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High-Risk Pregnancy |
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We often hear the expression "high-risk pregnancy" (HRP) today, but what does it actually mean? The term is used in circumstances where the health of the mother or fetus might have a disastrous effect on the course of the pregnancy. During their training as specialists, obstetricians/gynecologists learn to recognize and, above all, treat this type of pregnancy, so that it ends in the safest possible way for both mother and child.
A number of maternal medical conditions have been identified during the last 25 years, leading to conspicuous advances in the quality of obstetrical and neonatal health care. Examples are the use of ultrasound, listening to the fetal heart during pregnancy and labour, preventing Rh blood group problems and infections like German measles, taking blood tests to screen for genetic abnormalities, etc. You may be considered at risk if you have an endocrine, heart or breathing problem, difficulty in carrying your pregnancy to term, or if you have been unable to become pregnant for various reasons.
If your pregnancies have ended catastrophically, your child has died, or there are complications and sequelae, you may also be considered at risk. In all these situations, consulting your obstetrician/gynecologist before and during pregnancy will help you feel fully supported throughout your pregnancy and you will know that you are being cared for by a multidisciplinary medical team coordinated by your obstetrician/gynecologist.
Do not hesitate to talk to your family doctor, who can refer you to one of these experts.
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