Does a heavy period affect your platelet count?

Was just curious if your period being heavy when you have your count done has a affect of lowering your counts???

In theory, it shouldn't. The count is platelets per mL, it is not an absolute number.

I firmly believe my periods affect my platelet count, for the last few years, the week/few days before my period my platelets drop from a good count, they are always low week of my period and by the time my period is finshing, they start to climb right back up...I have kept a close eye over the last few months and this always happens, now I am happy it is the only consistent thing with my ITP, I feel crap for 2 weeks, platelets below 10 and the other 2 weeks they are good, above 50/normal...I am telling myself now, just embrace/enjoy the good weeks and when there bad think they will improve. don't know if that helps

ABSOLUTELY. The average woman doesn't typically "bleed" that much during their period- you will probably have noticed that even when you have a 14 day long period (boy, don't those suck) that your HCT/hematocrit or red blood cells stay in the fairly normal range. HOWEVER, platelets do drop during and especially at the end of your period.

Bit of an old thread but still.. this report is interesting. As Tamar said, the loss of blood is not important, it's a chemical thing.

www.pps.org.pk/PJP/6-1/Ranjee.pdf

Excellent article Ann- thank you! Having read this I have a better understanding of my cyclic nature. Interestingly enough, my leukocytes have never really fluctuated (unless I'm on steroids) but my platelets follow this trend to a pretty strong degree (only with a significantly broader span of high to low). I get my blood checked every single week- since last November so I have a really "fun" graph on my computer that I follow my trends on .