Most women have healthy, uneventful pregnancies. Unfortunately, there are many other women who experience health problems during their pregnancy. Any health problem that arises during pregnancy is considered a complication of pregnancy. Several common complications of pregnancy are listed below:
Prenatal care (care that is given before birth) is important for diagnosing and treating any complications of pregnancy.
Each complication of pregnancy has its own set of symptoms. For example, the symptoms of pre-eclampsia include high blood pressure, headache, vision problems, vomiting, and swelling of the hands and feet. Meanwhile, the symptoms of placenta previa (a complication with the placenta) include vaginal bleeding, uterine contractions, abdominal pain, and backache. The complete array of symptoms for all the complications of pregnancy are too innumerable to list.
Each complication of pregnancy has its own set of potential causes. Some complications of pregnancy are caused by genetics while others are caused by diet, injury, infection, or abnormalities with the foetus or placenta. For many complications of pregnancy, the cause remains unknown.
Several risk factors that increase one’s likelihood for having complications during pregnancy are described below:
It is paramount that a woman receives prenatal care during her pregnancy. Prenatal visits offer a chance for a doctor to monitor the health of both the mother and her baby. During prenatal visits, a doctor will perform the following:
All these activities allow a doctor to diagnose and treat any complication as it arises.
Complications of pregnancy, if left untreated, can lead to the following:
For the baby:
For the mother:
The treatment for complications of pregnancy varies depending on the specific complication in question. Treatment can include any of the following:
There are various medications that can treat complications of pregnancy. A doctor may prescribe insulin for gestational diabetes, antibiotics for infections, anti-nausea medicine for hyperemesis gravidarum, or blood pressure medicine for hypertension. These are just a few examples of how a doctor may apply medication to treat a complication of pregnancy.
There are some complications of pregnancy that cannot be prevented. However, there are some activities one can do to prevent other complications. First and foremost, one must maintain a healthy lifestyle. This entails no smoking or alcohol consumption while pregnant. It is also important to eat a nutritious diet to maintain a healthy weight and support foetal development. Take prenatal vitamins and make sure to regularly attend prenatal appointments.