Pregnancy can be an exciting time, but it can also be a scary one.
Most mothers and fathers to-be share concerns about things that may go wrong in pregnancy or birth.
While this article is not meant as a substitute for sound medical advice, it provides a brief look at some of the most complications of pregnancy.
You will want to discuss any specific concerns with your health care provider.
Pre-eclampsia or Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH) is a high blood pressure disorder of pregnancy.
It has long been one of the major problems for mothers during pregnancy.
It affects 7% of first time mothers.
Labor may be induced early if you suffer from severe PIH.
There are three different levels of PIH: High Blood Pressure alone; High Blood Pressure and protein in urine and/or swelling; High Blood Pressure, protein in urine, swelling and convulsions.
Gestational Diabetes (GD) is high blood sugar or glucose levels during pregnancy.
About 4% of pregnant women will suffer from gestational diabetes.
Not every mother will need to be screened using blood tests, there are guidelines as to who needs to be screened.
This is typically screened for in the 28th week of pregnancy, if you need additional screening with a glucose tolerance test (GTT) it will be done at this point.
In addition to the blood group (A, B, O, AB), the Rh factor is written as either positive (present) or negative (absent).
Most people (85%) are Rh positive.
This factor does not affect your health except during pregnancy.
A woman is at risk when she has a negative Rh factor and her partner has a positive Rh factor.
This combination can produce a child who is Rh positive.
If the mother and baby's blood mix, this can cause the mother to create antibodies against the Rh factor, thus treating an Rh positive baby like an intruder in her body.
Rhogam is given to help prevent this sensitivity.
Placenta previa is a condition where all or part of the placenta covers the cervix or opening of the uterus.
True placenta previa occurs in about 1 in 200 pregnancies.
Many times early ultrasounds may show a placenta previa, but later as the uterus grows, the condition resolves itself.
If it is still present at the end of pregnancy a cesarean birth must be performed to prevent bleeding.
When a woman is said to have too little amniotic fluid she has oligohydramnios.
This is defined as having less than 200 ml of amniotic fluid at term.
This means that during an ultrasound the largest pocket of fluid found did not measure 1 cm or greater at its largest diameter.
Though sometimes it is actually related to maternal hydration, meaning that mom is not drinking enough liquids.
There is also some indication that amniotic fluid levels drop as the time of birth comes near.
Polyhydramnios is the opposite end of the scale, being defined as 2000 ml of fluid at term or greater.
This occurs in fewer that 1% of the pregnancies.
While polyhydramnios may be one cause for preterm labor because of uterine distension, polyhydramnios in and of itself is not a predictor for preterm labor, rather the cause of the increase in fluid is predictive of whether the pregnancy will go to term.
Polyhydramnios is more likely to occur when: there is a multiple gestation, maternal diabetes or a congenital malformation.
Premature labor is a very serious complication of pregnancy.
Early detection can help prevent premature birth and possibly enable you to carry your pregnancy to term or to give your baby a better chance of survival.
An incompetent cervix is basically a cervix that is too weak to stay closed during a pregnancy.
It may result in a preterm birth and possibly the loss of the baby, because of the shortened gestational length.
It is believed that cervical incompetence is the cause of 20 - 25 % of all second trimester losses.
This incompetence generally shows up in the early part of the second trimester, but possibly as late as the early third trimester.
Of course, these are just basic information about some common complications in pregnancy.
The best source of information will always be your medical provider, who can better explain how these conditions may affect your health or your baby's.
Most mothers and fathers to-be share concerns about things that may go wrong in pregnancy or birth.
While this article is not meant as a substitute for sound medical advice, it provides a brief look at some of the most complications of pregnancy.
You will want to discuss any specific concerns with your health care provider.
Pre-eclampsia or Pregnancy Induced Hypertension (PIH) is a high blood pressure disorder of pregnancy.
It has long been one of the major problems for mothers during pregnancy.
It affects 7% of first time mothers.
Labor may be induced early if you suffer from severe PIH.
There are three different levels of PIH: High Blood Pressure alone; High Blood Pressure and protein in urine and/or swelling; High Blood Pressure, protein in urine, swelling and convulsions.
Gestational Diabetes (GD) is high blood sugar or glucose levels during pregnancy.
About 4% of pregnant women will suffer from gestational diabetes.
Not every mother will need to be screened using blood tests, there are guidelines as to who needs to be screened.
This is typically screened for in the 28th week of pregnancy, if you need additional screening with a glucose tolerance test (GTT) it will be done at this point.
In addition to the blood group (A, B, O, AB), the Rh factor is written as either positive (present) or negative (absent).
Most people (85%) are Rh positive.
This factor does not affect your health except during pregnancy.
A woman is at risk when she has a negative Rh factor and her partner has a positive Rh factor.
This combination can produce a child who is Rh positive.
If the mother and baby's blood mix, this can cause the mother to create antibodies against the Rh factor, thus treating an Rh positive baby like an intruder in her body.
Rhogam is given to help prevent this sensitivity.
Placenta previa is a condition where all or part of the placenta covers the cervix or opening of the uterus.
True placenta previa occurs in about 1 in 200 pregnancies.
Many times early ultrasounds may show a placenta previa, but later as the uterus grows, the condition resolves itself.
If it is still present at the end of pregnancy a cesarean birth must be performed to prevent bleeding.
When a woman is said to have too little amniotic fluid she has oligohydramnios.
This is defined as having less than 200 ml of amniotic fluid at term.
This means that during an ultrasound the largest pocket of fluid found did not measure 1 cm or greater at its largest diameter.
Though sometimes it is actually related to maternal hydration, meaning that mom is not drinking enough liquids.
There is also some indication that amniotic fluid levels drop as the time of birth comes near.
Polyhydramnios is the opposite end of the scale, being defined as 2000 ml of fluid at term or greater.
This occurs in fewer that 1% of the pregnancies.
While polyhydramnios may be one cause for preterm labor because of uterine distension, polyhydramnios in and of itself is not a predictor for preterm labor, rather the cause of the increase in fluid is predictive of whether the pregnancy will go to term.
Polyhydramnios is more likely to occur when: there is a multiple gestation, maternal diabetes or a congenital malformation.
Premature labor is a very serious complication of pregnancy.
Early detection can help prevent premature birth and possibly enable you to carry your pregnancy to term or to give your baby a better chance of survival.
An incompetent cervix is basically a cervix that is too weak to stay closed during a pregnancy.
It may result in a preterm birth and possibly the loss of the baby, because of the shortened gestational length.
It is believed that cervical incompetence is the cause of 20 - 25 % of all second trimester losses.
This incompetence generally shows up in the early part of the second trimester, but possibly as late as the early third trimester.
Of course, these are just basic information about some common complications in pregnancy.
The best source of information will always be your medical provider, who can better explain how these conditions may affect your health or your baby's.
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