Approximately 7% of healthy pregnant women have mild to moderate thrombocytopenia (platelet count 80 to 150 × 10⁹ per liter). Neither these women nor their offspring manifest abnormal bleeding. This condition has been designated incidental…

Because plasma volume increases more than red cell volume, the hematocrit during pregnancy can be expected to fall to as low as 35% by the beginning of the third trimester. Generally, a hemoglobin value of less…