Health Problems in Pregnancy

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Every pregnancy has some risk of problems. You may have problems because of a health condition you had before you got pregnant. You could also develop a condition during pregnancy. Other causes of problems during pregnancy can include being pregnant with more than one baby, a health problem in a previous pregnancy, drug use during pregnancy, or being over age 35. Any of these can affect your health, the health of your baby, or both.

If you have a chronic condition, you should talk to your health care provider about how to minimize your risk before you get pregnant. Once you are pregnant, you may need a health care team to monitor your pregnancy. Some common health problems that can complicate a pregnancy include:

• High blood pressure
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Kidney problems
• Autoimmune disorders
• Obesity
• HIV/AIDS
• Cancer
• Infections

Other conditions that can make pregnancy risky can happen while you are pregnant - for example, gestational diabetes and Rh incompatibility. Good prenatal care can help detect and treat them.

Some discomforts, like nausea, back pain, and fatigue, are common during pregnancy. Sometimes it is hard to know what is normal. Call your health care provider if something is bothering or worrying you.

Start Here

• High-Risk Pregnancy (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
• Pregnancy Complications (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Pregnancy Complications (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
• Pregnant and Postpartum Women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• What Are Some Factors that Make a Pregnancy High Risk? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish
• What Health Problems Can Develop during Pregnancy? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Urgent Maternal Warning Signs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Estrogen Levels Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Prenatal Testing: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Progesterone Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Who Is at Increased Risk of Health Problems during Pregnancy? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Acute Pancreatitis and Pregnancy (National Pancreas Foundation)
• Asthma, Allergies and Pregnancy (American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology) Also in Spanish
• Depression and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Epilepsy and Pregnancy (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Gaucher Disease in Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) Also in Spanish
• Having Kids Later in Life: Healthy Pregnancies as you Age (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Headaches during Pregnancy: What's the Best Treatment? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Heart Conditions and Pregnancy: Know the Risks (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Hyperthermia and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
• IBS in Women (International Foundation for Gastrointestinal Disorders)
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Pregnancy (Organization of Teratology Information Specialists) - PDF Also in Spanish
• Partners, Friends, and Family of Pregnant or Postpartum Women (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy and Reproductive Issues (National Multiple Sclerosis Society)
• Pregnancy and Rheumatic Disease (American College of Rheumatology) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy and Thyroid Disease (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• What You Should Know about Sickle Cell Disease and Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
• Will Stress during Pregnancy Affect My Baby? (Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Anemia and Pregnancy (March of Dimes Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Back Pain during Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• Bleeding and Spotting from the Vagina during Pregnancy (March of Dimes Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Bleeding during Pregnancy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Blood Clotting and Pregnancy (American Society of Hematology)
• Cervical Length: Why Does It Matter during Pregnancy? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Fetal Growth Restriction (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Incompetent Cervix (Cleveland Clinic Foundation)
• Morning Sickness: Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• Placental Abruption (March of Dimes Foundation)
• Placental Accreta, Increta, and Percreta (March of Dimes Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy after 35: Healthy Pregnancies, Healthy Babies (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy Complications (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy, High-Risk (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Prolonged pregnancy and stillbirth among women with overweight or obesity -...
• Article: Maternal Well-Being and Stage of Behaviour Change during Pregnancy: A Secondary...
• Article: Process evaluation methods and results from the Health in Pregnancy and...
• Health Problems in Pregnancy -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health Also in Spanish
• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
• Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• March of Dimes Foundation Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Bed rest during pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hydramnios (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hyperemesis gravidarum (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Insufficient cervix (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Placenta abruptio (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Placenta previa (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pregnancy - health risks (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Vaginal bleeding in late pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Vaginal bleeding in pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish