Preclinical phase of polycythemia vera in pregnancy.

Background: In some cases, complications of pregnancy are related to thrombophilia. We describe a preclinical phase of polycythemia vera.

Case: A woman, who experienced perinatal deaths in her first two pregnancies, was diagnosed with polycythemia vera during antenatal counseling for a third pregnancy. During this pregnancy, phlebotomies, low molecular weight heparin, and low-dose aspirin treatments resulted in the delivery of a healthy baby.

Conclusion: Polycythemia vera is a rare condition in women of childbearing age and can exist in a preclinical phase for many years. During pregnancy, it can cause severe but preventable thrombotic complications of placental origin.