Taking Aspirin in Pregnancy?

My recommendation is to call your doctors office, tell them your H is freaking out about the aspirin from what he read online (or blame a MIL, and he'll get fewer sighs and more tolerance)... and ask for them to talk to him &/or you about why the recommendation was made.

LOTS of things (especially medical things) don't sound like a good idea online. And that's if you've got correct information. Incorrect info compounds the problem.

So take the correct info: It's not a good idea to take aspirin as a PAIN RELIEVER (which is the qualifying phrase that gets ignored) while pregnant. It gets skewed 6 ways from sunday. But the bottom line is because of the risk of miscarriage.

Now take blood clots. One of the most common ways to get them is to fly on an airplane (esp coach). Blood clots also cause miscarriage. And death or brain damage to the mum (depending on where the blood clot terminates) is a strong possibility as well.

Add the two together.... and you've got a risk assessment.

It's like being in a house that's on fire. Do you run outside without shoes on (and risk cutting your feet, or falling and breaking your neck, or getting hit by a car)... or do you stay nice and safe in the house and protect your feet & your neck and burn to death? Nope. You do the risk assessment, and decide to leave the burning house. But you go out the window (which is not recommended) and slide down the roof (which is not recommended) and jump (which is not recommended UNLESS situ a) house on fire, or situ b) escaping a burglar/rapist/ etc.

In normal every day life you don't take aspirin when preggers. But the safest thing to do when flying is to prevent blood clots. So you go out the window, and over the roof. Because in THAT situation, it's the smart thing.

H.,

I am at high risk for blood clots and during my first pregnancy I had to take 1 baby aspirin everyday (along with some other measures). Taking the baby aspirin did not have any adverse effects on me or my daughter. She was born full term and is now a thriving 3 year old. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

yes for 90 days for both pregnancies and both babies are fine. Blood clots are a much more dangerous and common problem than the rare syndrome linked to aspirin.
i ate an entire bottle of baby aspirin when i was 4 'cuz i liked the flavor. ooops - but i lived. ;)
trust your doctor more than the internet.

Do what your doctor says. There are MANY MANY women who have done IVF (In Vitro Fertalization) who HAVE to take baby asprin as well as blood thinners just to get and stay pregnant. If thier doctors tell them to do it (and they are spending big $$$ to get pregnant) I don't think there is a problem.

Take your concerns to your physician. My physician rec me to take baby asprin during my pregnancy to avoid blood clots as well, my son is great and I did not have any problems.

Hi H.,
I took a long flight (California to Egypt) when I was about 30 weeks pregnant and my doctor never said anything about taking aspirin. In fact he recommended I not take aspirin at all while I was pregnant (only tylenol). If you want to minimize the chances of blood clots, you should get up and walk around for a few minutes every 2-3 hours during the flight - which you will probably need to do anyway if you are drinking enough fluids!

I flew from San Francisco to Australia and my doctor had no such advice. I would invest in a good pair of flight socks, socks that will keep your feet/legs from swelling to much. Also hydrate and walk about the plane, happy trails!

Hi: I took a baby aspirin once a day from about 28 weeks on for my last pregnancy because I had preeclamsia in a previous pregnancy and duing my last pregnancy my blood pressure spike. My OBGYN spoke with a high risk specialist who recommended it.
Your OBGYN is recommending that you take baby aspirin before your flight because when you are in an airplane, your blood pressure will go up (everyone's does). This has to do with the elevation. The baby aspirin will help keep your blood pressure down.
Your really don't want preeclamsia. It can be very serious. For me, it led to an emergency c-section with my middle child.
By the way, my 9 month old (the one I took the baby aspirin with) is very healthy and active.
Good luck and enjoy your trip.

I took 5 flights while pregnant with my first son, and although the flights weren't as long, I was always instructed to get up and walk as often as possible (never told to take aspirin). My advice would be to get up and stretch every 1-2 hours. Have a great trip!

I have never heard of this before...but it makes sense...sort of ....
because blood clots CAN be a major problem when taking a long flight. I just came back from Europe and I got a pair of "ted hose"...those LOVELY surgical support hose...I was really worried about my legs swelling from sitting so long and also concerned about blood clots. Ask your doctor if that wouldnt be a good idea. And if he is tellling you to take the aspirin, I would do it, he is the expert!!! If it makes you feel better, check with your family doctor ( I assume it is your OB/GYN who gave you this advice.). Have a ball...and I Hope that the volcano doesn't erupt again and keep you trapped in Europe!!! lol

I don't think taking aspirin close to delivery time is good because there could be excessive bleeding. Taking a little it to prevent clotting well ahead of delivery could be alright. A clot could be a big problem depending on where it is. Why doesn't your husband look up 'blood clots in pregnancy' and see what those risks are. It might freak him out more than aspirin.

Hi H.,

Aspirin causes bleeding and should never be taken by someone pregnant. Ask any midwife. Another issue here is there is not only NO proof that aspirin will prevent a blood clot but, there is also proof that it absolutely does no good. Aspirin thins the blood, it doesn’t make the blood healthy.

Grape seed and grape skin helps with the vascular system. Why is it that red wine drinkers (Greeks, Italians, etc...) have little to no vascular disease? I am not suggesting drinking but there is a direct correlation between the red grape and the prevention of heart disease.

There is one supplement that will prevent AND dissolve clots and that is Nattokinase. The Japanese have been using it for centuries. I don't know if it's safe during pregnancy or not. I'm SURE it's safer than aspirin. Google or talk to someone at the health store.

Blood clots are usually caused by certain activity. Go to http://www.everydayhealth.com/dvt/blood-clot-risk-and-air...

H., you can also have some live blood work done and the doctor/technician can look at your blood and see if you are a candidate for a clot. The stickiness of the red blood cells can actually be seen under a microscope. If there is no stickiness, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.

God bless and congratulations on your little one!

M.

H.,
every case is different. I know that when I was pregnant the only thing I could take was tylenol. But it all depends on your case. If the doctor told you to take it, and you trust this doctor then do what he said. If you doubt the doctor, call your regular doctor and ask for his/her opinion. When you are pregnant you are not supposed to take anything, any medications, and then again you have cases where the woman needs medications and takes them during her pregnancy. So please don't freak out, just call the doctors and find out. I think for a trip that long, your doctor knows what's best.
Blessings

Every case is different. All the moms on this site are well meaning, but can only go off their own experiences and knowledge, which is not the same as your doctor's medical degree. If you are unsure whether to trust your doc, make an appointment with a hematologist.

What I know about it from having a sister with a serious clotting disorder who went through a pregnancy recently (3 yrs ago), and again, this is just what I have heard from her, so in no way is as good as a doctor talking directly to you. My sister was more severe than could be managed by a baby aspirin, but it is a possible therapy.

Most women don't realize that blood clots are a serious and highly possible complication, even if you don't have any blood disorders to begin with. A long overseas flight is going to raise that risk a lot. My sister had to take prescription blood thinners every day of her pregnancy, but my mom (granted- years ago) took aspirin during hers.

My sister saw a high risk OB and her regular hematologist throughout her pregnancy. I would suggest consulting with either of those, just to be safe, if you want a second opinion. I can see your hesitation absolutely, but a doctor is going to be able to tell you the risks associated with both and you can decide which you are more comfortable with.

Support hose (even just the ones you can get at JC Penney- Total Support is the name I think, that is what my mom wears daily), extra leg room, elevating your legs, walking around frequently, can all reduce your risk further. I personally would take the baby aspirin coupled with those things before risking a clot and possible miscarriage or death, and also before taking unknown herbals.

You should get a second opinion from a doctor with in your network and/or your network advise nurse. Depending on your medical coverage your advise nurse is either an 800 number or someone in house at the hospital to go to. If you get another doctor's opinion by telephone, then it won't cost you.
My doctor would say "cant you postpone that trip?" "is it really that important you go?" If it is important and you can not postpone, then the decision is yours. Just like everything else in life, or decisions will always have a risk/consequence, but it is our choice to decide if the risk/consequence is worth it or not.

the aspirin that they are wanting you to take shoudl be the 80 mg stuff..not the normal dose amount like 500 mg.....I had to take this to ensure that my umbillical cord did not clog up when developing....and this is through fertility treatments....address your concerns with your obgyn and give them the document your husband has found and have them read up on it...never hurts.

Are you taking the flight by yourself?
Have you booked your plane seats yet?
If not, this is a good site to choose your seats: www.seatguru.com
The airlines and even our travel agent uses it. We have used it before. It is great.
Since you are 25-30 weeks pregnant when flying, I would really choose seats that have lots of room and that you can get in and out of easily. You will also need to get up and walk around when you can... don't just sit. But you probably know that already.

That is a long flight... we have flown from my state to Europe before. It was about 24 hours.

Your Doctor suggested "BABY" aspirin... not regular dose adult aspirin. There is a difference.
You need to do the right "google search" on it.

Here are some links:
http://www.google.com/search?q=can+baby+aspirin+be+taken+...

http://www.google.com/search?q=can+baby+aspirin+be+taken+...