High Risk Pregnancy

What is a high-risk pregnancy?

A high-risk pregnancy is any pregnancy with a higher-than-average risk of health complications to the baby or the mother. If your pregnancy is considered high risk, you may also have a higher chance of having an early delivery. You’ll also need more care and monitoring than others leading up to the birth.

Even if your pregnancy starts out completely healthy and normal, sometimes problems can arise that make your pregnancy high risk. When this happens, or if your pregnancy is labeled high risk from the start, you can be confident that the obstetricians and midwives at Physicians for Women in Madison, WI will provide you expert care, often working to coordinate consultation with a perinatologist for an extra layer of support and orchestrating heightened surveillance testing and ultrasound.

When is a pregnancy considered high risk? 

Many conditions and complications can put a pregnancy at a higher risk; sometimes the issue is maternal or fetal and sometimes it’s related to your placenta. Some common factors that make a pregnancy high risk are:

• A young age (under 17)
• An older age (over 35)
• Twins or triplets
• High blood pressure
• Maternal heart disease
• Diabetes
• Smoking, alcohol or drug use
• History of a clotting disorder or blood clots (e.g. Pulmonary embolism, DVT)
• Obesity
• Abnormal placental location (e.g. placenta previa)
• Congenital or chromosomal abnormality in your baby
• Bleeding in any trimester of your pregnancy
• Cervical incompetence
• Recurrent pregnancy losses
• Infection (Zika, CMV, Toxoplasmosis, Rubella, Herpes, Syphilis) 
• History of preterm labor or preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM)

Our team of obstetricians and midwives thoroughly explains to you why your pregnancy is considered high risk and how your pregnancy care might change in order for you to have a safe and healthy delivery and baby.

How can I manage my high-risk pregnancy?

Managing a high-risk pregnancy requires good communication between your obstetrician and you. One of the simplest things you can do is be diligent about attending your appointments with our obstetricians or midwives at Physicians for Women. To improve your chances of a healthy pregnancy and a successful delivery, the team may recommend:

• Eating a healthy diet with a goal of gaining a total of 25-35 lbs in pregnancy if you are of normal weight pre-pregnancy
• Avoid sugary sodas and electrolyte replacement drinks. Stick to water; about 100 fluid ounces per day
• Exercising as your physician directs
• Washing your hands often
• Avoiding raw meat
• Limit eating certain types of fish, like tuna, salmon and halibut to one serving per week
• Avoiding unpasteurized cheese
• Drink bottled water when travelling, avoiding tap water
• Practicing stress-relief tactics like yoga or meditation

To find out more about what makes a pregnancy high risk and what you can do to lower your risk, call Physicians for Women, or book an appointment online today.