Complications are not normal in most of the pregnancies. However, some women will experience a few complications. These can involve their health, their fetus’s health, or both. If a mother is suffering from any disease or condition before she became pregnant can lead to complications during pregnancy. Some complications occur during pregnancy and some at the time of delivery.
Some of the most common complications of pregnancy may include the following:
- High blood pressure
- Gestational diabetes
- Preterm labor
- Miscarriage/ Pregnancy loss
High Blood Pressure: High blood pressure is a common complication; mothers suffer from during pregnancy. It is also called hypertension. It occurs when arteries carrying blood from the heart to the body organs become narrow. This hence causes pressure to increase in the arteries. During pregnancy, this can make it hard for blood to reach the placenta, which provides nutrients and oxygen to the foetus. Reduced blood flow can slow the growth of the fetus and place the mother at greater risk of preterm labor and preeclampsia. It puts the mother at a higher risk of having a baby well before your due date. This is known as preterm delivery. Hence, it’s important to control your blood pressure with medications during pregnancy.
We will study about preeclampsia also.
Gestational diabetes: It occurs when a woman who didn’t have diabetes before pregnancy experiences a sudden increase in blood sugar levels during pregnancy.
In this condition, hormonal changes from pregnancy cause the body to either not make enough insulin, or not to use it normally as the normal body does. Instead, the glucose builds up in your blood, causing diabetes, otherwise known as high blood sugar.
The best way to reduce or prevent this problem during pregnancy is to reduce your daily sugar intake. If not controlled, it can lead to high blood pressure from preeclampsia and having a large infant, which increases the risk for cesarean delivery.
Preeclampsia: It is a serious medical condition that can lead to preterm delivery and may also cause death. Its cause is still unknown, but some women are at an increased risk. lt is also called toxemia. It usually occurs after the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. It causes high blood pressure and problems with your kidneys. The recommended treatment for this is the delivery of the baby and placenta to prevent the disease from progressing. Your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of this and he may induce labour if you’re 37 to 40 weeks pregnant.
If it’s too early to deliver your baby, then your doctor will need to monitor you and your baby closely. They may prescribe your medications or you may be hospitalized for monitoring and care.
Preterm labor: It begins before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Any infant born before 37 weeks is at an increased risk for health problems. There are certain medications that are helpful to stop labour. If you are suffering from this, doctors usually recommend bed rest to keep the baby from being born too early.
Miscarriage/ Pregnancy loss: The loss of pregnancy occurs during the first 20 weeks. In most of the cases, it is unavoidable. Sometimes, miscarriage happens before a woman is even aware of the pregnancy.
Infections: A variety of infections may complicate pregnancy and these infections may include bacterial, viral, and parasitic infections. These can be harmful to both the mother and the baby. It is advised to visit a doctor if suffering from any kind of infection during pregnancy to avoid serious problems.