Pregnancy and antibody to factor VIII

Abstract

A patient who had developed a factor VIII antibody 3 wk after the birth of her first baby became pregnant for the second time 10 wk later. The pregnancy was normal apart from extensive spontaneous bruising during the first 2 mth. This bleeding tendency disappeared in the 3rd mth of gestation and the antibody became undetectable during the 8 mth. It had not reappeared 7 mth later. An unexplained long bleeding time and low platelet count were noted during the last trimester. The literature on postpartum coagulation inhibitors is reviewed.