What is a high risk pregnancy?

Pregnancy w/illness: Pretty much anything out of the ordinary will make your pregnancy high risk. This includes being 35 or older, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, fibroids, previous cesarean section, thyroid disease, heart disease, sickle cell anemia, previous stillborn, history of preterm labor, and the list goes on. Your OB will take care of you with the help of a perinatologist to keep you and your baby safe.

Threat 2 mom or baby: The term high-risk pregnancy has been applied in many ways to many patients, causing much anxiety for them and their families. As a maternal-fetal medicine subspecialist, I have seen thousands of patients with that designation and tried to put things in perspective for them. In the simplest terms, such a pregnancy is one at higher than average risk for adverse outcome for mom or baby.

Un-routine: Pregnancy is a normal part of life -- but if something out-of-the ordinary happens, then a pregnancy may become high risk. Sometimes, a mom has a medical problem before she gets pregnant, and in other cases, a mom begins having labor too early, or develops high blood pressure. High risk doctors work together with a team of providers to improve care.

Not a easy answer: There are too many different conditions that can cause a high risk pregnancy to answer here, but some big ones are fetal problems, and also maternal complications such as diabetes and hypertesnion.

Un-routine: Pregnancy is a normal part of life -- but if something out-of-the ordinary happens, then a pregnancy may become high risk. Sometimes, a mom has a medical problem before she gets pregnant, and in other cases, a mom begins having labor too early, or develops high blood pressure. High risk doctors work together with a team of providers to improve care.