All pregnancies carry risks. The definition of a “high-risk” pregnancy is any pregnancy that carries increased health risks for the pregnant person, fetus or both. People with high-risk pregnancies may need extra care before, during and after they give birth. This helps to reduce the possibility of complications.
However, having a pregnancy that’s considered high risk doesn’t mean you or your fetus will have problems. Many people experience healthy pregnancies and normal labor and delivery despite having special health needs.
High-Risk Pregnancy Causes
Factors that make a pregnancy high risk include:
- Preexisting health conditions.
- Pregnancy-related health conditions.
- Lifestyle factors (including smoking, drug addiction, alcohol abuse and exposure to certain toxins).
- Age (being over 35 or under 17 when pregnant).
High-Risk Pregnancy Symptoms
Talk to your doctor right away if you experience any of the following symptoms during pregnancy, whether or not your pregnancy is considered high-risk:
- Abdominal pain that doesn’t go away.
- Chest pain.
- Dizziness or fainting.
- Extreme fatigue.
- The fetus's movement stopping or slowing.
- Fever over 100.4°F.
- Heart palpitations.
- Nausea and vomiting that’s worse than normal morning sickness.
- Severe headache that won’t go away or gets worse.
- Swelling, redness or pain in your face or limbs.
- Thoughts about harming yourself or the fetus.
- Trouble breathing.
- Vaginal bleeding or discharge.
High-Risk Pregnancy Management
Management for a high-risk pregnancy will depend on your specific risk factors. Your care plan may include:
- Closer follow-up with your obstetrician.
- Consultation with a maternal fetal medicine (high-risk pregnancy) specialist.
- Consultation with other medical specialists.
- More ultrasounds and closer fetal evaluation.
- Home blood pressure monitoring.
- Careful monitoring of medications used to manage preexisting conditions.
If your health or the health of the fetus is in danger, your healthcare provider may recommend labor induction or a C-section.
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