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It is not typical to screen for bleeding disorders, unless you are having certain types of major surgery or have known risk factors. Your doctor may do a blood test. If you are diagnosed with a bleeding disorder, your doctor may discuss your risk of passing your condition on to a future child.
Depending on your risk factors, your doctor may recommend screening your baby during your pregnancy using chorionic villus sampling (CVS). During CVS, the doctor threads a thin tube through the vagina to the placenta, where a tissue sample is collected using gentle suction. This test may be offered at 9 to 11 weeks to look for the hemophilia gene among women who are known hemophilia carriers, such as with hemophilia A or B. At a later stage during pregnancy, or after the baby is born, your doctor can do a blood test from the umbilical cord.
See Diagnosis for more information about diagnostic tests.
Inherited bleeding disorders, such as inherited or acquired hemophilia and von Willebrand disease, cannot be prevented. Couples who are planning to have children and know that they are at risk of having a child with a bleeding disorder may want to meet with a genetic counselor. A genetic counselor can answer questions about the risk.
Newborns are at an increased risk of vitamin K deficiency bleeding. To prevent a bleeding disorder caused by vitamin K deficiency, your baby will most likely get a vitamin K shot right after birth.