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Overview of High-Risk Pregnancy

By

The Manual's Editorial Staff

Reviewed/Revised Feb 2023
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What is a high-risk pregnancy?

There is no one, formal definition of a high-risk pregnancy. Generally, a high-risk pregnancy means:

  • You or your baby is more likely to become ill or die than usual

  • Complications before or after delivery are more likely to occur than usual

Certain conditions, called risk factors, make a pregnancy high risk. Problems can happen during the pregnancy, during delivery, or in the weeks after delivery.

  • Doctors watch high-risk pregnancies very carefully

  • If your pregnancy is considered high risk, you may be sent to a special doctor, clinic, or hospital

  • Receiving proper medical care could save your life and your baby's life

What can make your pregnancy high risk?

Some of the common factors that make your pregnancy high risk include:

What causes mothers to die?

Death rates from pregnancy are different around the world. In the United States, 24 women die for every 100,000 babies born. Many of these deaths could have been prevented if the mother could have gotten medical care early in the pregnancy. The most common causes of death in mothers include:

What causes babies to die?

Some common reasons babies can die before or right after birth include:

How do doctors tell if your pregnancy is high risk?

How do doctors treat high-risk pregnancies?

Doctors will treat you and your pregnancy very carefully. You may need to see a special doctor or clinic that treats high-risk pregnancies. You'll probably have to see the doctor more often than women who aren't high risk. You may even need visits by a nurse at your home.

If you have a certain medical problem making your pregnancy high risk, doctors will treat that problem. You must be sure to take all the medicines your doctor prescribes and follow any special diet you're given.

NOTE: This is the Consumer Version. DOCTORS: VIEW PROFESSIONAL VERSION
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