects" they are "excessive anticoagulation effects" based on my information. Not anti-Lovenox, just pro-information. Had to laugh at V's description of "risk to fetus = eating a ham sandwich"... so true... LOL... as for vaccines, I am not anti-vaccine either, but I recommend this for vaccines: Religious waiver if you just don't want to go there with your kids, if you want to get vaccines, go 1 MMR (non thimerosol) and then do a titre because there's a statistically high liklihood the child doesn't need a second. Avoid combo shots like MMRs and DTPs simultanously - spread them out and watch for illness onset or changes in behavior... doctors throw out the packaging to put the vials in cabinets or refrigerators, the thimerosol label is not on the vial, it's on the packaging - so your doctor can be mistaken by thinking it's not thimerosol stock... remember they didn't destroy the thimerosol stocks, they sold it out and then manufactured new. DoD and government agecies bought most of the thimerosol surplus so medicaid babies and government-care babies have a higher liklihood of getting some of that surplus. All flu shots may still contain thimerosol, as can blood products and eye solutions. I'm not a big champion of flu shots anyway but I think flu shots can be more dangerous than some vaccines. Alot of my reading on vaccines was about the load/ volume of what was being injected, and when there was thimerosol in several combinations, particularly in MMR was where parents report seeing problems. Best of luck to you all.
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lyly14
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PrincessB- I am just curious. How high of a dosage were you on? and did you have any bloot clots during your actual pregancy? I am wondering why your doctor took such an aggressive approach to your treatment. I agree with you that lovenox is not without risks. My doctors have been very hesitant to put me on it because at the time they felt the risks outweighed the benefits. Now they feel this is not so. After 3 m/c and struggling to get pg since my last m/c 2 yrs ago. They are putting me on a very low dosage. I will make sure they monitor me and watch out for any signs you have mentioned. I am sorry you had to go through all that and wish you all the best for you and your baby. I assume you are persuing a law suit for what happened, especially since the doctors are attributing your child's life long difficulties to lovenox.
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1st IVF
2/9/08 BFN
3 frozen embies left
1st Natural FET June 12th
6/25/08 BFN
IVF #2
8/22 BFN:(
4 frozen embies left
Me 33, DH 30
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