The leukogram is a blood test performed to check the amount of defense cells in the body circulating in the blood, white blood cells. It is important that the pregnant woman perform the leukogram so that she can know how her immune system is.
During pregnancy can be seen on the leukogram an increased number of leukocytes, lymphocytes and platelets, which may be normal during gestation or may indicate a urinary tract infection, for example.
Leukogram values tend to return to normal about 35 to 78 days postpartum. Any significant change should be correlated with the woman's medical history to check for any ongoing disease.
What do high leukocytes mean?
High leukocytes, or leukocytosis, usually happen as a consequence of pregnancy, and may be pre-delivery stress or response of the organism to the fetus, that is, the body starts to produce more defense cells to avoid rejection.
Although leukocytosis is common during pregnancy, it may be recommended by your doctor to perform a urinalysis to rule out the possibility of urinary tract infection. Find out what the symptoms are and how the urinary tract infection is treated during pregnancy.
Reference values of leukogram in pregnancy
The absolute reference values of total leukocytes in women aged 14 years and over are between 4500 and 11000 / mm3, but during pregnancy these values are altered:
- 1st trimester: Leukocytes: reference value x 1.25; Neutrophils rods: reference value x 1.85; Segmented neutrophils: reference value x 1.15; Total lymphocytes: reference value x 0.85
- 2nd trimester: Leukocytes: reference value x 1.40; Neutrophils rods: reference value x 2.70; Segmented neutrophils: reference value x 1.80; Total lymphocytes: reference value x 0.80
- 3rd trimester: Leukocytes: reference value x 1.70; Neutrophils rods: reference value x 3.00; Segmented neutrophils: reference value x 1.85; Total lymphocytes: reference value x 0.75
- Up to 3 days after labor: Leukocytes: reference value x 2.85; Neutrophils rods: reference value x 4.00; Segmented neutrophils: reference value x 2.85; Total lymphocytes: reference value x 0.70
The reference values vary according to the woman's age, so it should be checked before being multiplied by the aforementioned values. See the reference values for the leukogram.
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