title: Changes in haemostasis during normal pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  (1) To study the changes in the haemostatic variables during normal pregnancy, and (2) to compare them with the corresponding variables in a control group of nonpregnant women.
  
  
  METHODS
  University Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study involves two groups of women: pregnant women (in 35th-40th gestational weeks (GW)) (N = 35) and a control group of nonpregnant women (N = 35).
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined the global tests, the variables relating to coagulation and fibrinolysis and the group of natural inhibitors of coagulation, and compared them between the two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The pregnant women had statistically significantly higher values for: prothrombin time (PT) (P < 0.0001), thrombin time (TT) (P < 0.0001), fibrinogen (P < 0.0001), activity of factor VII (P < 0.0001), factor X (P < 0.0001) and alpha2-antiplasmin (P < 0.002), plasma concentration of D-dimer (plsDD) (P < 0.0001) and activity of heparin cofactor II (HCII) (P < 0.002). They had statistically significantly lower activity of protein C (PrC) (P < 0.0001) and of total protein S (TPrS) (P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During normal pregnancy the activation of coagulation is counterbalanced by the activation of fibrinolysis, which maintains the haemostatic balance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Higher Medical Institute, Plovdiv Bul.Konstantin, Velichkov 9, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. ekaterinauchikova@Yahoo.com.au
authors.forename: Ekaterina H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Uchikova
authors.forename: Ilija I
authors.initials: II
authors.lastname: Ledjev
mesh_terms: D005167:Factor VII / Q000032:analysis; D005170:Factor X / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000032:analysis; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis; D005865:Gestational Age; D006487:Hemostasis; D015844:Heparin Cofactor II / Q000032:analysis; D049669:History, 16th Century; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D011486:Protein C / Q000032:analysis; D017293:Protein S / Q000032:analysis; D011517:Prothrombin Time; D012016:Reference Values; D013918:Thrombin Time; D000979:alpha-2-Antiplasmin / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; D011486:Protein C; D017293:Protein S; D000979:alpha-2-Antiplasmin; C036309:fibrin fragment D; D015844:Heparin Cofactor II; D005167:Factor VII; D005170:Factor X; D005340:Fibrinogen