High-risk pregnancy

High-risk pregnancy
Ultrasound during pregnancy
SpecialtyObstetrics, midwifery
Risk factorsHigh blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, renal disease, autoimmune disease, fetal growth restriction, multiple gestations, congenital fetal abnormalities
Diagnostic methodBased on symptoms, imaging, screening

A high-risk pregnancy is a pregnancy where the gestational carrier or the fetus has an increased risk of adverse outcomes compared to uncomplicated pregnancies. No concrete guidelines currently exist for distinguishing “high-risk” pregnancies from “low-risk” pregnancies; however, there are certain studied conditions that have been shown to put the gestational carrier or fetus at a higher risk of poor outcomes.[1] These conditions can be classified into three main categories: health problems in the gestational carrier that occur before the pregnancy, health problems in the gestational carrier that occur during pregnancy, and certain health conditions with the fetus.[2] There are typically ways to medically manage all of these complications, as well as emotionally manage them with anxiety management and high-risk pregnancy specialists.

In 2012, the CDC estimated that there are approximately 65,000 pregnancies deemed "high-risk" in the United States each year.[3] Across the US, 6-8% of women develop a high-risk complication within their pregnancy.[4] Globally, there are 20 million high-risk pregnancies each year.[3]

  1. ^ Alfirevic, Zarko; Stampalija, Tamara; Gyte, Gillian ML (12 November 2013). Alfirevic, Zarko (ed.). "Fetal and umbilical Doppler ultrasound in high-risk pregnancies". Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (11): CD007529. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD007529.pub3. PMC 6464948. PMID 24222334.
  2. ^ "High-Risk Pregnancy: Overview". www.nichd.nih.gov. Retrieved 2017-11-07. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ a b Holness N (June 2018). "High-Risk Pregnancy". The Nursing Clinics of North America. 53 (2): 241–251. doi:10.1016/j.cnur.2018.01.010. PMID 29779516.
  4. ^ "High-Risk Pregnancy". ucsfhealth.org. Archived from the original on 2024-12-07. Retrieved 2024-12-18.