Normally the majority of the pregnancy cases are uncomplicated. However, it is essential to be aware of some of the serious clinical conditions that could occur in expecting moms. It is a good idea to learn about the various pregnancy complications. Your gynecologist would be watching out for these common pregnancy issues all through the nine months of your pregnancy using lab tests, physical exams, and even ultrasounds. Moreover, you could be assisting your health caregiver by never missing any prenatal appointments and religiously reporting if any troubling symptoms crop up. Here are some of the most common complications or medical issues that could be encountered by pregnant women.
Miscarriage
Miscarriage is referred to as a loss of your baby in the initial 20 weeks. Statistics reveal that 10% to 20% of pregnancies usually end in miscarriage. Over 80% of these miscarriages are known to occur before even 12 weeks of pregnancy. Bleeding or vaginal spotting is the initial sign. You must get in touch with a healthcare practitioner immediately when you notice the sign. If your doctor suspects a miscarriage, an ultrasound would be suggested for observing what is happening in your uterus. A blood test would also be recommended.
Placenta Previa
This is a rare condition, occurring in less than 1% of pregnancies and is characterized by a placenta covering the cervix. This could be pretty dangerous as during labor, it is natural for the cervix to dilate and the uterus to expand and then certain portions of your placenta could get torn and start bleeding causing the pregnant patient to hemorrhage. If the placenta remains precariously low as the pregnancy progresses, it could be the cause of bleeding that could culminate in other complications and may necessitate early delivery.
Preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is supposed to be quite a serious issue that affects around 5% of all reported pregnant women. Patients are known to suffer from high blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine, and kidney or liver abnormalities post twenty weeks of pregnancy. It may harm the liver and kidney function and even lead to blood clotting. Preeclampsia conditions are assessed by co-immunoprecipitation & sometimes followed by Western blotting. Preeclampsia could be triggered by any protein that arrests the growth of the blood vessels present in the placenta. Moms who are actually carrying more than a single fetus, women whose close relative had preeclampsia and pregnant women over 40 are certainly at a higher risk of heading toward such complications.
Ectopic Pregnancy
In this case, the fertilized egg is implanted outside the uterus and one out of every 50 pregnant women goes through ectopic pregnancy. Most of these ectopic pregnancy cases take place in the fallopian tube. This could be fatal and needs to be detected early so that the pregnancy could be terminated.
Gestational Diabetes
This is a serious and common pregnancy complication and so you must go for routine glucose screening to detect the issue between 24 weeks and 28 weeks of pregnancy. You would be monitored closely and you could keep diabetes under control with regular exercise and proper diet. You would be delivering a healthy baby. However, badly controlled diabetes could lead to serious consequences for your baby.
Conclusion
Pregnancy could have its own challenges and complications. But you could tackle these issues by being alert, by getting the required testing done and constant monitoring by your gynecologist.