Risky Business

While pregnancy itself isn’t a risky state to be in, there are certain circumstances in which you and your baby might need additional care. These are some of the most common ones, writes Tracey Hawthorne

- Tracey Hawthorne

“PREGNANCY IS A natural event for which a woman’s body is perfectly designed,” says Dr. Dalene Barnard, an obstetrician, and gynecologist from Kloof Mediclinic in Pretoria. “However, high-risk pregnancies are when a woman or her baby has a characteristic condition that has been recognized by medical research to increase the chance of an adverse outcome for the mother and/or the baby.”

Some of the most common of these are for women at the extremes of their reproductive life (in their teens or over 35), those who are substantially overweight, women with pre-existing medical conditions, and women expecting multiple babies.

AGE EXTREMES

Pregnant teens, especially those who don’t have support from their parents, are at risk of not getting adequate critical prenatal care. Prenatal care screens for medical problems in mother and baby, and monitors the baby’s growth; and prenatal vitamins with folic acid are essential in helping to prevent certain birth issues such as neural-tube defects.

Pregnant teens also have a higher risk of getting high blood pressure (pregnancy-induced hypertension) and pre-eclampsia, a dangerous medical condition characterised by high blood pressure and signs of damage to other organ systems, most often the liver and kidneys, and which can lead to serious – even fatal – complications for both the mother and the baby.

For teens who have sex during pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and HIV are a major concern; and teens are more likely to take drugs, drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes during their pregnancy, all of which have adverse effects on the mother’s and the growing baby’s health.