When Your Pregnancy Is Complicated

High-Risk Pregnancy Clinic

Not all pregnancies progress without difficulties. Some women are categorized as what doctors refer to as a high-risk pregnancy. A pregnancy is considered high-risk when there are potential complications that could affect the mother, the baby, or both. High-risk pregnancies require management by a specialist to help ensure the best outcome for the mother and baby.

Reasons That A Pregnancy May be Considered High-Risk Include:

Maternal age: One of the most common risk factors for a high-risk pregnancy is the age of the mother-to-be. Women who are under 17 or over 35 when their baby is due are at greater risk of complications than those between their late teens and late 20s.

Medical Conditions That Exist Before Pregnancy: Even if you are healthy when you become pregnant, it is possible that you may develop problems during pregnancy that can affect you and your baby. The common pregnancy-related problems are:

1. Preeclampsia : It is a syndrome that includes high blood pressure, urinary protein, loss in urine and swelling; it can be fatal for the mother and/or baby if not treated. With proper treatment, however, many women who develop preeclampsia have healthy babies.
2. Gestational diabetes: It is a type of diabetes that develops during pregnancy. Women with gestational diabetes may have healthy pregnancies and babies if they follow the treatment plan from their healthcare provider. Usually, diabetes resolves after delivery. However, women with gestational diabetes are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
3. Diabetes in pregnancy:Gestational diabetes or GDM. Pre-existing diabetes – The complications can be more severe than GDM.

Pregnancy-Related Issues: Often a pregnancy is classified as high risk because of issues that arise from the pregnancy itself and that have little to do with the mother’s health. These include:

1. Premature labor :is labor that begins before the 37th week of pregnancy — the point at which the baby is deemed full-term. Although there is no way to know which women will experience preterm labor or birth, there are factors that place women at higher risk, such as certain infections, a shortened cervix, or previous preterm birth.
2. Multiple births mean you are carrying more than one baby (twins, triplets, quadruplets, etc.). Multiple pregnancies are on the rise as women are using more infertility treatments. They increase the risk of labor, gestational diabetes, pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, and the risk of bleeding before and after delivery.
3. Placenta previa is a condition in which the placenta covers the mouth of the uterus. The condition can cause bleeding, especially if a woman has contractions. If the placenta still covers the cervix close to delivery, the doctor may schedule a cesarean section to reduce bleeding risks to the mother and baby.
4. Fetal problems, which can sometimes be seen on ultrasound. Approximately 2% to 3% of all babies have a minor or major structural problem in development. Sometimes there may be a family history of fetal problems, but other times these problems are completely unexpected.