Some women experience health problems during Pregnancy. These complications can affect of the mother's health , the health of the fetus, or both. Even women who were healthy before they got pregnant can have complications. These complications can make the pregnancy a high-risk pregnancy.
Getting regular prenatal care early in your pregnancy can help lower your risk of problems by allowing healthcare providers to diagnose, treat, or manage conditions before they become serious. Prenatal care can also help identify pregnancy-related mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.
Some common complications of pregnancy are, among others, the following:
High blood pressure
High Blood pressure, also called hypertension, occurs when the arteries that carry blood from the heart to the body's organs become narrowed. This causes the pressure to rise in the arteries. During pregnancy, this can make it difficult for blood to pass to the placenta, which provides nutrients and oxygen to the fetus. Reduced blood flow can slow the growth of the fetus and increase the mother's health risk of preterm labor and preeclampsia.
Women who have high blood pressure before becoming pregnant will need to continue to monitor and control this problem, with medication if necessary, throughout the pregnancy. High blood pressure that develops during pregnancy is called gestational hypertension. In general, gestational hypertension occurs during the second half of pregnancy and disappears after delivery.
Gestational diabetes
1. Gestational diabetes occurs when a woman who did not have diabetes before pregnancy develops the condition during pregnancy.
2. Normally, with digestion, the body changes part of the food into a sugar called glucose. Glucose is the body's main source of energy. After digestion, glucose enters the blood to provide the body with energy.
3. In order for glucose to move from the blood to the cells of the body, the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin. In gestational diabetes, the hormonal changes of pregnancy cause the body to not make enough insulin or use it normally. Instead, glucose builds up in the blood and causes what is known as diabetes, or high blood sugar.
4. Managing gestational diabetes by following a treatment plan prescribed by a healthcare provider is the best way to reduce or prevent problems associated with high blood sugar levels during pregnancy. If left unchecked, it can cause high blood pressure due to preeclampsia and a very large baby, which increases the risk of cesarean delivery.
Infections
Infections, including some sexually transmitted infections (STIs), can occur during pregnancy and/or delivery and can cause complications for the pregnant woman, the pregnancy, and the baby after delivery. Some infections can be passed from mother to baby during delivery as the baby passes through the birth canal; other infections can be transmitted to the fetus during pregnancy. Many of these infections can be prevented or treated with proper preconception, prenatal, and postpartum follow-up care.
- Pregnancy loss/miscarriage (before 20 weeks pregnant)
- Ectopic pregnancy (when the embryo implants outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube)
- Preterm labor and delivery (before completing 37 weeks of pregnancy)
- low birth weight
- Birth defects, including blindness, deafness, bone deformities, and intellectual disability
- Stillbirth (at or after 20 weeks of pregnancy)
- Disease during neonatal peristome infections during pregnancy can cause or contribute to the following
- neonatal death
- Maternal health complications
If you are planning to become pregnant, talk to your healthcare provider about getting vaccines and boosters for chickenpox and rubella (also called German measles) before you conceive. You can also get some vaccinations, such as the flu shot, while you are pregnant. If you know you have an infection, such as an STI, talk to your healthcare provider about it before you conceive to increase your chances of having a healthy pregnancy.
Early prenatal testing for STIs and other infections can determine if the infection can be cured with drug treatment. Or, if you know you have an infection, tell your healthcare provider as soon as possible during your pregnancy. Early treatment decreases the risk to the fetus and baby. Even if the infection cannot be cured, you and your healthcare provider can take steps to protect your health and the health of your baby.
Preeclampsia is a serious medical condition that can cause premature labor and death. Its cause is unknown, but some women are at higher risk. Risk factors include
- First pregnancy
- Preeclampsia in a previous pregnancy
- Existing conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, kidney disease, and systemic lupus erythematosus
- Be 35 years of age or older
- Having a pregnancy with two or more fetuses
- obesity
Preterm labor
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