High Risk Pregnancy
A high-risk pregnancy is a pregnancy that involves increased health risks for the pregnant woman, fetus or both. Certain health conditions and age can make a pregnancy high risk. These pregnancies require close monitoring to reduce the chance 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 delivery despite having special health needs.
Sometimes a high-risk pregnancy is the result of a medical condition present before pregnancy. In other cases, a medical condition that develops during pregnancy for either you or your baby causes a pregnancy to become high risk.
Factors that contribute to a high-risk pregnancy
Maternal age. Pregnancy risks are higher for mothers older than age 35 and younger than 17.
Lifestyle choices. Smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and using drugs.
Maternal health problems. High blood pressure, autoimmune disorders, obesity, diabetes, epilepsy, thyroid disease, heart or blood disorders, poorly controlled asthma, and infections.
Pregnancy complications. Various complications that develop during pregnancy can pose risks. Examples include an unusual placenta position, fetal growth less than the 10th percentile for gestational age (fetal growth restriction) and 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.
Multiple pregnancy. Pregnancy risks are higher for women carrying more than one fetus.
Pregnancy history. A history of pregnancy-related hypertension disorders, such as preeclampsia, increases the risk of having this diagnosis during the next pregnancy. If you gave birth prematurely in your last pregnancy or you've had multiple premature births, you're at increased risk of an early delivery in your next pregnancy.
Promoting a healthy pregnancy
Whether you know ahead of 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 basics. For example, schedule a preconception appointment, seek regular prenatal care and avoid risky substances.
Depending on the circumstances, your doctor might recommend:
Specialized or targeted ultrasound. This type of fetal ultrasound targets a suspected problem, such as development that's not typical.
Prenatal cell-free DNA (cfDNA) screening. During this procedure, 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. The doctor might recommend amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS), to identify certain genetic conditions as well as some problems of the brain or spinal cord (neural tube defects).
Ultrasound for cervical length. To measure the length of your cervix at prenatal appointments to determine if you're at risk of preterm labor.
Biophysical profile. This prenatal ultrasound is used to check on a baby's well-being. It might involve only an ultrasound to evaluate fetal well-being or, depending on the results of the ultrasound, also fetal heart rate monitoring (nonstress test).
A high-risk pregnancy might have ups and downs. Do your best to stay positive as you take steps to promote a healthy pregnancy, and Dr. Ehab can be of great help. Contact us or call +201221577732 for reservation.
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