Pregnancy, this special and emotionally charged period in a couple’s life, often holds great expectations, joys, and doubts. Especially if your pregnancy is considered high-risk, you can feel concerned. Will my baby be OK? Will I need special care? Is there something I need to know?

 

What is a high-risk pregnancy?

A high-risk pregnancy is one in which a woman and her fetus face a higher-than-normal chance of experiencing problems.

High-risk pregnancy factors

The truth is that your baby might be more likely than usual to develop health problems before, during or after delivery. The frequency of high-risk pregnancy occurrence is around 14% of all pregnancies, and it is responsible for 50% of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. That’s why you may need extra medical appointments or tests during your pregnancy. Let’s see the factors that could lead to a high-risk pregnancy:

  • Age, when you are younger than 17 or older than 37
  • Height, if it doesn’t exceed 1.40 cm
  • Weight, if it’s less than 45 kilograms or if she’s overweight
  • Health problems (high blood pressure, obesity, thyroid disease, heart or blood disorders, diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, infections)
  • Lifestyle choices

And each patient’s medical history.

First, the medical history, for any heart conditions, hypertension, or diabetes. Or anatomical abnormalities of the uterus (bicornuate, fibroids), as well as blood clotting disorders, such as thrombophilia.

And the obstetric history (the gynecologist needs to know if there have been previous premature births or miscarriages).

Management of High-Risk Pregnancies

The term “high-risk pregnancy” simply means that some women who meet some of the above criteria need more medical monitoring from a maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialist and more detailed check-ups. High-risk pregnancy is not necessarily associated with a poor pregnancy outcome. The important thing is not to be afraid or anxious about the possibility of such a pregnancy. Once you are under the care of an MFM specialist your chances of having a safe and calm delivery are the same as with any other pregnancy. And in case you already have a medical or obstetric history that includes some of the high-risk pregnancy factors, it’s better to consult your doctor even before conception if you’re planning to get pregnant.

In our clinic, with intensive monitoring and some additional first-trimester ultrasound examinations along with routine tests (transvaginal ultrasound, nuchal translucency, etc.) and invasive tests, if and when needed, in the second trimester of pregnancy (amniocentesis and fetal blood sampling), and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, we empathetically and with complete transparency inform the couple so that we can jointly make the medical decisions that will ensure an unforgettable birth and a perfectly healthy baby each time.