Why does aps cause miscarriage

Those who have a second autoimmune disease will need to be followed by their rheumatologist as well. A long-acting intrauterine device IUD is often recommended instead. With long-term treatment for APS, recurrent blood clots can be avoided and patients can look forward to a long and healthy life.

Get diet and wellness tips delivered to your inbox. National Library of Medicine. Antiphospholipid syndrome - APS. Updated January Obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome. Lupus Sci Med. APS Foundation of America. Frequently asked questions FAQ. Updated May 7, Antiphospholipid Syndrome during pregnancy: the state of the art.

J Prenat Med. University of Michigan. Antiphospholipid syndrome program. Sammaritano LR. Contraception in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and antiphospholipid syndrome. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellFamily. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Because it affects both the placenta and womb, APS can also cause other complications in pregnancy. These include:. Read our advice about pregnancy and arthritis, including planning for a baby, supplements, scans, blood tests and the chances of your baby having arthritis.

The heart valves can thicken and may fail to work, or the arteries may narrow because their walls get thicker, leading to angina, chest pain or heart attacks.

APS can cause narrowing of the blood vessels, including those serving the kidneys, resulting in high blood pressure and poor kidney function. Some people develop a blotchy rash, with a lacy pattern, often seen on the knees or arms and wrists, this is called livedo reticularis. Platelets are small cells in the blood, which play a part in controlling bleeding.

Some people with APS have low platelet levels. There are often no symptoms, although people with very low platelet counts may bruise easily or experience excessive bleeding. APS is an autoimmune condition. This means your immune system, which usually protects you from disease and infection, is attacking healthy parts of your body with harmful antibodies. They attach themselves to proteins in fats, which affect the blood cells. This makes the cells stick together in clumps which can block the flow of blood through arteries and veins.

This can happen anywhere in the body, including the brain. In pregnant women, these abnormal antiphospholipid antibodies can also affect the cells of the womb and the placenta, reducing blood flow to the baby. People who have thrombosis or recurrent miscarriages should be routinely tested for APS. Your doctor will want to talk about your medical history. They would expect to see that you have experienced at least one of the following:.

They will also discuss any other problems you seem to be having, to see whether there could be any other reason for these issues. Miscarriages, strokes, heart problems and other symptoms are not just caused by APS. There are also other things that can cause clots in your blood. APS can be diagnosed in any age group, from infants to the elderly, but is most commonly found in people aged 20 to Because of its impact during pregnancy, it appears to be more commonly diagnosed in women than men.

To confirm a diagnosis of APS, you will need to have three types of blood test. This is because each test looks for antiphospholipid antibodies differently.

Doing only one of these tests could miss the diagnosis. You will usually have each test twice, 12 weeks apart. Your GP may carry out some of these tests, but at least one of them will be done as an outpatient in hospital.

Each test can tell whether abnormal antiphospholipid antibodies are present in your blood. But, the results can vary because the tests are looking for different things. It is possible to test positive in one, two or all three. The lupus anticoagulant test gives a positive or negative result. It tells you whether antiphospholipid antibodies are present or not, but not how high the level is.

Despite its name, the lupus anticoagulant test only looks for APS. The results of the anti-cardiolipin and anti-betaglycoprotein 1 tests are given as numbers. The higher the number, the higher the number of antiphospholipid antibodies in your blood. The tests need to be carried out twice, 12 weeks apart, because the levels of antiphospholipid antibodies in your blood change and can increase when you have an infection.

People who are positive in all three tests have a higher risk of developing clots than those who are positive in one or two. The higher the level of antibodies found in the anticardiolipin or anti-betaglycoprotein I tests, the greater your risk of developing blood clots.

Depending on their diagnosis, your doctor may refer you to a doctor specialising in immune conditions, known as a rheumatologist , or a doctor specialising in conditions affecting the blood, known as a haematologist.

Some people can find out they are positive for the antiphospholipid antibodies without having had any of the symptoms of APS.

They may have been tested for antiphospholipid antibodies as part of their diagnosis for another condition. They are described as being aPL-positive and can usually carry on without having any symptoms of APS. This is why doctors look for a history of blood clots and miscarriages before making a diagnosis of APS. However, they need to consider whether an aPL-positive person without symptoms could get APS in the future.

Being diagnosed with APS means you are halfway to reducing the impact the condition has on your life. You no longer have the uncertainty of what is causing you to have miscarriages, blood clots, problems with your heart or kidneys, or other serious illnesses.

You will always have the condition and will need to be monitored by your healthcare team, but there are treatments and things you can do yourself to reduce its risks.

Treatment with anticoagulant drugs, which thin the blood, can help prevent blood clots and miscarriages. Often, to reduce the risks of APS, you will be given a type of anticoagulant drug to thin your blood. The type of treatment you receive will depend on your symptoms. This can reduce your chance of getting blood clots or miscarrying in the future. Your doctor will probably recommend a daily low dose of aspirin, often around 75mg.

If you have other factors that increase your risk, such as a family history of clots, or if you suffer from typical APS symptoms, such as migraines, your specialist may recommend that you take warfarin instead of aspirin.

The INR blood tests may just be a finger-prick test, or they may need to be sent off to a lab before you get the results. Skin and Nails ». Bones and joints ». Blood ». Veins ». Pregnancy ». APS is usually associated with recurrent miscarriage, but it can also cause other pregnancy complications.

Recurrent miscarriage means having three or more miscarriages in a row, and it affects about one in every hundred couples trying for a baby. As APS pregnancies are classed as high risk, it is best to try and find a specialised or early pregnancy unit where doctors have prior clinical experience. Treatment will depend on individual medical history, test results and current circumstances. Generally, if a woman is diagnosed with APS following recurrent miscarriages, she will be treated daily with low dose aspirin 75mgmg.

It is also common to combine this treatment with daily heparin injections, particularly if a miscarriage has happened in the mid or late trimesters, or if there have been previous pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia. The final decision on how best to treat this aspect of APS should be taken after discussion with a specialist in this area. If a woman has been diagnosed with APS prior to becoming pregnant and is already being treated with warfarin, she will have to change over to daily heparin injections, ideally before the embryo is six weeks old, as warfarin is potentially harmful to the baby.

The majority of miscarriages in women with APS occur at the early stages of pregnancy in the first 13 weeks. The antiphospholipid antibodies aPL cause early miscarriages because they prevent the pregnancy from embedding properly in the womb, and inhibit the growth of the early foetal cells. Some women who have very early recurrent miscarriages can sometimes be labelled as infertile. Sadly, losing a baby in early pregnancy is quite common, with about one in five of all pregnancies ending in miscarriage.

As there can be many other possible causes for early miscarriage, women will not be tested for antiphospholipid antibodies aPL until they have had three miscarriages in a row.