What Does Thin Blood Mean

Period Blood Consistency And Texture Meaning

The texture and consistency of your period blood can be a sign of the health of your uterus lining. Period blood is also made up of endometrial tissue, so the texture varies as a result of this. Whether its thick or clumpy, or smooth and light different flow viscosity is normal throughout your period and no cause for alarm.

Which Medication Will I Be Given

Antiplatelet medication is often the first blood-thinner used after a TIA or ischaemic stroke. This could include aspirin, clopidogrel and sometimes dipyridamole. Later, you might change to anticoagulants or stay on antiplatelets. Some people will start on anticoagulants straight away.

You should have a checkup at least once a year to make sure the medication is working and check your other stroke risk factors. You will need more frequent checks if you are on some types of anticoagulant.

This guide can only give general information. You should always get individual advice about your own health and any treatment you may need from a medical professional such as a GP or pharmacist.

You can find more details about the medications in this guide on nhs.ukmedicines. Always read the patient information leaflet that comes with your medication.

Stay Safe While Taking Your Blood Thinner

You can be bleeding but not see any blood. For example, if you fall and hit your head, bleeding can occur inside your skull. Or, if you hurt your arm during a fall and then notice a large purple bruise, this means you are bleeding under your skin.

Because you are taking a blood thinner, you should try not to hurt yourself and cause bleeding. You need to be careful when you use knives, scissors, razors, or any sharp object that can make you bleed.

You also need to avoid activities and sports that could cause injury. Swimming and walking are safe activities. If you would like to start a new activity that will increase the amount of exercise you get every day, talk to your doctor.

You can still do many things that you enjoy. If you like to work in the yard, you still can. Just be sure to wear sturdy shoes and gloves to protect yourself. If you like to ride your bike, be sure you wear a helmet.

To prevent injury indoors:

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Medical Definition Of Blood

• Medical Editor: Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Reviewed on 3/29/2021

Blood-thinner: A common name for an anticoagulant agent used to prevent the formation of blood clots. Blood-thinners do not really thin the blood. They prevent it from clotting.

Blood-thinners have various uses. Some are used for the prophylaxis of thromboembolic disorders others are used for the treatment of thromboembolism. The anticoagulant drugs used for these clinical purposes include:

• Intravenous heparin — which acts by inactivating thrombin and several other clotting factors required for a clot to form
• Oral anticoagulants such as warfarin and dicumarol — which act by inhibiting the liver‘s production of vitamin K dependent factors crucial to clotting.

Anticoagulant solutions are also used for the preservation of stored whole blood and blood fractions. These anticoagulants include heparin and acid citrate dextrose .

Anticoagulants are also used to keep laboratory blood specimens from clotting. These agents include not only heparin but also several agents that make calcium ions unavailable to the clotting process and so prevent the formation of clots these agents include ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid , citrate, oxalate and fluoride.

When To See A Doctor

Experts say you should consult your doctor if you notice symptoms of thrombocytopenia. The condition can be dangerous. “Without proper treatment, thrombocytopenia can cause serious bleeding,” says the National Institutes of Health. “This can happen both inside your body and out of your skin. It can be life-threatening.”

If overly thin blood is caused by medication, your doctor may adjust your dosage or change that medication. If the cause for your symptoms is unclear, your doctor may perform tests on your blood and bone marrow. You may need no treatment if the case is mild, or medication or procedures might be warranted if your bleeding is serious, you have a high risk of complications, or a medical condition is causing the low platelet count.

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Food And Your Blood Thinner

If your doctor has prescribed warfarin, the foods you eat can affect how well your blood thinner works for you. High amounts of vitamin K can work against warfarin. Other blood thinners are not affected by vitamin K. Ask your doctor if your diet can affect how well your blood thinner works.

For a list of foods that contain vitamin K, go to www.usda.gov and search for vitamin K.

If you are taking a blood thinner, you should avoid drinking alcohol.

Why Does My Blood Look Watery Is It A Need For Concern

What does having watery blood mean? Is it a need for concern? My mother the other day pricked her finger to check her blood sugar and her blood gushed out liked water. It was not thick at all and just squirted in the air like water? What can cause this to happen?

Submitted:Category:

Welcome to JustAnswer.

Louise Sivak, M.D. : Hello, Is your mom on an anticoagulant or “blood thinner” such as Coumadin? If so, she needs her PT and INR values checked. She should also have a CBC to make sure she is not anemic.

How old is your Mom? Does she have any medical problems other than diabetes? Another cause of iron deficiency and anemia in older persons is microscopic GI bleeding. Your Mom’s PCP can tell whether that is more likely than just low iron intake from the pattern of her CBC and specifically what the red cells look like.

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Thin Blood Vs Thick Blood

Thin blood presents problems with clotting, wound healing, and bruising.

On the other hand, thick blood can increase the risk of blood clots and thrombosis, which can be life threatening.

Risk factors for thick blood include:

depend on the underlying cause . However, sometimes treating the underlying cause may not change the platelet count, and the blood will remain thin.

On occasions, doctors will prescribe corticosteroids to treat thin blood in conditions such as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura . In severe cases, they may recommend a platelet transfusion.

How To Take Your Blood Thinner

Always take your blood thinner as directed. For example, some blood thinners need to be taken at the same time of day, every day.

Never skip a dose, and never take a double dose.

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If you dont remember until the next day, call your doctor for instructions. If this happens when your doctor is not available, skip the missed dose and start again the next day. Mark the missed dose in a diary or on a calendar.

A pillbox with a slot for each day may help you keep track of your medicines.

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Influence Of Diet And Exercise On The Effectiveness

Because these medications work by removing vitamin K from the liver, the vitamin K content of your diet has an influence on their effect. For example, there’s a lot of vitamin K in foods like cauliflower, broccoli, beef and pork. But there’s no need to change your diet if youre taking vitamin K antagonists. Only considerably changing what you eat, perhaps because youre on a diet, can have an effect on blood clotting.

Large amounts of alcohol can also influence the blood’s ability to clot and intensify the effects of anti-clotting medication. But consuming moderate amounts of alcohol from time to time is not a problem. Acute and chronic gastrointestinal tract conditions can affect the blood’s ability to clot and the effects of the medication.

Physical activity and sports do not directly affect blood clotting. But if you take vitamin K antagonists, it’s a good idea to make sure that the risk of injury and therefore of bleeding is not too high with certain sports.

If you change your eating habits and lifestyle or develop other illnesses, it’s important that you have your blood coagulation levels checked more regularly. That way you can detect any changes early on and adjust the dose of your medication if necessary.

Bright Red To Dark Red Or Dark Brown

Healthy Period

A healthy blood color ranges from bright red to dark red or brown, depending on how new the blood shed from the uterus is. Some people might describe their old period blood as black, but this can be a sign for something else .

Egg Implantation Spotting

Less likely, brown period blood could also be spotting from egg implantation light bleeding that can occur in the very early stages of pregnancy.

Ovarian Cysts and Lochia

Lochia is natural bleeding that occurs after having a baby. It is mild-to-heavy and lasts around 6-8 weeks after birth, but youll know if youve given birth recently. This colour of period blood may also be a sign of ovarian cysts. Cysts on your ovaries can often go unnoticed, but if youre worried or experiencing other symptoms, like pain during and after sex, or bloating of your abdomen, you should book in to see your doctor.

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Treatment For Conditions That Affect Blood Clotting

If you have a disease that causes blood to clot too easily , your doctor may recommend some of the following treatments:

• Antiplatelet therapy: This includes taking medications that prevent blood cells responsible for clotting, called platelets, from sticking together to become a clot. Examples of these could include aspirin .
• Anticoagulation therapy: This involves taking medications used to prevent blood clots, such as warfarin .

However, many people who have conditions that could make their blood thick never experience a blood clot. For this reason, your doctor may diagnose thick blood, yet not prescribe a medication for you to take regularly unless they believe youre truly at risk for a clot.

If youre prone to blood clots, you should engage in lifestyle measures known to reduce their likelihood. These include:

• refraining from smoking
• engaging in regular physical activity
• taking frequent opportunities to stretch and walk when traveling long distances on a plane or by car
• staying hydrated

Does Alcohol Raise Blood Pressure

Excessive drinking and chronic alcohol use can raise your blood pressure to unhealthy levels. Binge drinking can temporarily raise your blood pressure, and consistent heavy drinking can raise cause hypertension. High blood pressure can lead to several long-term health risks like heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. However, heavy drinkers who cut back can usually lower their blood pressure.

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How Do Healthcare Providers Treat Thrombocytopenia

You might not need treatment if a low platelet count isnt causing significant issues. Often, healthcare providers can improve platelet counts by treating the underlying cause. This approach may involve changing your medications. Other treatments include:

• Steroids: These medications may boost your platelet production.
• Blood transfusion: If your platelet level is very low, your healthcare provider may use blood transfusions to temporarily increase your platelet levels. Transfusions may boost levels for about three days.
• Splenectomy: This is surgery to remove your spleen. Your surgeon may do this if tests show your spleen is trapping large numbers of platelets. People who have splenectomies have an increased risk of developing infections. They may receive vaccinations to prevent infections.

Does Alcohol Really Thin Your Blood

Because alcohol stops blood cells from sticking together, it can thin your blood. This could be good or bad for your current and future health.

Your blood contains red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. The platelets are what stop the blood flow when youre hurt. These special cells are stickier than the others in your bloodstream and they also release clotting factors that help to create a plug to close a bleeding injury.

This is where alcohol enters the picture. A glass or two of wine daily may reduce your risk of heart disease or ischemic strokes. It does this by cutting down the number of platelets in your blood. It gets in the way of blood cell production, down in your bone marrow. Alcohol also reduces the stickiness factor of the platelets in your bloodstream, making it more difficult for your body to heal small to large wounds. It can also cause things like nosebleeds after a single night of over-drinking. Fortunately, the effect of alcohol doesnt last very long.

On the minus side, drinking too much can lead to strokes from blood clots breaking off and traveling to the brain, hemorrhagic strokes, high blood pressure, and even heart attacks.

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What Is A Blood Clot

If you have a cut or bruise, a blood clot is a good thing. When you damage a blood vessel, small pieces of cells in your blood called platelets stick together to form a clot and send out a signal to draw more platelets to your injury. Once your injury heals, your blood clot usually dissolves on its own.

Clotting is an important function that your body needs to heal itself, but some medical conditions, behaviors, or situations can cause dangerous blood clots to form. This can be life-threatening if a clot moves and blocks blood flow to your brain, heart, or lungs.

What Are The Symptoms Of Thick Blood

Many dont have any symptoms of thick blood until they experience a blood clot. The blood clot usually occurs in a persons vein, which can cause pain and affect circulation in and around the area where the clot occurs.

Some are aware they have a family history of a blood clotting disorder. This may motivate them to be tested for blood clotting issues before any arise.

Having too many blood cells can lead to a variety of symptoms. Examples of these include:

• shortness of breath

If you experience any of these symptoms, you should see your doctor to test for thick blood:

• having a blood clot of unknown origin
• having repeated blood clots for no known reason
• experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss

Your doctor may order a variety of blood screening tests if you have these symptoms in addition to a family history of thick blood.

The conditions that result in thick blood can be inherited or acquired at a later time, as is usually the case with cancers. Following is small sample of the many conditions that can cause thick blood:

• prothrombin 20210 mutation
• smoking, which can cause tissue damage as well as reduced production of factors that reduce blood clots

Its important to understand that conditions that cause thick blood, and sometimes blood clotting, arent the only causes of blood clots.

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Does Alcohol Thin Your Blood

• Does it Raise Blood Pressure?

Most people have heard about the studies that have said that alcohol may actually be good for your heart. These studies purport that moderate amounts of alcohol may thin your blood and improve heart health.

When your blood flows through your veins more easily, you can avoid high blood pressure, which puts a strain on your heart and arteries that can eventually lead to heart disease. If alcohol can thin your blood, it stands to reason that it could potentially improve your heart health over time.

In fact, a BMC study found that the anticoagulant effects of moderate alcohol use could reduce your risk of ischemic stroke.

However, its also known that heavy alcohol use can cause a variety of health problems, including heart diseases. In the study, researchers also pointed out that heavy alcohol use could lead to an increased risk of stroke. So how does alcohol work in your blood and your body? Does it actually thin your blood? Why does it increase your stroke risk?

Learn more about the effects of alcohol in your body and its effects on blood and your heart.

About Heart And Vascular Institute

The UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute has long been a leader in cardiovascular care, with a rich history in clinical research and innovation. As one of the first heart transplant centers in the country and as the developer of one of the first heart-assist devices, UPMC has contributed to advancing the field of cardiovascular medicine. We strive to provide the most advanced, cutting-edge care for our patients, treating both common and complex conditions. We also offer services that seek to improve the health of our communities, including heart screenings, free clinics, and heart health education. Find an expert near you.

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Side Effects And What To Look Out For

Tip: You can find a full list of side effects in the patient leaflet that comes with your medication.

Like all medications, blood-thinning medications can cause side effects, which may be mild or more serious.

Serious side-effects

• If you have any stroke symptoms always call 999 immediately.
• If you have blood in your wee, poo or vomit, severe bruising, chest pain, wheezing or difficulty breathing, contact your GP immediately or go to your nearest accident and emergency department.

Other side-effects

These vary between types of medication, but the most common include:

Dont stop taking your medication if youre having side effects, as this can increase your risk of a stroke.

Do contact your GP, pharmacist or call 111 to get help and advice.

You can report side effects using the Yellow Card scheme run by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority on their webpage.

Dental and medical treatment

Before any dental treatment or surgical procedure, tell your dentist or doctor you are taking blood-thinning medication. You might need to stop taking it before the procedure, but only with medical advice. You may need an alternative medication such as heparin for a short time.

If you need an emergency operation while taking warfarin, you may need treatment to reverse the effects of warfarin.

You should be given an anticoagulant alert card to carry in case you need emergency medical treatment.