When you are planning to have a baby, the last thing that you likely want to think about is the possibility that your pregnancy may be considered high risk. High risk pregnancies are a classification that an ob-gyn, like those at Women's Healthcare of Illinois, will use when a person has a medical condition or other health status that increases the possibility that person will have pregnancy complications. This is not to say that something most definitely will go wrong with the pregnancy or the pregnancy will be lost (miscarriage), only that the risks are higher and more care and monitoring may need to be provided. Get to know some of the conditions that may make your pregnancy high risk so that you can be sure that you and your ob-gyn discuss your care and treatment options for a healthy pregnancy.
Previous Miscarriages (3 or more)
If you have had a miscarriage in the past, this does not necessarily mean that your pregnancy is high risk. It is actually a very common occurrence. Oftentimes, if a miscarriage does occur, it happens before the woman knows she is even pregnant (within the first few weeks of pregnancy). However, the more commonly known idea of a miscarriage happens after a woman has had a positive pregnancy test result. Around 10 to 25 percent of pregnancies end in a miscarriage.
As such, a single miscarriage in your medical history does not mean that your next pregnancy will be high risk. Many women with a single miscarriage go on to have perfectly healthy pregnancies.
A history of miscarriages, on the other hand, is when you have had three or more miscarriages. This indicates a pattern of problems carrying a child to term and makes your pregnancy higher risk. Your ob-gyn will want to take extra precautions to preserve your pregnancy and ensure that you and your unborn child remain as healthy as possible throughout.
You Are Diabetic
Diabetes is an autoimmune disease that can cause a great deal of trouble during pregnancy. Because diabetes causes your blood glucose (sugar) to be higher than is considered normal or healthy, it can have a negative impact on your growing baby if it is not controlled and monitored.
High blood glucose levels can cause problems with your baby's development inside the womb, and is especially troubling in the early weeks of pregnancy. If you already have your diabetes under control before you get pregnant, your pregnancy will still likely be deemed high risk. This is because the hormones and other changes inside your body during pregnancy can cause your previous management techniques to be less effective.
You, your ob-gyn, and the primary care physician that helps you manage your diabetes will need to work together to develop diabetes management strategies that are good for you and your baby. Monitoring your diabetes more closely will also be important to ensure that your blood glucose levels do not steadily increase throughout your pregnancy. With awareness, management, and monitoring, though, you can have a perfectly healthy pregnancy and child, even with diabetes.
Share8 July 2016
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