Summary. Women with inherited bleeding disorders (IBD) require the input of a multidisciplinary team to improve outcomes of pregnancy. The role of the haemophilia nurse within the multidisciplinary team is to provide educational and emotional support to the women and to facilitate and co-ordinate patient-centred care. Prenatal diagnosis in cases of haemophilia is an integral part of the management of early pregnancy with a recent drive towards non-invasive prenatal diagnostic techniques. There is a current lack of data on the risk of miscarriage and bleeding complications during pregnancy. A clear association has only been established in women with fibrinogen and factor XIII deficiency. In the affected neonate with severe bleeding disorders such as haemophilia, the risk of head bleeding is significant, and appropriate management of labour and delivery has an important impact on reducing the risk. Women with IBD are at risk of both primary and secondary postpartum haemorrhage. Appropriate risk assessment and advance planning for haemostatic cover can reduce the bleeding risk.

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Cranial bleeding occurs with a significantly higher frequency in newborns with haemophilia compared to the general population. In newborns with haemophilia, delivery by a CS is associated with the lowest risk of ICH. AVD significantly increases the risk of ICH and should be avoided.

Key Points• Droplet digital PCR is an affordable and user-friendly method for the detection of F8 and F9 sequence variants in maternal plasma.• Targeted MPS accurately determines fetal inheritance of F8 int22h-related inversions, using maternal plasma of pregnant hemophilia carriers.Direct detection of F8 and F9 sequence variants in maternal plasma of hemophilia carriers has been demonstrated by microfluidics digital PCR. Noninvasive prenatal assessment of the most clinically relevant group of sequence variants among patients with hemophilia, namely, those involving int22h-related inversions disrupting the F8 gene, poses additional challenges because of its molecular complexity. We investigated the use of droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and targeted massively parallel sequencing (MPS) for maternal plasma DNA analysis to noninvasively determine fetal mutational status in pregnancies at risk for hemophilia. We designed family-specific ddPCR assays to detect causative sequence variants scattered across the F8 and F9 genes. A haplotype-based approach coupled with targeted MPS was applied to deduce fetal genotype by capturing a 7.6-Mb region spanning the F8 gene in carriers with int22h-related inversions. The ddPCR analysis correctly determined fetal hemophilia status in 15 at-risk pregnancies in samples obtained from 8 to 42 weeks of gestation. There were 3 unclassified samples, but no misclassification. Detailed fetal haplotype maps of the F8 gene region involving int22h-related inversions obtained through targeted MPS enabled correct diagnoses of fetal mutational status in 3 hemophilia families. Our data suggest it is feasible to apply targeted MPS to interrogate maternally inherited F8 int22h-related inversions, whereas ddPCR represents an affordable approach for the identification of F8 and F9 sequence variants in maternal plasma. These advancements may bring benefits for the pregnancy management for carriers of hemophilia sequence variants; in particular, the common F8 int22h-related inversions, associated with the most severe clinical phenotype. (Blood. 2017;130(3):340-347)

Under normal physiological circumstances menstruation is a highly regulated, complex process that is under strict hormonal control. During normal menstruation, progesterone withdrawal initiates menstruation. The cessation of menstrual bleeding is achieved by endometrial haemostasis via platelet aggregation, fibrin deposition and thrombus formation. Local endocrine, immunological and haemostatic factors interact at a molecular level to control endometrial haemostasis. Tissue factor and thrombin play a key role locally in the cessation of menstrual bleeding through instigation of the coagulation factors. On the other hand, fibrinolysis prevents clot organisation within the uterine cavity while plasminogen activator inhibitors (PAI) and thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitors control plasminogen activators and plasmin activity. Abnormalities of uterine bleeding can result from imbalance of the haemostatic factors. The most common abnormality of uterine bleeding is heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB). Modern research has shown that an undiagnosed bleeding disorder, in particular von Willebrand disease (VWD) and platelet function disorders, can be an underlying cause of HMB. This has led to a change in the approach to the management of HMB. While full haemostatic assessment is not required for all women presenting with HMB, menstrual score and bleeding score can help to discriminate women who are more likely to have a bleeding disorder and benefit from laboratory haemostatic evaluation. Haemostatic agents (tranexamic acid and DDAVP) enhance systemic and endometrial haemostasis and are effective in reducing menstrual blood loss in women with or without bleeding disorders. Further research is required to enhance our understanding of the complex interactions of haemostatic factors in general, and specifically within the endometrium. This will lead to the development of more targeted interventions for the management of abnormal uterine bleeding in the future.