Use of vitamin K antagonists in pregnant women

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted with Master, Doctor Dinh Thanh Ha - Obstetrician and Gynecologist - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.
The French pharmaceutical regulatory agency ANSM has said that the use of vitamin K antagonists in pregnant women is contraindicated. If the patient still has indications during pregnancy, the patient must pay attention to understand the risks encountered. In the article below, let's learn about the use of vitamin K antagonists in pregnant mothers.

1. Learn about vitamin K anticoagulants

Vitamin K antagonists, also known as vitamin K antagonists, are oral anticoagulants. This medication is used to treat as well as prevent blood clots in the blood vessels. This drug helps prevent blood clots from forming and increasing in size, but does not dissolve the clot. Vitamin K antagonist anticoagulants work through inhibiting the synthesis of vitamin K-dependent clotting factors in the liver. Vitamin K plays an essential role in the synthesis of clotting factors to help prevent and avoid bleeding.

2. Use of vitamin K antagonists in pregnant women

The French pharmaceutical regulatory agency ANSM has emphasized contraindications to the use of vitamin K antagonists in pregnant women. In cases where there are still indications, the patient must be aware of the possible risks to the fetus such as: stillbirth, fetal malformations, miscarriage, fetal malformations on the facial bones and brain, bleeding in neonates or in fetuses.
During treatment with vitamin K antagonists, women of childbearing age should use an effective method of contraception during. You must immediately notify your doctor about pregnancy or wish to become pregnant while on treatment to make appropriate changes, absolutely do not stop taking the drug without consulting your doctor. And if a woman is still prescribed vitamin K antagonists during pregnancy, she must ask for an antenatal obstetric diagnosis while she is taking the drug, and until the time of delivery, she needs to be carefully monitored. Because of the potential risk of bleeding during delivery, if anticoagulation is required, it is possible to switch to heparin from 36 weeks after the end of the menstrual period for pregnant women.

3. So how to use vitamin K antagonists?

Absolutely do not arbitrarily take medicine or give it to others without being prescribed by a doctor Take vitamin K medicine according to the correct dose Take the medicine continuously until the day of the re-examination Take vitamin K medicine at a certain time of the day Based on According to the blood clotting time through the INR test, the doctor will determine the anticoagulant dose in each patient. Patients need to adhere to the correct dose and time to test INR. Avoid taking too much, which can cause bleeding, or too low, which can cause blood clots.

4. Some side effects of vitamin K . antagonists

Here are some side effects that can appear and will have serious consequences without the advice of a doctor. Therefore, when experiencing some of the following side effects, it is necessary to notify the doctor immediately:
Wounds that stop bleeding for a long time, bleeding gums, nosebleeds Itching face, feet or hands Headache, dizziness, consciousness, weakness, black or bloody stools Brown or pink urine Sudden shortness of breath Stop immediately and seek medical attention as soon as possible if any of the following symptoms occur:
Have an allergic reaction such as: swelling of the face, swollen throat, rash, or trouble breathing, low blood pressure Signs of bleeding such as bloody stools, bleeding in the eyes, vomiting blood, vomiting black discharge, black stools. Usually vitamin K antagonists are drugs that contain active ingredients such as warfarin, acenocoumarol, have anticoagulant effects and are prescribed in cases of atrial fibrillation, venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. With the above useful information, we hope to help you understand more about the use of vitamin K antagonists in pregnant women.

In order to protect the health of pregnant women and babies during pregnancy, Vinmec International General Hospital provides a package of maternity services as a solution to help pregnant women feel secure because of the companionship of the medical team. throughout pregnancy. When choosing Maternity Package, pregnant women can:
The pregnancy process is monitored by a team of highly qualified doctors Regular check-ups, early detection of abnormalities The package pregnancy helps to facilitate convenient for the birthing process Newborns get comprehensive care

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