Will my Leiden factor V get worse the older I get?

Posted by nanatree5157 @nanatree5157, Jan 27 10:19pm

I am a 45 year old female and I was diagnosed with Factor 5 about 22 years ago when I got pregnant after having one full term healthy birth and one stillborn at 8 and a half months. The stillborn was due to a blood clot in the umbilical cord the doctors think. I am not currently on any medication. I was wondering if it's going to get worse the older I get. If so, what will be the symptoms? I'm extremely scared about blood clots as my paternal grandfather died from one.

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Lori, Volunteer Mentor | @loribmt | Jan 28 10:23am

Hi @nanatree5157 Having an inherited genetic condition such as Factor V Leiden, a blood clotting disorder, can leave you a bunch of questions. From my understanding of FVL, the underlying potential for increased risk of developing a blood clot doesn’t go away over time. But, in general. the condition shouldn’t reduce life expectancy nor does it progress with age. It’s just an underlying condition which merits ongoing observation.

There are some good informational articles online from legit sources which talk about Factor V Leiden. While it’s not a ‘curable’ blood condition there are steps people with this diagnosis can do to avoid the risk of blood clots.

~Genome.gov
https://www.genome.gov/Genetic-Disorders/Factor-V-Leiden-Thrombophilia
~Stop the Clot.org https://www.stoptheclot.org/learn_more/factor-v-leiden-2/

I also did a quick search of Connect with members who have Factor V Leiden. Here is a list of the results. Please feel free to pop into any relevant conversation:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/
Another important step would be to have a hematologist on your care team who has experience in working with Factor V Leiden patients. Are you under the care of a hematologist?

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