A high-risk pregnancy requires thorough care and regular monitoring. Screening and health checks occur regularly to prevent premature birth or miscarriage. Women over thirty-five are prone to high-risk pregnancies. Most women who qualify as high risk consult a specialist in maternal-foetal medicine and often undergo larger scale monitoring than women who present a low risk of high care pregnancies. A high-risk pregnancy doesn’t necessarily mean your pregnancy will be more challenging, but it does require close observation and medical intervention when necessary.

What qualifies as a high-risk pregnancy?

If you live with the following conditions, the chance of a complicated pregnancy is high:

• Diabetes can occur during pregnancy, which is what we refer to as gestational diabetes. Should you have diabetes or develop it later on, your OB-GYN will monitor your glucose levels, refer you to a dietician for nutritional counselling and prescribe medication.
• High blood pressure (hypertension) can happen during pregnancy. Should hypertension occur, your doctor will monitor your baby’s growth and intervene when there are problems concerning this. High blood pressure has various implications. One of the issues concerning this is very little blood flow to the placenta, and because of this, the baby receives less oxygen and nutrients.
• Preeclampsia is a condition that occurs due to hypertension after the twentieth week of pregnancy and, as a result, damages adjacent organs, including the liver and kidneys. The repercussions of untreated preeclampsia are severe, often leading to seizures.
• More than one pregnancy poses a greater risk of complications. Multiple pregnancies increase the risk of preeclampsia and foetal abnormalities. In over 60 per cent of cases, twins are delivered prematurely. Premature babies have organs that do not function optimally and, because of this, require oxygen support and heat to regulate their body temperature inside an incubator.
• Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) threaten the health of your baby and harm your pregnancy. Certain STDs such as syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia lead to premature birth and very little body mass (low birth weight).

What can my OB-GYN do to prevent any complications during pregnancy?

Regular screenings at prenatal appointments prevent any complications at birth. Your OB-GYN carries out blood tests to check for genetic diseases like Down Syndrome and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that can be passed onto your baby.

Within the first six weeks of pregnancy, schedule your first prenatal appointment. These check-ups must occur periodically within every four weeks after the twenty-eighth week of pregnancy and then again every second week from the thirty-sixth week. After the delivery of your baby, you must attend check-ups every week. During these consultations, your doctor checks your blood pressure, examines your uterus, and assesses your baby’s health.