Can I Still Get Pregnant If I Have Menstrual Clotting?

Menstrual clotting takes place when the anti-coagulants in the system cannot keep up with the amount of blood being lost. Usually in menses, this is caused by heavy bleeding or irregular cycles that are late or too close together. This will not impair your ability to get pregnant.

Getting Pregnant

Unless the condition that’s causing the clotting also stops you from ovulating, you will be able to conceive. Conception can only take place if you ovulate, and some women who experience problems with their menstrual cycles do not ovulate. The first step to conceiving even if you have blood clots during your menstrual flow (the first two to seven days of your menstrual cycle) is to find out whether you are ovulating. This can be investigated by your gynecologist by way of blood tests used to check hormone levels or by a midcycle ultrasound. If the cause of your menstrual blood clotting is nothing other than a heavy cycle, you may want to use over-the-counter measures to see if you are ovulating. Most drugstores sell ovulation predictor kits. These measure your luteinizing hormone levels, which surge around the time of ovulation. Another way to test for LH surges is by use of a basal thermometer. Readily available in most stores, basal thermometers are sensitive electronic thermometers. Each morning you will take your temperature before getting out of bed. During ovulation, your temperature will rise significantly. This is an indicator of ovulation.

Reasons for Clotting

Several medical conditions can cause blood clots. For the most part they are benign, but they can be life-threatening, so it is best to have your gynecologist check any instances of blood clots, especially if they are coupled with heavy bleeding, pain or fever. The most common reasons for the appearance of blood clots during a menstrual cycle are: miscarriage, uterine fibroids, hormonal fluctuations, endometriosis and obstruction of menstrual blood.
During a miscarriage (natural pregnancy loss before 20 weeks), a woman will often pass blood clots, bleed heavily, have bad pains and may also pass tissue. The degeneration of the uterine lining causes this. Uterine fibroids are noncancerous tumors that grow within the uterine wall (endometrium). These tumors may cause heavy bleeding and clots to pass through the vagina. Fluctuations in the hormones estrogen and progesterone may disrupt the menstrual flow and the breaking down of the uterine walls. This may result in an abnormal amount of blood loss or clotting. Last, uterine polyps, which are bulb-shaped growths in the uterus, may cause blood clots to form by obstructing the uterus and causing the blood to become congealed or clot before passing out through the cervix.