high risk pregnancy

What is a high-risk pregnancy?

A high-risk pregnancy is one that threatens the health or life of the mother or her fetus.

For most women, early and regular prenatal care promotes a healthy pregnancy and delivery without complications. But some women are at an increased risk for complications even before they get pregnant for a variety of reasons.

Risk factors for a high-risk pregnancy can include:

Existing health conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, or being HIV-positive.

Overweight and obesity. According to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, more than half of all pregnant women in the United States are overweight or obese. Obesity increases the risk for high blood pressure, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, stillbirth, neural tube defects, and cesarean delivery. NICHD researchers have found that obesity can raise infants' risk of heart problems at birth by 15%.

Multiple births. The risk of complications is higher in women carrying more than one fetus (twins and higher-order multiples). Common complications include preeclampsia, premature labor, and preterm birth. More than half of all twins and as many as 93% of triplets are born at less than 37 weeks' gestation.

Young or old maternal age. Pregnancy in teens and women aged 35 or over increases the risk for preeclampsia and gestational high blood pressure.

Women with high-risk pregnancies should receive care from a special team of health care providers to ensure that their pregnancies are healthy and that they can carry their infant or infants to term.

What is the age of high risk pregnancy?

Age 35 is considered advanced maternal age, but the risks increase as a woman ages. If you are pregnant and over the age of 30, talk with your healthcare provider about your individual health. Discuss plans for helping you and your developing baby maintain a healthy pregnancy.

What are the risks of pregnancy?

Many women can have healthy pregnancies if they manage their diabetes, following a diet and treatment plan from their health care provider. Uncontrolled gestational diabetes increases the risk for preterm labor and delivery, preeclampsia, and high blood pressure. Preeclampsia and eclampsia.

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 will be under age 17 or over age 35 when their baby is due are at greater risk of complications than those between their late teens and early 30s. The risk of miscarriage and genetic defects further increases after age 40.

Medical conditions that exist before pregnancy. Conditions such as high blood pressure; lung, kidney, or heart problems; diabetes; autoimmune disease; sexually transmitted diseases (Sps); or chronic infections such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can present risks for the mother and/or her unborn baby. A history of miscarriage, problems with a previous pregnancy or pregnancies, or a family history of genetic disorders are also risk factors for a high-risk pregnancy.

If you have a medical condition, it's important to consult your doctor before you decide to become pregnant. Your doctor may run tests, adjust medications, or advise you of precautions you need to take to optimize the health of you and your baby.

Medical conditions that occur during pregnancy. Even if you are healthy when you become pregnant, it is possible to develop or be diagnosed with problems during pregnancy that can affect you and your baby. Two of the more common pregnancy-related problems are:

Preeclampsia is a syndrome that includes high blood pressure, urinary protein, and swelling; it can be dangerous or even fatal for the mother or baby if not treated. With proper management, however, most women who develop preeclampsia have healthy babies.

Gestational diabetes 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 health-care provider. Usually the diabetes resolves after delivery. However women with gestational diabetes are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Can diabetic get pregnant?

Pregnancy if You Have Diabetes. If you have diabetes and plan to have a baby, you should try to get your blood glucose levels close to your target range before you get pregnant. ... High blood glucose, also called blood sugar, can harm your baby during the first weeks of pregnancy, even before you know you are pregnant.

What is gestational diabetes?

• Sugar in urine (revealed in a test done in your doctor's office)
• Unusual thirst.
• Frequent urination.
• Fatigue.
• Nausea.
• Frequent vaginal, bladder, and skin infections.
• Blurred vision.

What is the best treatment for diabetes in a pregnant woman?

Some doctors prescribe an oral blood sugar control medication, while others believe more research is needed to confirm that oral drugs are as safe and as effective as injectable insulin to control gestational diabetes. Close monitoring of your baby.

What happens when your blood sugar is too high during pregnancy?

Gestational diabetes develops when your body isn't able to produce enough of the hormone insulin during pregnancy. ... Without enough insulin, you can build up too much glucose in your blood, leading to a higher-than-normal blood glucose level and perhaps gestational diabetes.

pregnancy with Hypertension

Women with gestational hypertension have high blood pressure that develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy. There is no excess protein in the urine or other signs of organ damage. Some women with gestational hypertension eventually develop preeclampsia.

What blood pressure is dangerous in pregnancy?

Chronic hypertension is high blood pressure that was present before you became pregnant or that occurs in the first half (before 20 weeks) of your pregnancy. The guidelines for blood pressure are the following: Normal: Less than 120/80 mm Hg. Elevated: Systolic between 120-129 and diastolic less than 80 mm Hg.

How can I lower my blood pressure naturally while pregnant?

Below are some examples:

1. Eat a healthy diet, and especially limit your sodium intake.
2. Take your blood pressure medications the way you are supposed to.
3. Keep all your prenatal appointments.
4. Stay physically active, although your healthcare provider may prescribe bed rest if you develop preeclampsia

IUGR

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) refers to a condition in which an unborn baby is smaller than it should be because it is not growing at a normal rate inside the womb. Delayed growth puts the baby at risk of certain health problems during pregnancy, delivery, and after birth. They include: Low birth weight.

About IUGR

IUGR is when a baby in the womb fails to grow at the expected rate during the pregnancy. In other words, at any point in the pregnancy, the baby is not as big as would be expected for how far along the mother is in her pregnancy (this timing is referred to as an unborn baby's "gestational age").

Babies who have IUGR often have a low weight at birth. If the weight is below the 10th percentile for a baby's gestational age (meaning that 90% of babies that age weigh more) the baby is also referred to as "small for gestational age," or SGA.

It's important to note that not all babies who are small for gestational age had IUGR while in the womb. For example, some are healthy babies who are just born smaller than average because their parents are small in stature.

The two types of IUGR are:

1. Symmetrical IUGR, in which a baby's body is proportionally small (meaning all parts of the baby's body are similarly small in size).
2. Asymmetrical IUGR, which is when the baby has a normal-size head and brain but the rest of the body is small.

Causes :

In many cases, IUGR is the result of a problem that prevents a baby from getting enough oxygen and nutrients. This lack of nourishment slows the baby's growth.

It can happen for a number of reasons. A common cause is placental insufficiency, in which the tissue that delivers oxygen and nutrients to the baby is not attached properly or isn't working correctly.