High-Risk Pregnancy Treatment

If you have a high-risk pregnancy, you or your baby might be at increased risk of health problems before, during or after delivery.

Understand the risk factors for a high-risk pregnancy. Pregnancy risks factors include:

• Being younger than 18 or older than 35
• Being underweight or overweight
• Low red blood cell (RBC) count (anemia).
• Women carrying twins or higher order multiples.
• Previous preterm birth ( birth before 37 weeks gestation)
• Given birth to a very large or very small baby.
• Previous pregnancy miscarriage.
• An abnormal placenta.
• Rhesus (Rh) sensitization - a potentially serious condition that can occur when your blood group is Rh negative and your baby’s blood group is Rh positive.
• Substance use (alcohol,cigarette,drugs)
• Medical conditions- high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, thyroid disease, epilepsy, heart or blood disorders, poorly controlled asthma, and infections can increase pregnancy risks.
• Other factors like high temperature, radiation exposure, and high altitudes.

Whether you know ahead of your time that you’ll have a high-risk pregnancy or you simply want to do whatever you can to prevent a high-risk pregnancy,stick to the pregnancy tips:

• Schedule a preconception appointment- your genetic counselor might counsel you to start taking a daily prenatal vitamin with folic acid and reach a healthy weight before you become pregnant.
• Seek regular prenatal care: prenatal visits help your doctor monitor your health and your baby’s health. You might be referred to a specialist in maternal- fetal medicine, genetic, pediatrics or other areas.
• Avoid risky substances: taly to your doctor about any over-the-counter and prescriptions medications or supplements you're taking.

Diagnosis

Depending on your condition or symptoms, your doctor will prescribe you the test ( mentioned below) that will help in the identification of high-risk problems.

• Ultrasound: these fetal ultrasound construct an image of your child in the womb, and target a suspected issue, such as abnormal development.
• Prenatal cell-free DNA (cFDNA) screening: DNA from the mother and fetus is extracted from a maternal blood sample and the fetal DNA is screened for the increased chance of specific chromosome problems.
• Invasive genetic screening: your doctor might recommend amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS). CVS can identify certain genetic conditions. During CVS, a sample of cells is removed from the placenta. Typically done between weeks 10 and 12 of pregnancy.
• Ultrasound for cervical length: tp determine if you’re at risk of preterm labor, your doctor might use an ultrasound to measure the length of your cervix at prenatal appointments.
• Lab tests: your doctor will test your urine for urinary tract infections and screen you for infections diseases such as HIV or syphilis.

Ask your doctor about how to manage any medical conditions you experience during pregnancy.

Inform your doctor if you face:

• Vaginal bleeding or watery vaginal discharge
• Lower abdomen pain or cramps
• Low fetal activity
• Burning sensation during urination
• Blurred vision
• Swelling in the face, hands, or fingers
• Vomits or persistent nausea
• Negative thoughts (harming yourself or your baby)