Women who discover they are pregnant may experience a wide range of emotions – joy, nervousness and that all too familiar feeling of becoming a soon-to-be mother. But for some women whose pregnancies are considered high risk, it’s a time of concern.
Dr. Stacy Tsai, Queen’s Medical Center maternal fetal medicine physician says it’s very important to address a high-risk pregnancy because many medical conditions can worsen during pregnancy.
“If the mom has medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease before getting pregnant or it's identified during pregnancy, they’re considered high risk. If the mom is older at the time of conception, if the pregnancy is conceived by in vitro fertilization or if there’s a family history of genetic problems that can be passed on to the unborn baby, those are all conditions that can make a pregnancy high-risk,” said Dr. Tsai.
Women who have high risk pregnancies should talk to their doctors even before getting pregnant, if possible.
“Many of these medical conditions could get worse during pregnancy. Some conditions such as heart disease could even be life threatening to the mother if left untreated,” according to Dr. Tsai.
Some conditions can also impact the baby with birth defects, low birth weight and early deliveries.
To ensure a healthy pregnancy when it is deemed high risk, be sure that your medical condition is well controlled and treated.
“That has been shown to prevent complications during pregnancy. You should also start talking to your doctor or medical specialist before you get pregnant to discuss what can be done to ensure a healthy pregnancy. And if you take medication for your condition, be sure the medication is safe to take while pregnant,” said Dr. Tsai.
In addition, Tsai advises pregnant women, even those who are having routine pregnancies, to seek medical attention if they experience certain symptoms such as worsening heart disease.
"So shortness of breath, chest pain, really terrible swelling, high blood pressure are very concerning symptoms when you are pregnant. And if you have diabetes, make sure you see your doctor to be sure it’s well treated because it could cause birth defects in the baby,” said Tsai.
To learn more about the services provided by the Queen’s Women’s Health Services visit the Queen's Medical Center website.