Platelet Counts During Pregnancy In Chinese Women

Objectives: Gestational thrombocytopenia (GT) is the most common cause of thrombocytopenia during pregnancy. However, the occurrence and severity of thrombocytopenia throughout pregnancy in Chinese women are not fully defined.Methods: We analyzed platelet counts in Chinese women who received prenatal care and/or delivered at the First Affiliated Hospital with Nanjing Medical University between January 2, 2018 and July 19, 2018 in China. These platelet counts were compared with those of nonpregnant women in the same study period.Results: The platelet counts of all women continued to decrease significantly each trimester (p < 0.0001). The mean platelet counts of the 818 women who had pregnancy-related complications were lower than those of the 796 women who had uncomplicated pregnancies during the third trimester (p = 0.047). At the time of delivery, platelet counts less than 150 x 10(9)/L were more common in women with pregnancy-related complications than in women with uncomplicated pregnancy (26.7% vs. 19.7%, p = 0.03).Conclusions: Platelet counts decrease throughout pregnancy in Chinese women and platelet counts less than 150 x 10(9)/L were more common in women with pregnancy-related complications than in women with uncomplicated pregnancy. The pregnant women should be paid more attention for thrombocytopenia to avoid the occurrence of bleeding events.