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pregnancy risk factors Alternative Names high-risk pregnancy Definition Pregnancy is the period from conception to birth. A pregnancy may be complicated by health problems or lifestyle issues known as risk factors. These risk factors can affect the mother or fetus, or both. What is the information for this topic? A pregnancy is considered to be at risk when a problem is more likely than usual to occur. Such a problem could be caused by a health condition the mother had before she was pregnant. It could also be a problem that arises during pregnancy or delivery. The small number of women who have known risk factors account for a large number of the problems that occur. However, not all problems can be predicted. About 1 in 5 infants who have serious problems are born to mothers who had no known risk factors during pregnancy. The following health problems in the mother can increase the risk of her pregnancy: high blood pressure heart disease, lung disease, or liver disease sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs urinary tract infections viral or bacterial infections diabetes, which means that sugar in the blood is difficult to control severe asthma seizure disorders or epilepsy posttraumatic stress disorder hypothyroidism, or a low level of thyroid hormone production Problems related to the current pregnancy or past pregnancies can increase the risk to the mother and baby, such as: problems in past pregnancies adolescent pregnancy, especially pregnancy in a mother who is younger than 15 years of age advanced maternal age, which means pregnancy in a woman older than 35 years of age previous birth defects multiple fetuses, for example, twins or triplets pregnancies that are less than 6 months or more than 5 years apart vaginal bleeding, especially during the second trimester or third trimester preeclampsia, which is pregnancy-induced high blood pressure abnormal fetal heartbeat intrauterine growth retardation, a condition in which a fetus is not growing enough for its age Lifestyle issues in the mother that can increase her pregnancy risk factors are as follows: smoking drinking alcohol caffeine intake, particularly in the first trimester taking drugs and herbal remedies not prescribed by a healthcare provider poor nutrition, including low levels of folic acid lack of prenatal care multiple sexual partners exposure to pesticides To screen for risk factors, several lab tests are done at different times during pregnancy, including the following: blood tests to identify blood type and Rh factor, to check for a low red blood cell count caused by anemia, and to detect some sexually transmitted diseases urine tests to check levels of sugar, protein, and bacteria. These urine tests screen for urinary tract infections, gestational diabetes, and preeclampsia. Depending on the mother's medical history, family medical background, and the results of routine tests, more tests to check the growth and health of the fetus may be suggested. Genetic counseling is strongly advised for couples with a risk factor of having a child with a birth defect or serious genetic illness. Risk factors for this are as follows: a mother who will be 35 years old or older when the baby is due a family or personal history of birth defects, genetic conditions such as Tay-Sachs disease or Down syndrome, or certain medical disorders known as inborn errors of metabolism a previous child with a birth defect or genetic disease such as sickle cell anemia certain ethnic backgrounds, including African-American, Mediterranean, Asian, French-Canadian, or Ashkenazi Jewish 3 or more miscarriages in a row

Author: Dr. Karen Wolfe, MBBS, MA Date Written: 06/06/00 Reviewer: Eileen McLaughlin, RN, BSN Date Reviewed: 07/13/01 Potential conflict of interest information for reviewers available on request