Free screener · 2 minutes · By an anesthesiologist
"I've always bruised easily" — is it worth telling the surgical team?
Most easy bruisers are fine. But a specific pattern of bleeding history — the one hematologists screen for — deserves testing before surgery, not discovery during it. Two minutes, honest answers.
Quick answer
Easy bruising alone is usually innocent. What matters before surgery is the bleeding-history pattern: nosebleeds needing medical care, small cuts bleeding beyond 10–15 minutes, heavy periods since the teens, prolonged or re-starting bleeding after dental extractions, bleeding complications in past surgery or childbirth, and the same story in blood relatives. Two or more of those = ask about clotting tests before elective surgery (von Willebrand disease affects ~1 in 100 people and is often found exactly this way). A known disorder doesn't stop surgery — hematology plans cover (DDAVP, factor, tranexamic acid) and it becomes routine.
Your bleeding history — tick what's true for you:
Don't confuse this with medicines and supplements
Aspirin, blood thinners, fish oil, turmeric, ginkgo and vitamin E all stretch bleeding too — that's a different (and more common) problem with its own pages: the blood thinners A–Z and the supplement bleeding-risk checker. This page is about how you're built. Both belong on your disclosure card.
Frequently asked questions
I bruise easily — do I have a bleeding disorder?
Usually not: easy bruising alone, especially on the limbs of women and older adults, is common and mostly innocent. What raises real suspicion is a PATTERN — nosebleeds needing medical attention, bleeding from small cuts lasting beyond 10–15 minutes, heavy periods since the teens, bleeding after dental extractions that restarted or needed packing, bleeding complications in past surgery or childbirth, and the same story in blood relatives. That pattern is what the screener below checks — it mirrors the structured histories hematologists use.
What is von Willebrand disease and why does it matter for surgery?
It's the most common inherited bleeding disorder (about 1 in 100 people have low levels; fewer bleed from it), affecting a protein that helps platelets plug damaged vessels. Many people discover it only at their first surgery, dental extraction or childbirth. Diagnosed in advance, it's very manageable: hematology plans cover (often desmopressin/DDAVP or factor concentrate, plus tranexamic acid) and surgery proceeds close to normally.
What will the surgical team do differently if I have a bleeding disorder?
Plan with hematology: pre-op levels checked, clotting cover (DDAVP or factor) timed around the operation, tranexamic acid on board, and choices adjusted — spinal/epidural techniques and some nerve blocks depend on your clotting being adequate on the day. They'll also avoid adding insult: NSAIDs like ibuprofen are usually off the menu. It becomes routine — WHEN it's known in advance.
Do low platelets stop me having surgery?
Depends on the number and the operation. Many procedures are fine with moderately low platelets; some (and spinal/epidural anesthesia) have thresholds. If you've been told you have ITP or low platelets, the team wants a recent count and your hematologist's name — transfusion or medication can raise counts around surgery when needed.
Should I mention my family's bleeding history even if I've never bled abnormally?
Yes — the inherited disorders run in families, and 'my mother needed transfusion after childbirth, my brother re-bled after wisdom teeth' is exactly the sentence that triggers useful testing before surgery instead of a crisis during it. Hemophilia carriers can themselves have low factor levels worth checking.