Hemostatic disorders in women

Abstract

The past few decades have seen major advances in multidisciplinary obstetric care and management of gynecological conditions in women with bleeding disorders. Awareness of the impact of bleeding disorders has improved among the obstetric and gynecological community. Undiagnosed bleeding disorders can be the underlying cause for a significant proportion of women with heavy menstrual bleeding. They may also be the cause or a contributory factor for other gynecological problems, such as dysmenorrhea, intermenstrual bleeding, and endometriosis. Hemostatic assessment should be considered in women referred for menstrual abnormalities if they have a positive bleeding history as quantified by bleeding assessment tools. The reproductive choices and options for prenatal diagnosis are also expanding for families with hemophilia with a drive toward achieving a non-invasive approach. Current non-invasive prenatal diagnostic techniques are limited to identification of fetal gender. Research is ongoing to overcome the specific diagnostic challenges of identifying hemophilia mutations, utilizing free fetal DNA circulating in maternal plasma. The management of obstetric hemorrhage has recently evolved to include a greater focus on the identification of and early treatment for coagulation disorders. Deficiencies in certain hemostatic variables are associated with progression to more severe bleeding; therefore, specific interventions have been proposed to target this. Evidence is still lacking to support such strategy, and future research is required to assess the efficacy and the safety of these hemostatic interventions in women with persistent PPH.

Keywords: hemostatic disorders; menorrhagia; menstruation; postpartum hemorrhage; prenatal diagnosis.