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| Physicians treating - high-risk pregnancy |
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| High-risk pregnancy... |
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There is no formal or universally accepted definition of a "high-risk" pregnancy. Generally, however, a high-risk pregnancy involves at least one of the following: Mother or baby is more likely to become ill or die than usual, or complications before or after delivery are more likely to occur than usual.
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Risk Factors?
Some risk factors are present before women become pregnant. These risk factors include certain physical and social characteristics of women, problems that have occurred in previous pregnancies, and certain disorders women already have.
Some risk factors may occur or develop during pregnancy to make it high risk. For example, pregnant women may be exposed to something that can produce birth defects (teratogens), such as radiation, certain chemicals, drugs, or infections. Or a disorder may develop. Some disorders are related to (are complications of) pregnancy. |
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Risk Factors Present Before Pregnancy |
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Physical Characteristics (age, weight, height) |
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Social Characteristics (smoking, unhealthy diet) |
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Problems in a Previous Pregnancy |
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Disorders Present before Pregnancy (heart disease, high blood pressure, anemia, kidney disorder, seizure disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, diabetes, liver and gallbladder disorders, asthma, autoimmune disorders, lupus, graves' disease, Myasthenia gravis, Rheumatoid arthritis, fibroids, cancer) |
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| Risk Factors that Develop During Pregnancy |
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Drugs (alcohol, isotretinoin - for acne treatment, lithium, some antibiotics, ACE inhibitors [angiotensin-converting enzyme], cocaine, cigarettes, and drugs that block the actions of folic acid. |
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Fevers (greater than 103°) |
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Infections (German measles, chickenpox, herpes simplex, bacterial infection of the vagina) |
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Disorders that require surgery (appendicitis, ovarian cyst, obstruction of the intestine) |
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Thromboembolic Disease (leading cause of death in pregnant women) |
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Anemia (need for iron doubles during pregnancy) |
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Urinary Tract Infection (common during pregnancy) |
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Hyperemesis gravidarum (extremely severe nausea and excessive vomiting during pregnancy) |
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Preeclampsia ( increased blood pressure is accompanied by protein in the urine) |
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Gestational Diabetes ( 1 to 3% of pregnant women develop diabetes during pregnancy) |
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Rh Incompatibility ( when a pregnant woman has Rh-negative blood and the fetus has Rh-positive blood, inherited from a father who has Rh-positive) |
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Problems With Amniotic Fluid |
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Placenta Previa (placenta over or near the cervix, in the lower rather than the upper part of the uterus) |
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Placental Abruption ( premature detachment of a normally positioned placenta from the wall of the uterus) |
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